Error INCIDENT IN PALAU THAT COULD HAVE BEEN REALLY BAD

[Ken Kurtis]

Something similar to this happened a few years ago in Egypt. The guide on the RIB decided to get too close to the surf and it capsized. All of the divers had to be rescued. Fortunately, they had a second RIB close by and at least the divers were recovered. In this instance, there would have been nobody there to execute a rescue of the capsized vessel.

And just to be clear, a RIB is very different from what we were in. RIB are reatively light and small. Our skiff is about 35 feet long, 10 feet wide, and much heavier (pictured below - click on the pix to see it in full).

 

[Ken Kurtis]

One more general note to some of the naysayers and MMQBs, don't lose sight of the fact that, regardless of what you think should have been, could have been done . . . what was done was SUCCESSFUL. The skiff didn't flip, the two divers were rescued, and no one else got hurt.

• There should have been a rope and a throw line. There wasn't.
• They should have surfaced in deeper water away from the surf. They didn't.
• There should have been rescue divers on the skiff. There weren't.
• One of you should have jumped in. Not a good plan.

Could the skiff have flipped? Yes.
Could the people have died? Yes.
Could this have had a different outcome? Yes.
But . . . it didn't.

As some of you know, one thing I do is testify in scuba litigation. And one of the easiest traps to fall into when trying to reconstruct what happened during an incident is that you stop looking at what the actual facts and options were and start throwing in all of the would've/should've/could've and you end up creating a fantasy scenario that bears no resemblance to the reality.

Did we get lucky with the skiff and the breaking wave? Maybe. Or . . . maybe the skiff captain knew what he was doing, knew how dangerous this could be, watched the waves as he maneuvered in the surf zone, we watched the couple, had the boat in the correct position for the surf at the time, blasted the engines to ensure we could plow through the wave, and nothing bad happened. Luck or skill? Fine line between the two at times.

 

[johndiver999]

. And one of the easiest traps to fall into when trying to reconstruct what happened during an incident is that you stop looking at what the actual facts and options were and start throwing in all of the would've/should've/could've and you end up creating a fantasy scenario that bears no resemblance to the reality.

Exactly! I see now why you chose that title.

INCIDENT IN PALAU THAT COULD HAVE BEEN REALLY BAD​

 

[ofg-1]

I have a couple of general comments not necessarily related to this incident.

I don't care how much you spend or how far you fly, if you don't think a boat or a captain is safe, don't get on the boat.

If you are so unaware that you run out of breathing gas, do not expect good things to happen. So as you sit there with waves crashing on your head, you should reflect on how much that extra 15 minutes of bottom time was worth.

If you do get on the boat, remember, there is only one captain, and most times its not you.

If you do get separated from the boat, remember, the captain is going to recover everyone else before they come for you. If you are drift diving, this could take some time.

Some of you need to go and work a summer on a dive boat. What you have to deal with will shock you. You get on a boat with 20 strangers, with various experience levels, from 14 years old to 75, in various physical condition, and the only equipment that you know works is the tank and weight belt you give them. And you do this 7 days a week, 2 trips a day.

Considering what they are paid, I don't know why these folks do this for a living .

 

[Jackie]

I would have thrown his camera into the ocean….by mistake.
I dint think rescue divers are the answer. Too many people get into trouble then there are just more people to rescue. Or they die trying.

 

[poseident]

Glad everyone got back to the mothership successfully Ken...and thanks for sharing.

To somewhat riff on ofg-1's comments, but also to point out what the buckskin BCD-wearing old-timers on here will know, another factor here is the universal truth of something that has never happened actually happening...AKA, an untimely visit from Mr. Murphy.

These skiffs were designed primarily to support typical Palau drift-diving....live drops and live pickups. Over time, the program has changed a bit and in the interest of variety, there are occasionally "something different" dives like the one that Ken's group was presented.

I'm certain that, compared to some of the hair-raising experiences the Aggressor crew has had around Peleliu during big tide cycles, that little near-shore dive seemed like a "what could possibly go wrong in this quiet little place?" yawner. They (rightly) thought of the risk of other boats, and briefed about that....etc. The notion of someone doing the exact opposite of what they briefed didn't kick in for this site. That was simply a failure of imagination because, of course, we know someone ALWAYS does the opposite. ("Make something idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot"). They weren't prepared for the risk that presented itself....although I am a little surprised the guides weren't just sent in to "fetch," but it sounds like all this happened quite quickly...

It could happen to anyone, and hopefully they make some changes (throw-lines are cheap) and are better prepared the next time.

Happy bubbles....