Lost Diver in Cozumel, Mexico, February 2016

[Ron Lee]

Being on land may help survival. For many dive sites on Cozumel you could surface swim to shore. You might have to float a while near shore to find a suitable exit point but at least you would be on land. Ideally you might even make it to the main north side road and be rescued.

 

[laikabear]

Here's the best I could do for the video dialogue:

A 62 year old tourist disappeared while diving last Tuesday afternoon together with a group of 6 other tourists who chartered the company Eco Driven and left on board the boat La Raquelita Rumba to Santa Rosa reef. The harbormaster refused to give info about the progress of the search which is being coordinated with the naval station search and rescue out of respect (for the families? it didn't say that).

The lack of interest by the harbormaster to report on the work carried out is clearly a bad job... [didn't understand that part]... Because there are no actual inspections by the harbormaster to prevent such accidents occurring with tourists participating in these activities. [Then there was something about having documentation that allows them to do a good job with these tourists.] Often by some oversight they have moved away from their diving group (underwater) without the person in charge realizing, resulting in lamentable situations such as this one in which the diver has not been located. Then it just said those are some older photos, and did the station ID.

 

[laikabear]

I didn't hear where they said 96 hours or that the harbormaster denied a lost diver.

 

[DandyDon]

I didn't hear where they said 96 hours...

In post #1...

its air and sea search continues, in fact it will be by 96 active hours

the intention is combing a field of action at sea taking into account currents and winds for 96 hours.

 

[mstevens]

I am surprised that none of the coz regulars, shop owners or even the mod who lives there has any info.

Why? Unless one of those people happened to be involved, where would they get information?

I'm the medical director of a department of a hospital in a town with a population 8% that of Cozumel. Just because I hear a medical helicopter taking off outside my window does not mean that I know (or am entitled to know) who is in it or why.

 

[laikabear]

Oh, ok, I was just referring to the video.

 

[gopbroek]

On Tuesday afternoon I dove Cedral and crossed over to Santa Rosa and finished 1/2 to 3/4 the way down Santa Rosa, I exited around 16:45 to 17:00. I was looking for Lionfish on the wall and in the first several swim throughs and finished the last 10 minutes shallow hanging off my bouy over the reef. l experianced no unusual currents or conditions and when tracking high no signs of sand shifting to indicate downwells. The following morning I started hearing about the missing diver but the internet via my phone was crappy so I did not read the local news report until today. I saw no unusual activities on the surface upon exit so I am speculating that the search occurred after 17:00 and sundown was around 18:45, provided the timeline in the article is close to accurate. Not sure if it was a factor but it was also the main parrade night for Carnival and the wind came up pretty hard from the N by NW during the early evening.

Post script: The Sea conditions were marginal in the AM and while the port opened, a number of operators stayed in port. My LDS went out but the owner called the dive due to safety conerns and returned to port after going as far as Chankanaab. In the afternoon the conditions were much better and the seas and winds had calmed down to a point where they should not have been an issue.

 

[Fonsy Cuende]

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Saw this article. Any other info? Very sad.
Still Looking




COZUMEL 10 February.- the diver has not appeared lost late on Tuesday in the Santa Rosa, its air and sea search continues, in fact it will be by 96 active hours, the Body Admiral General Eliseo Adam Knight reported Rosas, commander of Naval Sector of Cozumel.
the head of the Navy on the island, announced that the institution is responsible personnel aboard two boats looking for American diver and prepared a fighter jet model 235, the intention is combing a field of action at sea taking into account currents and winds for 96 hours.
the same respondent admitted "it is unknown whether this person is at the bottom why he stayed with the team or reached doffing float and could not know. Foreseeing this situation has been removed equipment and has floated, so we get the game 235 plane to be searched ", coupled to an operation to try to find two boats is made.
Until Wednesday there were no major data the lost in the Harbor by the closure imposed since the arrival as head of José Angel Suarez Vallejo, to the unit, but had not appeared the woman.
in the Public Prosecutor's Office there is no investigation file against any boat crew called "Raquelita" home ownership diving Eco Divers, which traveled foreign.
As you may recall, in the last edition was announced the disappearance of an American diver named Connie Greilak, 62 old, originally from Wisconsin, USA, who according to the version of an authority, was diving with a group of six people on the reef known as Santa Rosa Tuesday afternoon, along with house staff dive Eco Divers, property attributed to a person named Jorge Alonso.
transpired that the group to emerge to the surface, around 15:00 am on Tuesday, she no longer appeared 16:50 hours was notified the Port of what happened and partly Naval Station search and Rescue Naval Sector of Cozumel was also given, starting the search operation, but at nightfall his

This video appeared but my spanish is not good enough and not sure how to translate audio. Caption says port captain denies lost diver. Can someone translate.

Please refrain from posting speculations and third hand info, or arguing about down currents, pony bottles, split fins, or buddy separation unless it is relevant.

I am surprised that none of the coz regulars, shop owners or even the mod who lives there has any info.
There seems to be more to say about lost gopros than lost divers.

 

[Fonsy Cuende]

I am not a diver, but I am a friend of the family and a Spanish speaker. The reporter says the Captain of the Port (Port Authority in English?) is once again refusing to give information about the search they are carrying out. The reporter accuses the Port Authority of doing a poor job as they do not really perform inspections of the credentials of boat captains and crew, to ensure they are capable of doing a good job with tourists. The result has been numerous lamentable situations in which divers have been separated from their group and those responsible for them have not been able to find them.

 

[DandyDon]

I am not a diver, but I am a friend of the family and a Spanish speaker.

Thanks Fonsy. We actually advise family & friends to avoid our accident discussions, as our views often include wild speculations and questions as we study risks.

We do wish the best for Connie. Do you know who she traveled to the island with?