Missing diver in Monterey, CA area

[lostsheep]

I will second @Nick_Radov on both points GWS are rare here and Fanshell is ONLY for calm days.

We were at Lobos on Saturday and chose to go get breakfast. I can only imagine what Fanshell looked like.

To others reading this, carry emergency locating devices and make sure someone knows where you are going, when you'll be back, and what signalling devices you have. Remember that the coast guard prioritizes search victims based off of who has the best chance of being found.

My thoughts are with the victim and his family.


EDIT: I got to see a GWS last year and a blue in December, both at lobos. I consider myself extremely lucky on both counts.

 

[rjack321]

To others reading this, carry emergency locating devices and make sure someone knows where you are going, when you'll be back, and what signalling devices you have. Remember that the coast guard prioritizes search victims based off of who has the best chance of being found.

They actually have a survivorship models which help alleviate the decision making burden on local authorities. It's a tough call for them to "stop" and they want to keep looking even though looking, especially at night or in poor conditions, is not 100% risk free.

Wetsuit survival in 55F water is 3 to 15 hours-ish depending on the suit, age, sex, weight. (edit) It's remotely possible to survive out to 20ish hours in 10C water (like 1-4% chance) which is why you see them calling off searches after about 24 hours unless there's some evidence they found a way to survive out of the water.

I don't think there are any models for someone in a wetsuit huddled on a beach.

https://mariovittone.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/USARIEM-TECHNICAL-REPORT-T08-05-.pdf

 

[suricatasuricata]

I will second @Nick_Radov on both points GWS are rare here and Fanshell is ONLY for calm days.

We were at Lobos on Saturday and chose to go get breakfast. I can only imagine what Fanshell looked like.

To others reading this, carry emergency locating devices and make sure someone knows where you are going, when you'll be back, and what signalling devices you have. Remember that the coast guard prioritizes search victims based off of who has the best chance of being found.

What do you recommend carrying for Monterey? Something like the Nautilus lifeline?

 

[lostsheep]

What do you recommend carrying for Monterey? Something like the Nautilus lifeline?

I’m not sure I’m qualified to best answer that. I do have a nautilus but I’d rather have a epirb.

I have dive lights, smb, nautilus, signal mirror, whistle , and sea dive marker. Sometimes I have strobe. All of it except smb and dive light fits in the small pocket on my drysuit; lights and smb are in standard locations. Main reason I carry all that crap is so I get priority if S&R resources are limited.

 

[suricatasuricata]

Thanks, I always carry an SMB, a mirror (sometimes) and a whistle. I do wonder whether I should have a strobe even during the daytime (perhaps with one that lasts a few hours). Someone had one on a BeachHopper 2 dive and it was very useful when attached to the anchor line, especially when the viz is pretty bad.

 

[DandyDon]

I do have a nautilus but I’d rather have a epirb.

Actually, EPIRBs are registered to a boat while PLBs are designed for use by an individual. When carrying a PLB (as I do anytime I leave the house anywhere) it helps if your registered emergency contact knows where you are. 90% of alerts are butt-dials or other false alarms, so they'll call them first. It was mentioned earlier in this thread that a diver in a wetsuit is only going to last a few hours in 50 degree water, so it'd help if your contact knew you were going diving. But then, one would hope that an alert from the ocean is going to be searced quickly. Most PLBs include an automatic strobe.

a mirror (sometimes)

Such a little thing that works so well. Why not always.

 

[lostsheep]

I stand corrected, TY.

 

[rjack321]

What do you recommend carrying for Monterey? Something like the Nautilus lifeline?

From the news articles it sounds like conditions were crazy rough. I'm not sure what was going through the dive group's mind when they decided to get in the water in the first place or if there was some peer pressure going on, conditions radically deteriorated, or what. But the PLB (ditto the nautilus) might not have done much in this situation as the antenna has to stay above water consistently.

Having buddy's supportive and thoughtful enough to mutually say "not diving today" was what they really needed.

 

[lexvil]

From the news articles it sounds like conditions were crazy rough. I'm not sure what was going through the dive group's mind when they decided to get in the water in the first place or if there was some peer pressure going on, conditions radically deteriorated, or what. But the PLB (ditto the nautilus) might not have done much in this situation as the antenna has to stay above water consistently.

Having buddy's supportive and thoughtful enough to mutually say "not diving today" was what they really needed.

It’s wasn’t a good dive day, I went Friday and it was turning rough fast but weeks of terrible condition can make one dive in lessor conditions.

 

[suricatasuricata]

From the news articles it sounds like conditions were crazy rough. I'm not sure what was going through the dive group's mind when they decided to get in the water in the first place or if there was some peer pressure going on, conditions radically deteriorated, or what. But the PLB (ditto the nautilus) might not have done much in this situation as the antenna has to stay above water consistently.

Having buddy's supportive and thoughtful enough to mutually say "not diving today" was what they really needed.

Yeah, what has been surprising (to me) as a new diver to Monterey is how the conditions are different locally. I was there the same day at the Breakwater for my Fundies class. The conditions seemed fine (albeit with terrible viz).

The Friday before on the Beachhopper was decent viz but just terrible surge tossing me +/- 5 feet. Enough to make me choose to call the second dive because I had trouble equalizing and was trying to go down/up slower than the surge would let me.

But yeah, to your point, I think being supportive around calling the dive when one feels uneasy is better. Since I am driving down from SF, I often try to regulate for any potential "Sacramento syndrome" type mentality that might come up for myself.