Missing Divers - Komodo National Park

[DandyDon]

Great to see they where found. The CNN article doesn't give much detail on how they got seperated.

Not sure if these are different or not...?

British divers missing, feared dead in Indonesia - Telegraph

Ten minutes of terror in diving paradise - CNN.com

Missing divers: Five Europeans found on remote Indonesian island | World news | guardian.co.uk

Alone on dragon island ... How Britons swept away during dive survived their terrifying ordeal | Mail Online

 

[Valwood1]

Where on Rinca is Mantaolan?

 

[Doubler]

HX850S Floating 6W Handheld VHF with integral GPS, Safety Strobe and Position Send Function $250. West Marine.


McMurdo Dive Canister
The custom-designed Dive Canister allows the Fastfind and Fastfind Plus (with -4oF battery pack) to be taken to a depth of 492 feet and be ready for use should the need arise when you surface. . Built to hold Fastfind and Fastfind Plus . Waterproof to 492 feet . Adds one pound positive bouyancy
Dive Canister
Model #85-754A
$199.75

$450 bucks for peace of mind.. Priceless. If somebody in this group would have carried one of these they wouldn't have been playing St. George on a deserted Island. But now that they all survived think of the story for the grandkids.

 

[DandyDon]

I hope one of them had a camera with good batteries and big card. Love to see floating and island pics.

 

[Doubler]

Roger that

 

[Scared Silly]

HX850S Floating 6W Handheld VHF with integral GPS, Safety Strobe and Position Send Function

McMurdo Dive Canister The custom-designed Dive Canister allows the Fastfind and Fastfind Plus
$199.75

Some PLB can be rented by the week:

ACR Newsletter Rentals

However, one would still need a waterproof canister. For this some folks are using the battery canister for a canister light.

Also I would check on the usage of radios such as the above, I do not know a lot other than hand held units are best for short ranges 5 miles. And that for the distress call to be picked it requires recievers with similar VHF DSC enabled radios connected to a GPD will be able to see your position. Just hate for a false sense of security to be held.

 

[peterbj7]

HX850S Floating 6W Handheld VHF with integral GPS, Safety Strobe and Position Send Function $250. West Marine.


McMurdo Dive Canister
The custom-designed Dive Canister allows the Fastfind and Fastfind Plus (with -4oF battery pack) to be taken to a depth of 492 feet and be ready for use should the need arise when you surface. . Built to hold Fastfind and Fastfind Plus . Waterproof to 492 feet . Adds one pound positive bouyancy
Dive Canister
Model #85-754A
$199.75

$450 bucks for peace of mind.. Priceless. If somebody in this group would have carried one of these they wouldn't have been playing St. George on a deserted Island. But now that they all survived think of the story for the grandkids.

Yes, but doesn't anyone else agree that as the area is well known to have treacherous and unpredictable currents, AND the dive was led by a guide employed by the dive company, that SHE should have carried such a device and the BOAT should have had appropriate listening equipment (no use having an electronic signalling device unless someone is listening out for it).

I still think this dive was severely mismanaged and the company should explain itself. If I had been on that dive I would now be considering legal action against them.

 

[under water]

I hope one of them had a camera with good batteries and big card. Love to see floating and island pics.

If it was me Don, I would resist the urge to take pictures and be saving those batteries to pop the flash if I saw a plane nearby.

 

[DandyDon]

Yes, but doesn't anyone else agree that as the area is well known to have treacherous and unpredictable currents, AND the dive was led by a guide employed by the dive company, that SHE should have carried such a device and the BOAT should have had appropriate listening equipment (no use having an electronic signalling device unless someone is listening out for it).

I still think this dive was severely mismanaged and the company should explain itself. If I had been on that dive I would now be considering legal action against them.

I'd like to know more before saying much, but I am wondering along those lines too. I mentioned this case to a guy I happen to know over there who was very close by at the time. He had heard Indonesian reports that they were assumed dead already, and mentioned that he'd heard local warnings against using that operator - but that's just gossip at this point.

If it was me Don, I would resist the urge to take pictures and be saving those batteries to pop the flash if I saw a plane nearby.

Hehe, yeah - I hope I'd think of that too. Save the strobe batteries specially for that, but use the camera alone, especially for daytime shots with the flash off.

Hard decision to make at the time, tho: Do I shoot pics of the others throwing rocks at the dragon or help throw.

 

[Antarctic-Adventurer]

I'd like to know more before saying much, but I am wondering along those lines too. I mentioned this case to a guy I happen to know over there who was very close by at the time. He had heard Indonesian reports that they were assumed dead already, and mentioned that he'd heard local warnings against using that operator - but that's just gossip at this point.

I lived in Labuhanbajo, Flores where this operator is based for nearly a year so I know most people there from all the diving operations. It's where I became a DM. The dive operator in question here is probably the best of the bunch. Very safety conscious and very environmentally aware as well. I have also dived with most of the operations here as a tourist so have first hand experience of how they all operate. The safety briefings and care shown by this operator are far better than most others that I have encountered around the world so I would say that this gossip is just that.