Unknown Oklahoma couple missing - Matagorda, Texas

[DandyDon]

This is why I don't dive in the USA, or Australia

Divers get lost everywhere. What's your difference?

 

[Dan]

This is why I don't dive in the USA, or Australia

So, where do you dive & why it’s more safe?

 

[ROUS]

I do a lot of boat dives all over. Since this is reported here to be the Fling, I wonder why they had divers in the water under those conditions. I would expect that the recall signal be used long before the conditions got that bad. Solely based on my experience (and with no direct experience with this diver operator), this incident should have been preventable. Just my $.02.

 

[Tigerpaw]

Not really. They had fins and flotation devices. There have been several documented cases of people falling overboard in nothing but their clothes and successfully treading water for more than 24 hours. That’s far more challenging. The issue for well equipped divers is being located, not floating. For that you need to have on your person location devices, of which the PLB is by far the most effective.

Yes that is true but my point is per the reports he was going into a diabetic coma. He went 36+ hours without food and medicine. That's the miracle.

 

[Wookie]

I do a lot of boat dives all over. Since this is reported here to be the Fling, I wonder why they had divers in the water under those conditions. I would expect that the recall signal be used long before the conditions got that bad. Solely based on my experience (and with no direct experience with this diver operator), this incident should have been preventable. Just my $.02.

The divers were recalled. It takes time for recalled divers to return to the boat, and not everyone hears the recall signal clearly or understand it when the do hear it.

As to what happened to the divers, I think that the interview with them on GMA explains clearly what happened to them.

 

[DandyDon]

He went 36+ hours without food and medicine. That's the miracle.

 

[chillyinCanada]

It would interest me to know, if they just held onto one another or if they had fashioned a way to tie themselves together.

 

[divezonescuba]

It would interest me to know, if they just held onto one another or if they had fashioned a way to tie themselves together.

Not sure if it is true, but in the movie open water, the two divers drifted apart from each other while they fell asleep. It would seem that would be a definite possibility, particularly after 38 hours.

I always carry a jon line with boltsnaps. It is useful for many things. However, conventional gauge consoles frequently have boltsnaps for securing and streamlining. Two of those could be snapped together to keep the divers attached.

 

[DandyDon]

It would interest me to know, if they just held onto one another or if they had fashioned a way to tie themselves together.

One of them mentioned tethering in a video. I'd suggest that's very important early is such a case. I carry a nylon strap with loops on each end which I could use to tie two of us together.

 

[alv0065]

I do a lot of boat dives all over. Since this is reported here to be the Fling, I wonder why they had divers in the water under those conditions. I would expect that the recall signal be used long before the conditions got that bad. Solely based on my experience (and with no direct experience with this diver operator), this incident should have been preventable. Just my $.02.

I was told by someone on the boat at the time that it came out of nowhere and blindsided everyone. They were recalled and the only criticism they leveled was it took too long for all the divers to get out of the water. Which... not sure if that falls on the boat or divers or what.

I have never been on that trip nor am I the expert for swells or weather nor do I run dive operations, but that is what the reputable observer told me.