Oops, no air and where's the boat in FIJI?

[mutt]

FIJI AUTHORITIES TO INVESTIGATE DIVERô ORDEAL
Left behind by tour operator, Holz swam for 12 hours
SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Oct. 30, 2008) - The interim government has called for an investigation into a case where a tourist had to swim for 12 hours before reaching land.
Ministry of Tourisms acting Director Tourism; Ratu Manoa Malani today questioned the logic of the diving trip at Rainbow Reef near Viani Bay, Vanua Levu.
"I am concerned about the practicability and sense of sending tourists at 5 p.m. in the afternoon and the risk of going out to dive without an adequate level of oxygen," he said. "An investigation into this incident will certainly be undertaken."
The Fiji Times had reported on Tuesday, Thomas Holz, 40, of Berlin in Germany was among three other tourists who were part of a diving trip.
Twenty-five minutes into the dive, he surfaced for air after exhausting his oxygen supply.
It is reported he was alone in the waters about 100 feet away from the boat but was not been able to swim for it because of strong currents.
A woman from a nearby settlement at Wairiki heard Mr. HolzÃÔ shout for help and rushed to the shore.
She helped him to the safety of a home where he recounted his ordeal.​

FROM Fiji Times Online:

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[Papa_Bear]

Can you say whistle, Safety Sausage, Swim harder, Honker, or maybe he was OT disabled from breathing O2? Was the boat drifting too? What about markers? Were is his responsibility to carry a signaling device????!!!! Also heard he was first to run out surfaced and the DM went to make sure he was okay, then dropped back down to get others in the party! So maybe he should be happy he found dry land! A hundred feet and couldn't make it or signal????

 

[farsidefan1]

Interesting. I was there last March and April. Currents can be ripping and they seem to have an aversion to drift dives. Beautiful coral but after one dive with very strong current several of the other divers referred to it as the dive from hell. Air goes very fast if you are not hanging on to structures, so we went through air much faster than normal. You are diving between two islands and the currents will take you miles if you miss the shore. He was fortunate to make it back to Taviuni. The currents also create some wave action out there that makes it tricky to see someone even 30 feet away and no way on earth you could beat it for 100 feet. The wave action also makes it difficult to be heard. I always had my safety sausage on my bc although I never needed it. I can very easily envision how this problem could have occurred, especially if the boat captain was not watching. Guy pops up on other side of waves (These are surfable waves) earlier than expected so no one was watching. Current was ripping and away he goes. Yeah, sausage and honker for me. I don't trust the whistle to carry.

 

[TSandM]

I've surfaced a hundred feet or so from the boat here in Puget Sound, and it would have been an ugly slog to get back if there hadn't been a current line in the water. A hundred feet doesn't sound like very much, but with rough surface and strong current, it may well be beyond a diver's ability to surface swim in gear.

 

[robint]

I've surfaced a hundred feet or so from the boat here in Puget Sound, and it would have been an ugly slog to get back if there hadn't been a current line in the water. A hundred feet doesn't sound like very much, but with rough surface and strong current, it may well be beyond a diver's ability to surface swim in gear.

A group from our LDS did a trip to Fiji a few years ago diving that area (Taveuni) and they had issues with the current on many dives. The dive boat did the dives as drifts and picked up the divers as they surfaced but many of the people didn't like it. They said the diving was fabulous but the current was exhausting. A few said they would never go back to Fiji. Last year our LDS did Fiji again, but this time did Wananavu and the area there. Much better diving reported by the divers (some from the last trip did go), much less ripping current issues, and everyone on the trip loved it.
The point I am making is that different areas have different skill levels - Fiji is not a unsafe place to dive, it ranges from easy dives to very difficult dives. It is important for all divers to know their level of ability and not to dive above it.

robin

 

[Papa_Bear]

I am still working on pictures and video of our last trip to Fiji: Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services
But all being said Cozumel has very strong current and you deal with it! Do a drift dive just like Cozumel and then there is no exhausting current only a nice cruise!