Search and Rescue - Scubaboard Staff Member - Northernone - Missing in Cozumel

[Dan]

...We have had divers in the water to 80-100 feet for a fair portion of the wall and found nothing, but we can use some CCR divers willing to make a 50 meter extended dive. It’s very unlikely Cameron is down there, but we should rule it out. If anyone has these skills, please contact us...

+1 for continue searching at the bottom of the sea near he was last seen.

I hope he’s floating somewhere, but a horrible thought crossed my mind about the worst case scenario of he could be still stuck down there (due to entanglement or gear failure, etc.) that had prevented him from ascending, similar to Rob Stewart case, where ROV found him not too far from he was last seen.

 

[chillyinCanada]

While not impossible, it is unlikely he would have made it farther west than he was. The prevailing current would have likely pushed him east, away from land. My biggest concern right now is that searchers are not looking far enough away from where he was reported missing. Based on the numbers I've seen, he could be quite a ways away from Cozumel right now.

The numbers you've seen?

Wouldn't the SARS folks have looked at the charts and done some calculations? Someone must have done/be doing this/running them over and over?

 

[letterboy]

Has anyone taken the current charts and run some numbers, perhaps giving ideas of where he could be floating?

Windy as forecasted

I think this is a good line of discussion.

There is a wealth of knowledge here on ScubaBoard, both institutional knowledge of Cozumel and book knowledge of how the ocean should work... I do not have the ability right now to look into this but as a non-Cozumel person it gives good insight as to where Cameron could be hanging out waiting to be picked up.

I could not locate historical current data - but it looks like the current forecasts show appox 3-4 knot currents over the next 3 days.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Thank you Letterboy!!

 

[shoredivr]

+1 for continue searching at the bottom of the sea near he was last seen.

I hope he’s floating somewhere, but a horrible thought crossed my mind about the worst case scenario of he could be still stuck down there (due to entanglement or gear failure, etc.) that had prevented him from ascending, similar to Rob Stewart case, where ROV found him not too far from he was last seen.

He had two aluminum sidemount tanks, though: they get positively buoyant as the gas is used. Not the same negative buoyancy as a flooded rebreather.

 

[RayfromTX]

Click here to support Find Cameron Donaldson organized by Friends of Northernone
Bonnie is hiring a helicopter and a couple of private planes today. Please help us with our continued mobilization. The search area is so large and we need more planes and helicopters to help us search. please go to the GoFundMe page to see pictures from yesterday’s search. Please make a donation to help find Cameron. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Your donations are making this possible. We moved to raise money quickly yesterday now it can hopefully make a difference.

 

[caruso]

Also don't forget the ripping currents that are so strong that much of the time we don't need to kick our fins and we're flying across the reefs. If he is down there it's unlikely he's anywhere close to the spot where an incident may have occurred.

 

[mtngoat2674]

The numbers you've seen?

Wouldn't the SARS folks have looked at the charts and done some calculations? Someone must have done/be doing this/running them over and over?

As LetterBoy said, a 3-4 knot current is what I've seen in the forecasts... based on the speed and direction of the prevailing current, he would be moving quickly away from Mexico. I can only hope that SAR experts are reviewing data and coming to their own (accurate) conclusions.

Unfortunately, I know how difficult the red tape aspect of rescues goes, and I know how poorly equipped many nations are in comparison to the US. I don't know if that's the case here, but the thought does concern me.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

Donated and praying for a safe return. I've also reached out to see if maybe my wife's company can donate anything to the cause. I've never met Cameron but everything I've read and all of his posts tell me he's a great guy and as someone else mentioned "one the world needs".

God speed Cameron! Waiting to hear your story my friend.

 

[mtngoat2674]

Once upon a time, I met the wife of a Cuban Ambassador in a bar in Kabul, Afghanistan. I contacted her this morning. Her husband has since retired, but she still has contacts she might be able to influence. I'm sure nothing will come out of Cuba via official channels, but she may be able to get a couple pilots in the air or at least get word out to vessels on the northwest side of the Island. I may be grasping at straws, but something might come of it.