Search for four missing Divers off coast of North Carolina

[NW Dive Dawg]

I understand everything, except why 2 SMBs?

I personally carry only one SMB plus a one DSMB. The SMB is a nice back-up for surface signaling because when coiled and stowed it's a much smaller overall package due to having no line reel or OP valve.. Plus my SMB is a sealed unit with no baffling on the bottom so on the surface it can also serve well as an emergency buoyancy device......

 

[Sensorone]

I beleive the water conditions were 4' swell, the surface water temperature was dropping rapidly. 4 lives depending on your ability to swim only 300 yards when you have that type of Navy background, I would think would be doable. I would be willing to bet my life that I could do it.
Yes drop gear = hold my gear, I will

 

[Sensorone]

PLB in a DRYFOB canister with a strobe on right waist belt against the backplate, don't know it's there. Push a button and the SAR bubbas are gonna come get you. Hope to never use it but have had a few situations where I was comforted that I was prepared. Cheap insurance IMO.

 

[Nemrod]

I beleive the water conditions were 4' swell, the surface water temperature was dropping rapidly. 4 lives depending on your ability to swim only 300 yards when you have that type of Navy background, I would think would be doable. I would be willing to bet my life that I could do it.
Yes drop gear = hold my gear, I will be back with the boat.

Thank God they were found.

The Navy fellow was 64 years old. A decent swim time for a mile for that age is about 30 minutes to a mile, that is 2 mph. I am an open water racer and less and less still compete in triathlon since I was 28 years old. Nowadays at almost 70 years old I mosey along easily at that 30 minutes to a mile though if I really, really wanted to blow both my shoulders up and have a heart attack I might could get down below 24 minutes. Three miles per hour would be a mile in 20 minutes. So against swell of 3 to 4 and maybe a current in excess of 2 mph, a 300 yard sprint for life. I dunno. The fastest swimmers might can touch a bit over 5 mph for a short distance. Of course he did have fins but I am still dubious of a 64 years old man being able to swim into swells and against a strong surface current. I swim a mile three to five times a week, I never use fins, just a crawl stroke, and often in adjacent lanes are swimmers with fins and those center snorkels. I generally outpace them on a day I feel good and they are decent swimmers too. That is asking a lot of the fellow even with fins.

Anyways, they were found and no harm came to any rescuers either so all is well that ends well.

 

[johndiver999]

If there was no wind, and the engine was off, then people on the boat should be able to hear people in the water yelling a few hundred yards away. If the wind is blowing it makes it so much harder to hear due to waves slapping the hull and the wind noise itself and even whitecaps, so if they could not communicate by yelling it was a good distance and it was windy. This sort of situation would lead me to suspect that swimming for the boat is not a good, practical option since the boat could easily be moving at 2 mph.

It might make sense for one person to drop gear and make a sprint after the drifting boat, but it is by no means a safe thing to do and risks permanent separation from the group, loss of buoyancy devices, flashlights etc.

So if we are talking about what to do in these sort of situations, I think it is probably safer to stay together, especially if you have working flashlights and you are reasonably sure that you will be reported lost and there will be aircraft and boats deployed for your rescue (eventually).

Also if the water were frigid and you didn't think you would survive a 8-11 hr soak, then that would push me harder in the direction of "swim for it".

I don't see how any armchair quarterbacks can reasonably know if the swimmer could have made the swim to the boat.

 

[lowwall]

I don't see how any armchair quarterbacks can reasonably know if the swimmer could have made the swim to the boat.

We don't have to guess. They tried it and it didn't work.

"Despite their best efforts to swim towards the boat, they were only getting further from it.

The group came up with a plan. Luke and Evan removed all of their dive gear except for their wet suit and fins. Ben and Dan held onto the gear while Luke and Evan tried swimming toward the boat. After about an hour, they decided that plan was futile and huddled back together."

 

[johndiver999]

Well it seems like some people think they should have tried harder... LOL

 

[dmaziuk]

"Luke ad Evan tried swimming toward the boat". Evan is 15, article doesn't seem to say anything about Luke. The boat is "not incredibly far away" but they drift away for "20 minutes turned into 30" before attempting the swim.

The part I like the least is the swimmers maintaining the stable fix on the boat in 4 foot swells: I'm sure that's gonna work with a cruise liner-sized boat, and not gonna work with a canoe-sized one.

 

[Sensorone]

I recently spent 45min in the water with a distressed diver after the boat broke the moring and was pulled away. Swimming in 4-5ft with some wind, as well as some surface current, I found it challenging to say the least. Boat never lost sight of us as I had my 6ft dsmb. The captain maneuvered the 100ft boat expertly and all were recovered. I was glad the boat came to me in stead of the other way around. Hope you never have to put your swimming prowess to the test while diving. I hear what you are saying about fitness/swimming however. Glad they are all safe. Highly recommend a PLB unless you're Tarzan.

 

[Diver23232]

So, I live near these divers. Word is that there were two people left on board the boat, ages 8 and 11. This may explain the inconsistencies in the story. One of the divers is a prominent surgeon who would be embarrassed (you would hope) if that information was made public.