Tourist, Left Behind On Fiji Dive Trip, Swims 12 Hours For Land

[DandyDon]

Oxygen tanks and shark infested waters reporting as usual. He didn't waste money on Dive Alert whistle and signal lights I suppose.

Tourist Left Behind On Fiji Dive Trip Swims 12 Hours For Land | AHN | October 31, 2008

Taveuni, Fiji (AHN) - A tourist left behind on a dive trip swam all night, covering nearly 10 kilometers through shark-infested water before reaching land in Taveuni, Fiji Monday.

Thomas Holz, 40, of Berlin, Germany, was out a scuba diving trip with three other tourists at Rainbow Reef, near Viani Bay in Vanua Levu, according to the local Fiji Times newspaper.

He surfaced after running out of oxygen and waited for the dive master to return with the other divers. A local police spokesman said that when the dive master resurfaced with the other tourists, they couldn't find Holz. They searched until nightfall, and began again early at 5 a.m. Monday, according to the Fiji Times.

"The currents were strong, and my main fear was for my family in Germany. Even though I was tired, I hung on to the oxygen cylinder and kept swimming," Holz told the Fiji Times. "Then early this morning [Tuesday], I felt the seabed and just screamed out for help before I collapsed on the shore."

A local woman heard his cries and helped him from shore. Holz has recovered and is continuing his tourist activities on an eco tour.

 

[miked]

"oxygen tank"..... fortunately, scuba is the only area of which the papers lack the knowledge to accurately report... (where is the sarcasm smilie???)

 

[NudeDiver]

Oh come on. I'd bet my last dollar that there was some oxygen in that tank.

 

[DandyDon]

Oh come on. I'd bet my last dollar that there was some oxygen in that tank.

And I bet there were some sharks infesting the water. Journalists really like that phrase, in English anyway. Wonder what they say in other languages that sounds stupid? :silly:

 

[Skeeter1097]

well he made it to land. So it was not all that bad. I Guess they don't have a lost diver plan over there.

 

[carriemak]

You have to love the media and their reporting!

 

[NudeDiver]

well he made it to land. So it was not all that bad. I Guess they don't have a lost diver plan over there.

Sure they do. Clearly, the plan is for the diver to swim to land and ask someone for help.

 

[Scared Silly]

Hey folks, instead of griping about the poor reporting on the board spend a few minutes to write the editors ... otherwise the bad press is going to just continue.

Glad the guy was a good swimmer ... and who says you do not need to know how to swim in order to dive, or at least get back to shore ;-).

 

[jjhill]

I wonder where his buddy was? It appears that it was a group dive which to some people negates the buddy system as everyone is together. It is situations like this that outline the need for buddies even in a group situation to prevent a single individual from losing the group.

If he was buddied up then the pair did a lousy job of keeping in close contact with each other.

 

[String]

So little detail in that report its useless.

"surfaced after running out of oxygen" is hint enough not a word of it can be believed without checking.

Why would he surface and wait for others "to return" ? Was it a boat dive? Was it a shore dive? Were they briefed to send up a DSMB or return to boat?