TSandM: Missing Diver in Clallam County, WA

[MaxBottomtime]

Also, with the Coast Guard nearby and arriving in ten minutes, spotting other divers surfacing would greatly hamper their search efforts. Lynne had the skills and equipment to be found on the surface. Hopefully she will be found soon and Peter will at least have an answer. I lost a buddy in 2001 and he still hasn't been found. At his memorial service his family had a photo of him with the words lost at sea.

 

[oncor23]

I agree the odds aren't good although for finding the body they are better than your scenario suggests. Not looking has a 100% failure rate rather than just poor odds.

I'm not suggesting a "proper" course of action in this particular case. I wasn't there.

The structure does increase the odds that a body could stay local however.

Your example at Race Rocks would seem to support my argument as well.

Actually, Peter did look for Lynn while he was at depth. Spent about a minute doing so. As he saw no signs of her, he went to the surface. If he or anyone was going to start an underwater search...that would have been the moment to do so. And even then, he may have drifted some from where he last saw her with no guarantees he could get back down to the location where he last saw her. In a place with such high currents, the time to see someone drifting away is very limited. IMHO, chances are extremely slim for finding anyone at depth if there is no sign of them after the first minute or so. Therefore, I will not second guess anyone's activities once on the surface at this tragedy.

 

[Doug Charney]

To be clear, I am not second guessing Peter or anyone. I was just asking if a search was done and possibly understand the timeline as things occurred.

 

[BRT]

The only thing to do at that point is go to the surface after a minute. I've been separated in the Puget Sound in a non-current situation and could hear my wife banging her tank, sounded like she was next to me but I couldn't find her. In current you would have no hope in 10 seconds unless both divers were drifting together and happened to hit each other. It is easy to say stay together, but sometimes 1 fin kick will move you out of visual reference.

 

[rhwestfall]

The folks that dive the North East and the North West sure earn my admiration..... There is quite a beauty/beast conflict there...

 

[diver 85]

Just thinking out loud here---do (paired)divers here ever dive connected to each other with a(shortish) rope???....just wondering......AND, what was the ~ current??......anyone know?/.....tia......

 

[spectrum]

Just thinking out loud here---do (paired)divers here ever dive connected to each other with a(shortish) rope???....just wondering......AND, what was the ~ current??......anyone know?/.....tia......

The concept of a Buddy Line does exist. it can range from a line held, wrist loops or even clipped to the BCDs. While some see it as extra security it ultimately comes to be seen as more risk than assistance. Unless it's tightly managed it will be drifting at a different depth potentially snagging and/or doing eco damage. In a dive such as this the divers had an excursion in depth from the down current. Ultimately one would have been pulled by the other and from there getting wound up in the line is easy to imagine. After that is gets ugly.

If it has any value it's something like a parent and child situation in very stable conditions and even that is sketchy.

The answer is buddy skills and in this case we are talking about a class act and unknown contributing factors.

Pete

 

[wedivebc]

Thinking of heading out in a boat?


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No but I thought that Race Rocks, if affected by the same prevailing current as Neah Bay it would at least give a reasonable search direction.

---------- Post added August 28th, 2015 at 01:25 PM ----------

Seven weeks on, body of missing diver found near Race Rocks

So didn't move too far in that time? Thanks.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

The concept of a Buddy Line does exist.
If it has any value it's something like a parent and child situation in very stable conditions and even that is sketchy.
The answer is buddy skills and in this case we are talking about a class act and unknown contributing factors.
Pete

It has value - when my son was first certified we would dive in 1 to 2 foot visibility - very shallow 20 to 30 feet. We would use dog leashes on the wrist and use the clips on each other - that would keep us at least 10 feet within reach and gave me a comfort level until I knew he would not panic in the low viz.

To your point we only did that a few times - snagging the bottom and being pulled by one another without a visual aid was near useless and frustrating but had value for us the first few dives. I would never attempt that approach on a drift dive to the depths and currents that were being dove.

Having enjoyed most of her posts over the years - I would assume as most others it was a medical emergency.

 

[wedivebc]

Just thinking out loud here---do (paired)divers here ever dive connected to each other with a(shortish) rope???....just wondering......AND, what was the ~ current??......anyone know?/.....tia......

I am aware of one double fatality and one near miss involving tethered Navy divers. They cause more problems than they solve.