In the news today, a diver from singapore was fatally wounded, when he was hit by a propellar off a boat.
apparently someone on the boat... started the engine by mistake!?
my condolensence to the diver and his family n friends..
anyone can indulge us with more info?

dive safe

I was at the jetty , I saw the victim being sent for medical attention,

Nothing serious I believe bcos I saw him with his head bandage and walking

normally later in the night while I was having my dinner  

Wish him speedy recovery  

Another sad story, yet another sorry incident by someone mistake. Appreciate if anyone can provide more details on this tragic incident, so that all of us can learn.

Dive safe, my felllow divers.

My deepest condolences to the victim family.

RIP

Did he die or did he not? Triggerfish saw him walking.

What was he doing diving next to a boat?

Apparently there's two victim, one is killed, the other is seriously wounded and require plastic surgery hence the bandaged head. Was told they're not diving next to a boat but trying to get into that boat after surfacing from a dive. As to why the propeller is running when there's diver nearby, I'm sure the boatman would have his side of the story, so let's not start the blame game shall we...

I think divers need to be reminded to lookout for boat traffic during surfacing....................and not rely on the boatman observing bubbles.

I think divers need to be reminded to lookout for boat traffic during surfacing....................and not rely on the boatman observing bubbles.

Yup...boatman can't see us...but we can see the boat.  Surface near the boat but away from the stern.

Sometimes divers have the tendency to surface very near their boat. It should be ok if there are already other divers climbing onto the boat but if there's none, best to do what Demon said, surface away from stern.

Also what Pummkin said about the sausage is true, difficult to go wrong if you deploy it every time.

And if you have to dive under the jetty, drag along a dive buoy la

This is the version for outboard motors



Simple right? 

In the case of the Japanese girl, the Hong Kong couple (Berjaya incident), Joanna Jenkins (TAR Parks), 25-yr-old-engineer (Tenggol), 9 other incidents in Tioman (2007), the boatmen were speeding. Even in no-speed zones, sometimes within a metre or two from the SMBs. Having an SMB doesn't guarantee you from not having an accident but it increases your visibility to boats by 50%. I will convene with the MOT & Ministry of Transport in this matter.

I'm looking for DMs & DIs who would form a sub-committee to compile these issues to brief the ministry. Please PM me because I need assistance.

You can check out this site:

http://www.rbbi.com/pgic/#guardl

for PROPELLER GUARD INFORMATION CENTER and they have all the vendors, designs and pricing for the guard rings.

Actually, this type of modification can be easily carried out by our boatmen or dive outfits with a little technical knowhow.

Let me know if anyone interested in putting this on their outboard motors. I'll bring my tool kit out to the islands the next time I head out!!! 

I think if we spend time with committees, commisions, board of enquiry, etc, etc, with the various ministries and "Jabatans", we'll be no further from saving turtles and sharks as to saving humans from injury!!! 

Stopping boat from speeding is similar to asking people to stick to 110 km/hr......not gonna happen.

Constructively, I think the SMB (Surface marker buoys) should be part of the standard safety devices just like the alternate air source. Dive resorts/operators should say, "No SMB, No diving!!"..

Combined with the guard ring on the outboard motors, we may improve this accident/incident issue drastically.

People stats are not there, hillside projects are still on and you guys are talking about implementing ruling for divers safety. It is low profile and figures are not there to implement a blanket ruling. It boils down to divers. If you really want safety make sure you follow all the safety procedures and be selective with the dive center you engage. If they are taking extra precaution to be safe and are charging slightly more would you dive with them or look for the cheapest deal in town.

Ketam have known divers who buys the most kencang fins, suit, BCD and such but do not own an SMB, dive knife and such.... they dive safe but accidents happens. Again Ketam thinks (my two cents), don't hope too much from the Jabatans, they have always made decisions which baffles us divers (shark finning in Mabul, Fine. Ocenerium or whatever in Mabul, hey great idea. Protect the whale shark, hey whatever for). So its is actually up to us, if we want remind our buddies and their buddies, dive safe.

I see it from both sides because I have to work with both parties. If voices here do not reach the authorities who know nothing about the incidents, then rest assured, propeller accidents will continue to happen. They prosecuted the boatman who was found speeding in no-speed zones, the boatman of Berjaya resorts but not the rest even though they happen to be speeding past OVER & ABOVE divers' bubbles. This is not the divers fault but the boatman who doesn't want to keep to a low speed when in dive zones.

1) Unless dive centres use LICENSED boatmen, the operator is liable.
2) Unless boatmen were given easier access to take the course, the license will elude them & they will continue to pilot illegally.
3) Unless divers insist on SEEING the helmsman license of the boatman when enquiring with the dive operator, it would be deemed ok to use any boatmen.
4) Unless divers are taught HOW to deploy a delayed SMB with a reel at preliminary level, even divers with 100 logged dives WILL NOT KNOW how to launch one underwater.
5) Unless someone engages a forum with ALL AUTHORITIES concerned with the mediation of Tourism Ministry, nothing will change.

Sharks, corals, oceanarium are all important issues but they pale in comparison with human lives lost due to NEGLIGENCE. Doesn't matter who's at fault, everyone needs to be educated. The only places that offer helmsmanship is Port Klang, Labuan & Kuantan (Syed, correct me if I'm wrong or if there are other places that offer the course).

Even divers who carry SMB, it's pointless if they don't deploy it before surfacing. Even if it's deployed, it's not certain if the boatman will even recognise it.

Ketam..... i support your suggestion....

I got the point there pummkin. By right, why should divers go through the licensing procedures then be brought to the dive site by a pilot who is not even trained. In fact any vehicle that can cause bodily harm should be operated by trained personnel.

Ketam's issue was with relying with the Jabatans. Firstly the have been ineffectual to various other incidents involving human fatalities and policies. To be fair, enforcements and training are difficult to implement and Ketam brought up the issue that statistics are not there to support a big move in policies. Again Ketam do not mean to trivialize human loss but 30 million people and how many boating accidents?

On the boatmen involved in the incident, a full investigation should be carried out before we pass judgment, if he is guilty, prosecuted him to the fullest extend of the law. But Ketam had various encounters with boatmen, once a boatman who has 10 years experienced being a divemaster in Layang-Layang. Very professional, very pushy on safety procedures and such. Another was a guy bout 18, knew the area pretty well but doubt if even had diving experience. On SMB safety procedures, boats are not suppose to be what, 100 feet from these, are all boatmen familiar with this.

Wokey, first thing first, how can we inform all boatmen on this simple ruling. An informational sticker of sorts for all boats in our waters. What are your thoughts people?