Author Topic: Scuba divers rescued after night in open ocean (Read 1281 times)

alvinsktan · « **on:** May 26, 2008, 08:51:12 AM »

updated 12:07 p.m. ET May 24, 2008

BRISBANE, Australia - Two missing scuba divers from the United States and Britain were rescued Saturday after spending a night floating in the ocean over Australia's Great Barrier Reef. After a nightlong search involving more than a dozen aircraft, a plane crew spotted the missing pair floating Saturday morning nine miles (14 kilometers) from where they had been diving near the Whitsunday Islands off the eastern coast. They were winched aboard a helicopter and flown to a hospital in Queensland, police said.

A local official credits the divers' survival to their experience and ability to remain calm. They strapped themselves together using their weight belts, they conserved energy, stayed as a pair and awaited rescue, Queensland state police Superintendent Shane Chelepy said. He said the pair — a 40-year-old American woman and 38-year-old British man — became lost Friday afternoon when they resurfaced after diving on a reef and found themselves 200 yards from their chartered dive boat.

An air search began off the tropical east coast after they failed to rejoin the dive boat at the scheduled time. Three aircraft, including a specialized search plane with infrared night vision equipment, searched into Friday night. The search was expanded at first light with seven helicopters and three more planes.

Police have not identified the divers or said where they come from in their countries.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24804756/

HOW couald all this thing happen to a diver?? it is still the best way to pay extra attention to your dive briefing before any dive. to all.. remember Dive Safe.....

reen · « **Reply #1 on:** May 26, 2008, 10:28:34 AM »

maybe they were swept away by sudden current??

sheila · « **Reply #2 on:** May 26, 2008, 10:52:21 AM »

korek...korek...sudden current...exactly what i had experienced during my last trip to Aur (drifted almost 1000mtrs away from the group...alone)...plus extremely poor vis contributed to the whole incident. Honestly, it was nobody's fault...but it was a very good training and experience for me

.

irukandji · « **Reply #3 on:** May 26, 2008, 11:41:28 AM »

It's wise to carry some signaling devices such as 'sausages', torch, whistles and mirrors on dive sites known for strong currents. In case got drifted away, can use them to call for help / mark our position.

Think smart and dive safe!

reen · « **Reply #4 on:** May 26, 2008, 12:02:45 PM »

Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 10:52:21 AM

korek...korek...sudden current...exactly what i had experienced during my last trip to Aur (drifted almost 1000mtrs away from the group...alone)...plus extremely poor vis contributed to the whole incident. Honestly, it was nobody's fault...but it was a very good training and experience for me .

izziiiiit!!!...so how did the boat found you??....jaoooh wooo 1km..

sumtime the sound of the boat is louder than sound of the whistle...that could happen tooo..

nanda666 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 26, 2008, 01:43:29 PM »

Just remember that recreational diving is not worth dying for so if the current, viz or conditions get beyond your capability, end the dive.

Better safe than sorry...

A friend of mine had a device that hooks up to the air supply to become a sort of "air horn" ...bloody loud!!

Anyone else have one of those...???

sheila · « **Reply #6 on:** May 26, 2008, 02:06:42 PM »

Quote from: reen on May 26, 2008, 12:02:45 PM

Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 10:52:21 AM
korek...korek...sudden current...exactly what i had experienced during my last trip to Aur (drifted almost 1000mtrs away from the group...alone)...plus extremely poor vis contributed to the whole incident. Honestly, it was nobody's fault...but it was a very good training and experience for me .

izziiiiit!!!...so how did the boat found you??....jaoooh wooo 1km..

sumtime the sound of the boat is louder than sound of the whistle...that could happen tooo..

yeah quite far...have to wave my beloved sausage for about 7-8 minutes before it got the abang boatman's attention.

p/s those who don't have any sausage and rely on their buddeh's, pweeesssshhhh have your own...u never know when you need it.

MACHA · « **Reply #7 on:** May 26, 2008, 02:41:30 PM »

Sounds like the story of MACHA ROCK in Komodo Island....Adzri would you be a dear to elaborate.

Mephisto the Heretic · « **Reply #8 on:** May 26, 2008, 02:48:40 PM »

Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 02:06:42 PM

Quote from: reen on May 26, 2008, 12:02:45 PM
Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 10:52:21 AM
korek...korek...sudden current...exactly what i had experienced during my last trip to Aur (drifted almost 1000mtrs away from the group...alone)...plus extremely poor vis contributed to the whole incident. Honestly, it was nobody's fault...but it was a very good training and experience for me .

izziiiiit!!!...so how did the boat found you??....jaoooh wooo 1km..

sumtime the sound of the boat is louder than sound of the whistle...that could happen tooo..

yeah quite far...have to wave my beloved sausage for about 7-8 minutes before it got the abang boatman's attention.

p/s those who don't have any sausage and rely on their buddeh's, pweeesssshhhh have your own...u never know when you need it.

true...true..we have to stop relying on the DM or our buddy to bring SMB. some times you surface alone and this many people fail to remember.

reen · « **Reply #9 on:** May 26, 2008, 03:32:22 PM »

nanda666 wat is this "air horn" looks like eh??

mephisto..agree with cha-->dont always rely on other divers..quite the trouble some..
when i told my frenz to always be alert ..they always think me as a bossy/nagging person...

oh sheila...wat an experience..lasttime when i was at dayang/aur...the boatman told me only another
few km should have arrive into indonesian border??
~~next dive bring paspot ..in case swept away to the border la plak..~~

nanda666 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 26, 2008, 03:57:57 PM »

Quote from: reen on May 26, 2008, 03:32:22 PM

nanda666 wat is this "air horn" looks like eh??

http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-5/004057/AQUATEC-SCUB-ALERT-SURFACE-AND-UNDERWATER-AIR-HORN.html

I think it was this thing....

BWRAF · « **Reply #11 on:** May 26, 2008, 04:23:46 PM »

Have a read of this from a UK paper

As they clung to each other in the inky midnight waters over the Great Barrier Reef and tried not to think about the menacing sea life that lurked below, British diver Richard Neely and his American partner, Allyson Dalton, tried to boost their morale with continual reassurance: a rescue was on the way.

Indeed it was. But within hours of being scooped from shark-infested seas off the Australian coast, the pair were consoling themselves with a morale booster of a different sort: a sumptuous tabloid deal, plus US and British TV interview deals and a possible book and film in the offing.

But their haste to profit from their weekend ordeal is not going down well in a country that has long tired of the costly operations required to save adventurers from the southern seas. Neely and Dalton rapidly engaged a celebrity agent and decided to sell their story not to the Australian media that had followed the rescue closely, but to the Sunday Mirror.

Queensland's Premier, Anna Bligh, said yesterday that the hunt for the pair, who drifted for 19 hours off the Whitsunday Islands after losing contact with their dive vessel, had been an expensive operation involving seven helicopters, three planes and six boats. "There's been an extraordinary rescue effort gone into keeping them safe," she said. "If they are going to profit from their story, I don't think a contribution back would go astray. It would be a very welcome gesture."

The huge operation that swung into action after the couple were reported missing was led by Queensland police and also involved other
organisations such as the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Queensland's State Emergency Service and the CQ rescue helicopter service, which is community funded and relies on public donations and sponsorship. The cost of the search, one of the biggest in Queensland's recent history, has not yet been quantified.

The agent, Max Markson, told the Guardian that claims of a A$1.1m (£533,000) fee for their story were inflated. He said the payment the couple would receive was confidential. But he said he was finalising contracts for interviews with Australian, American and English television networks and added that "there might be a film or a book in the long term".

Responding to the Queensland Premier's comments, Markson said Neely and Dalton had personal insurance polices and that the holiday company they booked the tour with was also fully covered. "If there's any rescue costs to be paid, the insurance companies will pay them," he said.

But questions were raised last night about the behaviour of the couple as well as the ethics of selling their story. The duo had been among a group of divers in the water off Bait Reef, near Hayman Island, on Friday afternoon when their trip went wrong. After surfacing, they say they found themselves 200 metres away from the dive vessel. They shouted and waved their arms but failed to attract the attention of the crew and began to drift away in the strong current. Both experienced divers, they tied themselves together using a weight belt, conserved their energy, and waited for rescue.

But a British passenger who was one of 18 tourists on board the boat has cast doubt over Neely and Dalton's version of events. Matt Cawkwell, 28, said the pair's reckless behaviour contributed to the situation.

Cawkwell told the Australian that Neely had been boastful of his diving ability during the three-day voyage and had insisted on diving alone with his girlfriend and not with four other divers, as had been reported. He said they had been told not to move out of the lagoon in which the boat was moored, but ignored the instructions.

"They took it upon themselves to venture further afield and that's how they ended up being caught in the current, and that's how they ended up being lost," he said. "Everybody else got back. Less experienced divers realised what was happening and managed to make it back, these people didn't."

Cawkwell said claims that the couple surfaced 200 metres from the dive boat but were unable to attract the attention of those on board seemed unlikely.

"There were about 22 people standing on the roof looking for them," he said. "There were at least four pairs of binoculars, and it wasn't that rough. There's no way they came up near the boat."

The couple are still in Queensland and have not yet been seen in public. Police are still investigating the near-tragedy.

Throws a new light on things

I could tell you horror stories of very well qualified divers including instructors that have made very bad and basic mistakes due to their over confidence due to what there log book says

Cheers

BWRAF

sheila · « **Reply #12 on:** May 26, 2008, 05:16:27 PM »

below is 18SG...sowwy...

you ascent after completing ur 3 minutes safety stop...5 meter...4 meter...3 meter...suddenly u hear this sound of a speedboat zooming fast towards your direction...eeeeeeeeeeeee tebbabooooorrr...kepala ku meletop...kaki ku tercabottt ===> this scenario always plays in my mind whenever i see divers diving without bringing their own SMB. Hope this won't happen to anybody tho

Mephisto the Heretic · « **Reply #13 on:** May 26, 2008, 05:21:59 PM »

Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 05:16:27 PM

below is 18SG...sowwy...

you ascent after completing ur 3 minutes safety stop...5 meter...4 meter...3 meter...suddenly u hear this sound of a speedboat zooming fast towards your direction...eeeeeeeeeeeee tebbabooooorrr...kepala ku meletop...kaki ku tercabottt ===> this scenario always plays in my mind whenever i see divers diving without bringing their own SMB. Hope this won't happen to anybody tho

yup. same thing that goes thru my mind when i go up. unfortunately the above does happen. heard some where that an intructor was traumatise cause have to pick up the remains of the shattered head of his divers...

sheila · « **Reply #14 on:** May 26, 2008, 06:06:52 PM »

Quote from: Mephisto the Heretic on May 26, 2008, 05:21:59 PM

Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 05:16:27 PM
below is 18SG...sowwy...

you ascent after completing ur 3 minutes safety stop...5 meter...4 meter...3 meter...suddenly u hear this sound of a speedboat zooming fast towards your direction...eeeeeeeeeeeee tebbabooooorrr...kepala ku meletop...kaki ku tercabottt ===> this scenario always plays in my mind whenever i see divers diving without bringing their own SMB. Hope this won't happen to anybody tho

yup. same thing that goes thru my mind when i go up. unfortunately the above does happen. heard some where that an intructor was traumatise cause have to pick up the remains of the shattered head of his divers...

errrkkkk hmmm

...hope this won't happen again...evahhh!

BWRAF · « **Reply #15 on:** May 26, 2008, 07:03:36 PM »

HAYMAN ISLAND, Australia (21 May 2008) — A young woman is in stable condition after suffering a broken pelvis and severe lacerations to her leg when she was struck by a commercial dive boat propeller while scuba diving in Australia.

Authorities declined to identify the 23-year-old woman who was injured while scuba diving off Hayman Island at about 11:15am.

Police said the woman was sucked into the propeller as the dive boat maneuvered to pick her up.

Officials told CDNN that the woman was airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital where she is in stable condition.

The scuba diving accident is under investigation and criminal charges could be filed against the boat operator.

BWRAF

MACHA · « **Reply #16 on:** May 26, 2008, 10:35:21 PM »

Quote from: Mephisto the Heretic on May 26, 2008, 02:48:40 PM

Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 02:06:42 PM
Quote from: reen on May 26, 2008, 12:02:45 PM
Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 10:52:21 AM
korek...korek...sudden current...exactly what i had experienced during my last trip to Aur (drifted almost 1000mtrs away from the group...alone)...plus extremely poor vis contributed to the whole incident. Honestly, it was nobody's fault...but it was a very good training and experience for me .

izziiiiit!!!...so how did the boat found you??....jaoooh wooo 1km..

sumtime the sound of the boat is louder than sound of the whistle...that could happen tooo..

yeah quite far...have to wave my beloved sausage for about 7-8 minutes before it got the abang boatman's attention.

p/s those who don't have any sausage and rely on their buddeh's, pweeesssshhhh have your own...u never know when you need it.

true...true..we have to stop relying on the DM or our buddy to bring SMB. some times you surface alone and this many people fail to remember.

Just a thought.....saw some divers trying to deploy SMB end up entangled with line....shoot up
Its gud to learn using SMB's on any occasions....& peeps get those simple 1 la dey!

Mephisto the Heretic · « **Reply #17 on:** May 27, 2008, 01:31:53 PM »

Quote from: MACHA on May 26, 2008, 10:35:21 PM

Quote from: Mephisto the Heretic on May 26, 2008, 02:48:40 PM
Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 02:06:42 PM
Quote from: reen on May 26, 2008, 12:02:45 PM
Quote from: sheila on May 26, 2008, 10:52:21 AM
korek...korek...sudden current...exactly what i had experienced during my last trip to Aur (drifted almost 1000mtrs away from the group...alone)...plus extremely poor vis contributed to the whole incident. Honestly, it was nobody's fault...but it was a very good training and experience for me .

izziiiiit!!!...so how did the boat found you??....jaoooh wooo 1km..

sumtime the sound of the boat is louder than sound of the whistle...that could happen tooo..

yeah quite far...have to wave my beloved sausage for about 7-8 minutes before it got the abang boatman's attention.

p/s those who don't have any sausage and rely on their buddeh's, pweeesssshhhh have your own...u never know when you need it.

true...true..we have to stop relying on the DM or our buddy to bring SMB. some times you surface alone and this many people fail to remember.

Just a thought.....saw some divers trying to deploy SMB end up entangled with line....shoot up
Its gud to learn using SMB's on any occasions....& peeps get those simple 1 la dey!

Yup...seen lots of those going on too. also some that did not release the line when the SMB shots up. they just hold on to it for what matter for, beats me.

Macha as a pro please comment- Why dont they teach you about SMB in DETAIL and how to deploy them properly during open water? About time they add it in the syllybus dont you think?

alvinsktan · « **Reply #18 on:** May 27, 2008, 02:31:28 PM »

well guys,

I think most importantly we Dive in a very safe enviorment. SMB is good for all those who are trained to deploy it. but those who do not have the skills please learn from your dive master or dive instructor. For those who do not own it.. Please get 1 yourself... IST SMB is rather affordable and very nice...

for other signaling device it is good to have a wistle & Strobe light (if you are stranded and need to go thru night time while waiting for rescue, Strobe light will assist the rescuer to better visual on you location as it can be seen far away on a open ocean) attach to the BCD. Try to get a Sub Horn (as mention by nanda666) it is very effective in attrach attention (as it is so bloody loud). Some NEW model BCD is equiped with the Sub Horn (as far as i seen before Aquatec BCD/Cressi Sub/Scuba Pro/Sherwood) all is equiped with the sub horn (attach together with the BCD deflator using LP hose). but please do not use it as you like only use it in case of emergency.

Still i believe we should always Dive with a BUDDY enrty and exit on the same time. Always know you limit and remember this... ABORT a Dive if you are not OK/comfortable/in doubt or the mother nature is not with the dive (i.e. strong current/bad viz/etc)..

my 2 cents worth.

Cheers and regards
Divers Dive SAFE and Dive DEEP.....
:p