Five Adrift Scuba Divers Rescued After Six Hours and It Will Cost Them
Divers adrift after separation from their dive boats is not too uncommon. In fact, well prepared divers should consider preparation for this eventuality.
It seems that every few weeks that we come across stories about scuba divers separated from their dive boats. There are many circumstances that could eventually lead to these scenarios. However, the reaction to this particular scenario is a bit puzzling.
The Story:
The gist of the story is that 5 divers were rescued after six hours of separation from their dive boat. This happened while they were diving in the Seychelles near Mamellas island.
What Happened:
Fortunately they were rescued 6 hours later after a huge search and rescue operation involving Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre, the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority and the National Information Sharing and Co-ordination Centre, along with two helicopters from the Zil Air company and an Air Force aircraft, and several leisure vessels that were in the area as reported in scubadivermag.com
They were taken to a nearby hospital and released shortly thereafter.
The five divers were taken to hospital for a routine check-up, but were soon released. However, their bank balances will no doubt be in pain after they were informed by the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority that they would have to bear some of the costs of the rescue operation.
Captain Joachim Valmont of the SMSA criticised the divers for not informing them of their dive plans in advance, and said: “If we had known we would not have used all of our resources for the rescue operation.”
H/T – scubadivermag.com
What Am I Missing?
Ok, I get it they will have to pay for their rescue and It will cost them quite a few bucks. Not sure if this is standard protocol to pay for rescues, but what the captain said about their dive plans is what is really puzzling …
So, Am I missing something? The divers were criticized for not informing the captain of their plans to be left behind?
One more reason to invest in their own marine rescue GPS such as the Nautilus Lifeline.
It is surprising that many of you-guys are not diving with the added safety of a GPS. This, we don’t understand. We believe that diving without a Nautilus LifeLine is somewhat careless, especially in open waters.
Nautilus LifeLine Marine GPS and Neoprene Pouch w/ free Coil Lanyard
Read for more detail here on scubadivermag.com
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