Missing Scuba Diver At Sea
Why Are Divers Sometimes Left Behind After A Scuba Boat Dive?
Feb 6, 2009
The worst nightmare for a scuba diver is to ascend after a dive and find the boat gone. Or watch it up anchor and motor away. Being left alone to drift on the ocean is a very real, and dangerous, situation.
The Lonegans Situation
A well known case was Tom and Eileen Lonegan, two divers who disappeared on 25 January 1998 while diving at St Crispin Reef on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. There were many theories about what happened, including faking their disappearance and murder-suicide. Eventually the skipper of the dive boat was charged with unlawful killing, but was found not guilty. The 2003 film “Open Water” was based on their situation.
How Can A Scuba Diver Be Missed ?
For the non-diver, and even for inexperienced divers, the first thought is “how could this happen”? Some experienced divers claim that the onus for diver safety starts with each diver; and that it is the divers’ fault if they are missed.
Missing Diver Results From A Number Of Events
With knowledge of divers, dive boats and diving in the ocean it can usually be seen that a missing diver is the result of a combination of factors all coming together. Like the holes in the Swiss cheese lining up, each single event contributes to the problem.
As in most accidents, there is a tendency to lay blame on one thing or one person. The following are just some of those “Swiss cheese holes” that can result in a missing diver.
Currents
In the ocean there are currents always running. These can easily take a well-intentioned diver away from the dive boat.
Dive Plan
A poorly communicated or bad scuba dive plan can send divers off in the wrong direction or into an adverse situation.
Most dives along a reef edge are conducted by swimming into the current while the diver is fresh; and they return to the boat with the current. However, if the initial assessment of the current is wrong, or the current changes direction while underwater, or the divers misinterpret the instruction, divers could be swimming against the current at the end of a dive.
Lack Of Concentration
A lack of concentration by divers can result in them ending up in places they shouldn’t be. A coral reef is a fascinating ecosystem of abundant life, movement and a different world to explore. A diver can simply get entranced in the underwater world, lose track of where they are and surface away from the boat.
Lookout On The Scuba Dive Boat
Most dive boats will have a dedicated lookout who should constantly scan the dive site. However, a diver may surface and be missed by the lookout. Sun in the eyes, a dark spot against dark water, or swells can all lead to the diver being missed. The diver may be able to see the boat, but people in the boat may not be able to see the diver.
Other Scenarios For Missing Divers
Other reasons, but not all, for divers going missing are:
- Diver arrogance
- Diver fatigue or lack of fitness
- Diver disorientation
- Diver injury
- Poor diver head count on the boat at the end of the dive
- Poor dive boat procedures
- Weather, water conditions
- Time of day
Preventing A Missing Scuba Diver
There are many things that can be done to prevent a missing diver. All parties involved in the dive need to be extremely vigilant. Scuba divers, boat operators, divemasters; everyone must be looking out for themselves and others to ensure the "Swiss cheese holes" don’t line up with fatal consequences.
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