I heard through a very reliable source that the kid made it to the surface and was in a panicked state (communicating with father at surface) while trying to remove his weight belt, and ended up losing a fin in the process. Please take this with a grain of salt, but my speculation is that the kid was still negatively buoyant at the surface and possibly either forgot to inflate his BC or couldn’t inflate his BC at the surface (malfunction, or couldn’t find the control). If he had too much weight on and was struggling to keep his head above the waterline when a fin came off, then chances are he may have gotten a gulp of water and sank.
This is a very sad accident. I pray and hope that they kid is okay, but from the description of what happened it’s not looking good.
I heard the same thing this morning,i hope we are wrong and they find him and he has this awesome story to tell us about how he survived…
I had A similar issue but it was a BC malfunction,i grabbed him right be fore he went under again…scared the crap out of me…
Hard to say exactly what happened unless your were there, pure speculation at this point. I know this must have been so difficult for the family members on the boat to have this happen right in front of you and you can’t find him. It probably seemed like an eternity before other boaters or authorities arrived for assistance. Sometimes its hard for people who have been diving a long time to comprehend how this could happen but think back to when you first got certified and all this gear and diving stuff was still foreign to you. I had my annual ERT refresher training yesterday for in-water rescue/diver recovery, cpr/O2, etc so this recent event on Saturday made me take it a little more seriously, you never know when you may need it. As much as we love the ocean and diving beneath it’s surface this is a grim reminder of how our passion can sometimes turn to tragedy in an instant.
quote:possibly either forgot to inflate his BC or couldn't inflate his BC at the surface (malfunction, or couldn't find the control)
That would make a lot of sense as to what went wrong. Again, Purely speculation… But IF the young man was still fairly new to diving or maybe had equipment that he wasn’t familiar with, he could have depressed the deflate button instead of inflate and panicked when he started a descent.
The buttons are close to each other and could have been accidently pressed.
So sad. Makes my heart hurt thinking about the young man and his family.
from second hand information, surfaced 10 ft from boat, speargun, fish on stringer, removing weight belt, went under. Other diver went in soon after. Others soon came to dive and drift after radio call.
CharlestonDiving thank you for the good info about life jacket and rope. Pray for the family.
I can tell you I was next to these guys. There were two boats diving in the area and at least 4 other boats fishing. If he would have drifted away on the surface somebody would have picked him up. I feel for his family.
My 10 yr. old son and I were fishing just a few hundred yards from the boat never knowing that there may have been a problem at the time. We likely moved on just before it happened but I just can’t help but check frequently here hoping for an update. It is remarkable how your perspective on life changes after you become a father and how these event impact you. Our Prayers remain with the family in the hopes that this young man is found.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“Reel Cowboy”
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