I recently posted about scuba diver, Dan Carlock, who was left stranded in the water after a recent dive. Someone forwarded to me a press release sent out by the company who was responsible for leaving him:
Venice, CA – April 30, 2004 – There has been extensive media coverage about the rescue of Dan Carlock on Sunday, April 25, 2004. We are sorry that Dan suffered through this ordeal and thankful that he was rescued. All of us at Ocean Adventures are extremely grateful to San Diego Boy Scout Troop 681 and the Orange County Sea Scouts for spotting Dan and bringing him to safety. Dan did all the right things to help secure his rescue once he became separated from the group. The Coast Guard responded immediately when we reported Dan missing and joined in on the search initiated by the Sundiver. We have been working closely with the Coast Guard, our dive masters, PADI, and other members of the dive community since Sunday to gather the facts and prevent an incident like this from occurring again. How did one of our divers get left behind? What lessons can be learned? What can we do to prevent something of this nature from happening again? These are some of the questions we have been asking ourselves as we respond to the deluge of media inquiries and questions from divers.
The following are some of the initial facts we wanted to share with you. Ocean Adventures Dive Company chartered the Sundiver for an oilrig dive on April 25. We had 22 divers on board with three dive masters. Dan had trouble equalizing and became separated from his dive buddy, surfacing away from the group and the oilrig. At the end of the dive, Dan’s dive buddy did not report that they had become separated and that Dan had not returned from the dive. The dive master called roll and heard everyone answer at the end of the first dive, a visual verification was not done. When roll was again called after the second dive, Dan was unaccounted for. The boat captain was notified and a search was initiated immediately. The Coast Guard was also immediately notified to assist with the search and rescue and to alert boat traffic to keep a look out for our missing diver.
We are taking this very seriously; we are giving it the full attention it deserves. We are closely examining our existing procedures, the guidelines recommended by PADI and those utilized by other dive shops. We will strengthen the procedures we utilize to prevent an incident like this from happening again. Two members of Ocean Adventures staff have been suspended from dive master responsibilities. We have reviewed procedures with OADC dive masters that will be on dives this weekend and have stressed the need for a visual as well as audio check in during roll call. We are reviewing and revising our procedures and going beyond recommended guidelines as needed to assure the safety of individuals diving with us.
We greatly appreciate the suggestions provided by many concerned divers, for Dan’s willingness to continue to work with us and for the support we have received from the diving community to date. We remain open to suggestions to always improve the service we provide and to enhancing safety procedures.
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About Ocean Adventures Dive Co.
Ocean Adventures’ mission is to introduce people to diving, help them participate in this sport by providing the necessary training, certification and equipment in a supportive setting. Through diving, people will be taught about the aquatic environment and how we, as divers, can be stewards to it.
Company Website: http://www.oceanadventuresdiveco.com