A LONG WAY HOME

A KZN diver initiates self-rescue after being separated from her dive boat. By Cherelle Leong

LOOKING AROUND, she knew that continuing to descend was not an option. The currents were too strong and the viz was awful. She’d lost sight of her dive buddy and the line leading down to the rest of the group. There was simply no way she was going find them underwater.

Checking her dive computer, she registered the depth of 20m and knew that hanging around there was pointless. Her only option was to ascend. Taking a breath, she slowly finned upwards, paused at 10m to deploy the surface marker buoy (SMB) and then exhaled the rest of the way to the surface. She knew the drill. Surface, look around, try make yourself more visible and wait for the dive boat to find you.

She’d only just heard the dive boat overhead, except there was no dive boat in sight. But reality quickly set in. Even if the dive boat was already looking for her, the confused grey ocean with 3m waves, peaking in all directions, would make it practically impossible to spot her.

Still, she had to try. As the waves crested, she kicked to raise herself up, lifting up the bright orange SMB to try make herself more visible. But all it did was exhaust her. She stopped, realising the futility of her efforts. Calmly she took a moment to rest and regroup. Take stock of her situation.

At some point they’d discover she was missing. Her husband and son had been part of the dive group. They’d initiate a search and help would come. In the meantime, she could see the shoreline –although it was 6km away. The least she could do was get closer, she might even be able to get ashore. She could do this.

She began to formulate a plan. Even though she was a strong swimmer, fitness was no match for swift ocean currents. She had to use her mind and leverage the currents to get to where she wanted to go. She had her dive gear to help with flotation and her fins to swim with. She’d be OK.

Just then, as she looked towards the shoreline, the sun broke through the clouds. She could see the rolling green hills beyond the beach and was captivated by the scene. ‘That could be a painting,’ she mused, smiling to herself. It was a moment of calm; even the sea around her seemed less tormented. It didn’t matter that there might be sharks below. That was something she could do nothing about. But there was something she could do about being alone in the ocean. She could see the shore, could feel the current pulling her south. She just had to work with it, use it to get to shore and she’d be reunited with her family.

It was mid-morning when Kevin Fourie, station commander of NSRI Station 39 (Rocky Bay) got the call. ‘There’s a diver missing, we need your help.’ Kevin had worked on dive charters in the area for decades. He knew the dive sites well and could read the currents like a map. ‘I need co-ordinates of her last known position,’ he responded, ‘and how long she’s been missing.’

While the dive-boat skipper made his way back to the original drop site to get the co-ordinates, Kevin started activating rescue resources – he knew he’d need a lot of them. Rocky Bay prepared to launch, a Station 5 (Durban) ASR rescue swimmer was placed on standby and a request was put to the local SANDF Airforce base to launch a helicopter. NSRI’s

It didn’t matter that there might be sharks below. That was something she could do nothing about. But there was something she could do about being alone in the ocean. She could see the shore, could feel the current pulling her south.

EOC was also activated with a request to get hold of Marilyn Wells, a Station 26 (Kommetjie) crew person who’d designed SearchWell. This software tool is used to map out search areas by using currents and weather conditions to calculate drift patterns. (SearchWell had already been very effective in assisting with searches along the KZN coast.) Brett Ayres from the NSRI Volunteer Support Centre, who was experienced in working with SearchWell, was also asked to assist.

Information indicated that there was a strong north-south current. The diver would be drifting fast in a southerly direction along the coast. Kevin decided to acti- vate Station 20 (Shelly Beach) to come up from the south and conduct a goalkeeper search in case the currents had taken her further than expected.

Rocky Bay launched their vessel, Megan II, with three crew on board and made their way to the co-ordinates given. It wasn’t at one of the known dive sites and the drift test conducted by one of the crew confirmed how swiftly the southerly current was running. Given the amount of time the diver had already been in the water, she’d be far down the coast. They’d have to move fast.

Information came back from the team working on SearchWell, confirming the search area. Simultaneously, reports came in from a civilian aircraft of a person in the sea near to the Sugar Mill. It was north of where the diver was expected to be, but they needed to follow all possible leads. Megan II diverted to where the aircraft was circling overhead, and after conducting an extensive search and finding nothing, it was decided to return to the original plan and head south. There was no way to know how far or fast the diver had drifted; what was certain was that she hadn’t been found.

After hours adrift at sea, the currents had taken her to just behind the backline. But it was rough and every time she tried to get through, she’d be battered around without making any progress towards shore. She knew she’d drifted far south. Factories and industrial areas had given way to a more rural setting. While there were settlements dotting the landscape, she was aware of being alone. A long stretch of beach gave way to a rocky shoreline and past that the area appeared to be increasingly rural. The N2 highway was just beyond the beach. She had been drifting behind the back line for almost two hours… she had to try get to shore now.

NSRI’s EOC was also activated with a request to get hold of Marilyn Wells, a Station 26 (Kommetjie) crew person who’d designed SearchWell. This software tool is used to map out search areas by using currents and weather conditions to calculate drift patterns.

She took off her dive gear and used it as a raft to get through the surf, inching closer to shore. She was so close, all she needed was a gentle wave to nudge her onto the rocks. As if reading her thoughts, the ocean obliged and did exactly that. At 13h30, after five hours of being adrift alone at sea, she found herself on shore. In the distance

From across the highway, she heard a shout. A man was seeing his wife off as she climbed into a taxi. ‘Are you OK?’ he yelled. Deciding that someone who asked that wouldn’t harm her, she crossed the highway to the spot where he was standing. ‘Do you have a phone I could use?’ she asked. ‘I need to call my husband.’ Without hesitation he handed her a battered old Nokia. Perhaps it was the adrenaline wearing off, or the knowledge she’d soon be reunited with her family, but she suddenly felt her legs giving out and had to sit down. The good Samaritan disappeared into his house, returning with a glass of ice water. ‘You must be thirsty,’ he said simply before disappearing again, this time returning with a pair of Crocs. ‘And your feet must be sore. Here, put these on.’ she could see fishermen on the rocks and a faint footpath heading away from the beach. Her only thought was to get to the highway. Once there she could flag down help. Stowing her gear among the rocks, she scrambled in her thin nylon socks up the footpath to the highway. She headed south, deciding she’d be more visible on that side. But her attempts to flag down passing vehicles proved futile. No-one was stopping for a wetsuit-clad person waving on the highway.

Station 39 (Rocky Bay) launched Megan II to join the search for the missing diver

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Meanwhile, news of her phone call reached the rescue boats. Relieved, the rescue crews returned to their bases while the Rocky Bay shore crew accompanied the family to collect her.

There was much to reflect on. How she’d been separated from the dive group, how she’d made her way back to shore, and what had been the key elements of her self-rescue. The lesson was that, even for very experienced divers, things can go wrong. Remaining calm, reading the conditions and having a plan can make all the difference to survival. She had been sure that help would come, but the number of people willing to join in the search and help her still amazes her. And simple acts of kindness from a complete stranger –something never to be forgotten.