DIVE BOAT BREAKDOWN LEAVES DIVERS LOST IN FOG

A dive boat’s broken GPS and engine left two divers lost in fog near the wreck of the ‘Alster’.

Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was called by a dive vessel at just after half past three this afternoon. They were told that the vessel’s engine and GPS had broken and it couldn’t find the two divers who were believed to be on the surface in black wets suits and marker buoys. The situation was not helped by thick fog that reduced visibility to 50 metres.
Humber coastguard broadcast a message to all vessels in the area asking them if they could help by heading to the last known location of the divers. Meanwhile the RNLI lifeboat based at Cromer made its way to the scene.

At just after half past four the dive vessel ‘Manta’ contacted Humber Coastguard to say they had found the divers safe and well and were on their way back to shore at Sea Palling.
Humber Coastguard Watch Manager Graham Dawson said:

“The dive boat did exactly the right thing by calling us as soon as it realised that it couldn’t get back to the divers on the surface. Good communications at sea are vital in this situation and that’s why the coastguard recommend a fixed DSC VHF set, 406 MHz EPIRB with GPS and 121.5 homing function, powerful torch and appropriate flares.
-Ends-

Notes to Editors

  1. Follow us on Twitter. Find us at MCA_media

Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua...
Read more

PRESTWICK SEARCH AND RESCUE HELICOPTER SERVICE LAUNCH MARKED IN CEREMONY

Image
- Prestwick search and rescue helicopter base set to go live in January - The launch of the Prestwick civilian UK search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service was marked today (Thursday 17 December 2015) in a ceremony held at the new Coastguard SAR base at Prestwick Airport. Bristow Helicopters Ltd is operating the search and rescue helicopter service for the UK on behalf of HM Coastguard. The UK limited company was awarded the ten-year UK SAR contract by the Department for Transport in March 2013, representing a £1.9bn investment by the UK Government in the UK’s search and rescue helicopter service. By 2017 the service will be delivered from ten bases in all, strategically located close to areas of high SAR incident rates. The Prestwick base will begin SAR operations when crews begin receiving taskings from the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) in January 2016. Bristow crews are delivering the UK SAR helicopter service on behalf of HM Coastguard with state-of-the-a...
Read more

22 September 1914: Remembering HM Coastguard’s greatest loss

Image
  As the nation remembers members of the armed forces lost during military service, HM Coastguard laments the tragic loss of more than 1,000 sailors on 22 September 1914. When we think of the Great War, we think of tremendous battles fought in far-flung foreign lands; Passchendaele, The Somme and Gallipoli being frequently brought to bear in the public consciousness more than a century later.  However, a devastating naval attack closer to home was to lay bare the significant threat posed by Germany's state-of-the-art underwater war machines. Over the course of a dark and fateful day in September 1914, more than 1,400 were to lose their lives aboard three vessels defending the North Sea. Among those lost were a substantial number of coastguards, drawn into military service at the start of war with Germany. The tragedy was to be the greatest loss of personnel in the coastguard service’s history.  Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany A threat to Naval supremacy At the turn of the 20...
Read more