When to call for help

When to Call for Help

A diver from your boat or shore dive is overdue. Who do you tell - but more importantly, when do you tell? When do you make that call for help?

A dilemma no skipper, dive leader or dive supervisor ever wants to face. Portland Coastguard, through its Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) responds to 50-70 various and diverse diving incidents each year but, like all our MRCC colleagues, without doubt the one type of incident which makes the hairs on our necks stand out, is the report of divers missing, lost or overdue.

Diving in waters that are not only cold but additionally are constantly moving due to the effects of wind, tide and currents, presents your Coastguard Coordinators with difficulties not encountered on land or, for instance, in the warmer waters of the non tidal Mediterranean. So with every minute’s delay, the potential search area is growing larger.

If you are faced with such a situation, when do you call for help? There’s no simple, easy answer that covers all missing diver situations but one thing for sure which never changes, we need to know as soon as possible. Don’t be afraid, embarrassed or worried about what may be said back at the club. Make that call. When your divers appear safe and well on the surface, the resources speeding their way to your assistance can easily be stood down.

You will never be criticized for calling too early for help but think about the implications of calling too late, as "Time lost can never be regained".

John Coupe
Portland Coastguard - Diving Liaison Officer

Keeping others informed
Following on from last month’s topic where divers were advised to seek medical assistance and advice at an early stage, John’s comments above are very much in the same vein. Keeping everyone informed of what your plans are and early notification if things have gone even slightly wrong are the best precautions.

Knowing the plan
Whenever setting off to sea it is helpful to ensure that people ashore are aware of your plans. John and his colleagues at the Coastguard always appreciate being notified of all boats’ plans for the day but don’t forget the last point below!

As divers prepare to enter the water, agreeing a dive plan between them is obvious but it is equally important to ensure that those left aboard, skipper/Coxswain and Dive Manager are fully aware of those plans and that everyone understands what action to follow if there are any problems or changes to the plan. It may sometimes be appropriate to agree both a ‘planned’ dive time AND a ‘maximum’. In that way any difficulties encountered, for example in relocating the shot, can be accounted for.

Early Notification
Where delays in surfacing occur, then early notification as John suggests will help preparation of the appropriate resources should a response from the emergency services be required. Even in a situation where things seem to be under control, it might be worth making an information call after around five minutes delay to say "we have two divers overdue for surfacing. We can clearly identify from their bubbles that they are both on the shotline and there is no apparent distress. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of progress."
Giving a regular update at say five minute intervals would keep all appraised of the situation. Of course previous advice about Surface Location is another appropriate consideration.

At the end
If you do have cause to put the Coastguard on standby or make a full blown call for help then don’t forget to call as soon as possible once the situation has resolved. It might still be appropriate to advise first that “divers have surfaced/been located” at the earliest opportunity and then a subsequent call to confirm all is well. Finally, don’t forget to notify the Coastguard of the safe return to shore if you notified them of your plans or had occasion to call on their services during the day.

Think SAFE – Dive SAFE