The diver was on a drift dive (diving with the current) and was using a delayed Surface Marker Buoy (SMB). These allow the skipper of the boat to follow the buoy and then pick the diver up, normally very safe and effective.
In this case the diver had got caught up in a lobster pot (probably ‘rescuing’ lobsters!- naughty) and had to cut his SMB away. At the same time his buddy – diving partner- who also had an SMB suffered a regulator failure and had to come to the surface, and raised the alarm. The skipper started a quick search and then called the Coastguard, who in turn requested Swanage Lifeboat.
Meanwhile the first chap freed himself from the pot and then came to the surface slowly to decompress. Given the currents he drifted a long way off Anvil Point, he started near Old Harry!
Swanage Lifeboat found the chap and brought him back to shore, well done chaps.
On meeting the diver it was apparent that a serious of incidents had led to the situation, and that he was not to blame. The chap had spent some considerable time on his own in the sea contemplating life and had decided that that a second SMB or flag or flares would be a sensible backup – and for £30 would be a good investment!
So divers out there, the moral of the story….. take backup surface detection devices and leave them pesky lobsters alone.
"yeah get yerhandsoff"
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