Summer is upon us. Most of us will be headed for the lakes and beaches for some holiday diving. I hope that everyone has planned their trip well and purchased dive insurance. You never know what will happen. My best advise to you is to obey water safety rules, dive safely, and choose a dive boat wisely. What do you do if your dive boat leaves you behind?
1. Don't Panic: Look again. Maybe you missed seeing the boat. Get your head out of the water as high as you can and do a complete 360 degree search of the horizon. If the boat is close enough to swim to, take a compass heading and swim to it.
2. Signal for Help: If you are not close enough to the boat or a current prevents you from swimming to it, you should signal for help. Visual and audio signals are available for scuba divers. If you don't have the luxury of having any with you, take off one of your fins and wave it around, splashing the water. If you can, yell for help.
3. Get Your Orientation: Try to determine which direction you have been swimming/drifting relative to the shoreline or boat. Most likely, you have been going down-current. Watch the plant life to see which direction it is leaning. If you have drifted down-current, the boat is probably in the other direction.
4.Wait: It is best for you to stay where you are. If you are close to land, get out of the water. You will need to conserve your body heat and energy. Ditch any unnecessary equipment you have.
5. Be a Survivor: Keep a look out for boats and planes that might see you. Stay close to your buddy. Keep your arms and legs close to your body fir heat and don't give up hope!
I hope that no unfortunate accidents happen to anyone this weekend. Stay alert. Be safe.
