Five Divers Reported Missing in Komodo National Park

I'm forwarding the statement that was released today by Putri Naga Komodo. As of the time of this posting, the divers will have been missing more than 24 hours, so the situation doesn't look good at all. This is a tragic development for everyone concerned. But I also cannot help but think that this was an accident that was almost waiting to happen.

R.D.

HOLDING STATEMENT: Five Divers Missing in Komodo National Park. Search underway

Friday, 10am, 6 June 2008

Five scuba divers were reported missing yesterday afternoon at popular diving spot Tetawa Besar. inside Komodo National Park.

An extensive search and rescue (SAR) effort, involving the local police, army, navy, Park Authority and PT. Putri Naga Komodo (PNK), continued today but none of the missing divers have been found as of 10am this morning Bali time (6 June 2008).

The five divers were part of a trip organized by local dive company Reefseekers. Reefseeker partner and divemaster Kat Mitchinson is among the missing.

The rescue efforts, which are being organized around predictions of the southeast movement of the rapid currents in the Park, is focusing on waters around Tatawa Besar, Tatawa Kecil, Batu Bolong, Karang Makassar, Loh Sebita. It is also believed that if the divers did not make land around Rinca or Padar islands, they would have drifted south past Rinca to open sea.

The Park is considered one of the world’s premier dive sites but is also home to some of the swiftest and most unpredictable currents and undertows on the planet. Ironically, these fierce currents, a constant concern for divers here, are at least partly responsible for Komodo's famously rich abundance of marine life.

The divers were reported missing to the Park Authority yesterday afternoon at 5.30pm. However, the severe weather conditions of heavy winds and strong waves hampered initial search and rescue efforts and prevented the Floating Ranger Station (FRS) Lajang from reaching the area.

A coordination meeting, led by the Head of the local police force, was held at 7pm to form the SAR team and the fleet departed to the location at 22.15 pm along with PNK Speed Boat Cakalang.

At 6am this morning, the FRS Lajang and two local dive operator boats (Rajawali and Somba) also reached the location and began searching for the divers.

PNK will continue to offer all possible assistance and monitor the situation closely. Out thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the missing divers.

Regards,

Marcus Matthews-Sawyer

Director: Tourism, Marketing & Communications

Putri Naga Komodo

This really is sad news? Reefseekers knew the area really well and I'm sure wouldn't have put their divers into danegrous conditions!

We were diving in Komodo twee weeks ago. The currents can be strong and unpredictable. We can only hope that they find the divers quickly.

Wow, wow news travel fast hey! My bro-in-law just told me that this story was on Sky News in UK this morning!

It is also believed that if the divers did not make land around Rinca or Padar islands, they would have drifted south past Rinca to open sea.

jeez, I hope that isn't true... that's a lot of water out past Rinca...

Ever since a friend of mine came back from Indonesia and described the ripping current dive, I wondered about how it is more people are not killed while diving in those conditions. It seems way too easy to wind up surfacing somewhere the boat is not, and then only a matter of time before you are lost.

I dive Komodo in 2009, but not without a bit of hesitation.

bbc news in the uk are reporting that 3 of the divers were from the uk.

In addition to carrying an EPIRB, anyone every considered diving w/ your cell phone too? In a waterproof housing of course... you could probably get a signal in many places - even floating around.

James

In addition to carrying an EPIRB, anyone every considered diving w/ your cell phone too? In a waterproof housing of course... you could probably get a signal in many places - even floating around.

 

James

Good Idea James, Never really thought about it until now.

Obviously, many of you have heard the news stories about five divers who are missing in Indonesia, apparently swept away from their dive site and boat by strong currents. The name of the sponsoring group: Reefseekers.

Lest anyone worry unnecessarily, I want to assure you this is NOT one of our groups. There is actually another dive operation, based in Bali, Indonesia, using the name Reefseekers. We've corresponded with them over the name similarity but there's no affiliation or connection between our business and theirs. (Their website is www.reefseekers.net and ours is www.reefseekers.com .)

A few of you have already written to me about this so I thought I'd send out this set the record straight. We will hope for the best for the missing divers but once again, this is NOT one of our groups nor anyone with whom we have any connection.

- Ken

—————————————————

Ken Kurtis

Owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.

Beverly Hills, CA 90213

www.reefseekers.com

Would not only a Satellite phone work under those conditions?

Not good to hear.

Just be a whole lot cheaper to give everyone a dive EPIRB as the cost of a search like this will be $$$.

Hope they find them.

How do you loose 5 divers???

I am sure that my friend Ken Curtis, co-owner of Reefseekers, will chime in when he finds something out. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Joe

well okay then....disregard my previous post. Ken runs a top notch operation I must add.

JB

New: All five divers have apparently been found, alive, on a South Komodo Island beach. This is wonderful news.

12:45 See the new topic for details.

Here are the first details from PNK. For those of you who know the park, Tanjung Manta is the cape on the southern tip of Komodo Island near the Manta Alley and German Flag dive sites. This was truly the last stop before open sea.

HOLDING STATEMENT: Five Missing Divers Found Alive

11.50am, Saturday 7 June 2008

Five divers were found alive today more than 40 hours after they were reported missing in Komodo National Park.

The three British nationals, Charlotte Allin, James Manning and locally-based dive-master Kathleen Mitchinson, and an unidentified Swedish woman and Frenchman, were discovered on the beach on the south of Komodo Island near Tanjung Manta at 11.10 am (Bali time) by Pt. Putri Naga Komodo’s speedboat Cakalang.

All divers, who were first reported missing at 5.30pm on Thursday evening (5 June 2008), were reportedly in remarkably good condition after their ordeal and a medical team from Labuan Bajo, the gateway to the park, is heading toward the site to rendezvous with the speedboat

The Park is considered one of the world’s premier dive sites but is also home to some of the swiftest and most unpredictable currents and undertows on the planet. Ironically, these fierce currents, a constant concern for divers here, are at least partly responsible for Komodo's famously rich abundance of marine life.

Three cheers for the search and rescue team!!!

Another update to follow as soon as the divers reach Labuan Bajo.

For more information contact:

Marcus Matthews-Sawyer

Director: Tourism, Marketing & Communications

That's wonderful news. Now to find out what really happened.

Thank God they were found alive and well.

I've just read the news that they were found on an island by local fishermen, they had to fend off Komodo Dragons by throwing rocks at them, sounds horrifying!

I think every diver on the planet breathed a sigh of relief when the good news broke.

An update from PNK on the missing divers...

Holding Statement:

7pm, Bali time, Saturday, June 7 2008

Successful Search and Rescue Operation Demonstrate Power Of Cooperation as Strong as Ocean Current

The five divers reported missing in Komodo National Park on Thursday evening are recuperating, from the effects of sunburn and dehydration only, in a Labuan Bajo hospital tonight after being rescued just before lunch time today (local time) by PT. Putri Naga Komodo’s speedboat, Cakalang, part of massive search and rescue efforts involving all the major stakeholders in the Park.

Today, the recognition of a job, collectively, well done has sparked a current of emotion ­ as powerful and full of direction, if you will, as any ocean current running through the Park – that gives light to a simple but irrefutable fact: anything is possible when we work together.

As anyone who has ever dived in Komodo National Park knows, the waters there are home to an extraordinary abundance of spectacular and diverse marine life. But it also harbors its dangers: some of the swiftest and most unpredictable currents and undertows on the planet. Ironically, the latter is at least partly responsible for the former.

Soon after the divers were reported missing, PNK staff Pipin consulted Greg Heighes and Jos Pet, well known members of the local dive and live-aboard community that were so instrumental in the SAR efforts, for their considered advice on the currents. After consulting local tide tables and using their knowledge of the dive conditions, the two were able to accurately pinpoint where the currents might have swept the divers to: South Komodo island.

This information was quickly transmitted to Salim, the captain of the PNK speedboat Cakalang – also aboard Suhar-ABK, Saleh, Zaenudin and Hasbin (The Komodo National Park Authority), BTNK- Vinsensius Latief, Ramanag Ishaka, Yoseph Nong SH. Urbanus Sius (Park Authority) and Abu Bakar Pasha (PNK) - which began its search yesterday in the area where today it plucked the five lucky divers off a south Komodo beach.

Says Rili Djohani, President Director of PNK: “Komodo National Park’s size, climate and fierce currents mean that cooperation and collaboration are really essential to the success of any search and rescue effort. Today’s very happy ending illustrates that.

“It also serves as a powerful reminder to those of us working to protect and preserve this very special place, that, truly, you can achieve anything if you stand united. By drawing on the resources and capabilities of the government, the park authority, the private sector and volunteers, we, collectively, achieved something great and the current of good will flowing through all stakeholders today bodes well for achieving our vision of a park that can finance its protection and sustainable development.â€

Today, truly, was one of the good days.

Cheers,

Earlier holding statements with additional detail below contact details

Marcus Matthews-Sawyer

Director: Tourism, Marketing & Communications