Dive the Vandenberg!

TROUBLE ON THE SPIEGEL GROVE

June 28, 2007 was quite day; it was one of those very challenging days. Our afternoon trip was to the Spiegel Grove, a wreck at about 130 ft of water. All local diver operators canceled the morning trips because the current was RIPPING, but we went in the afternoon.

I was mating so I stayed on the boat. We had 4 divers come up and I had to swim out with a line to rescue them. Then 2 more divers came up ok. Then our last two didn't come up. Stress increased dramatically; we knew we had a problem at hand. I suited up for a search and recovery, meaning recovery of bodies. We checked down current first and no sight of them. Went back and jumped in with a buddy. Private dive boat moored up next to us sent down two tech divers on double tanks to search. Other boats in the area were notified to search. Coast Guard was notified according to proper protocol. Despite ripping current buddy went down with out using the down line so I had to follow. The current was so strong he could not reach the down line. We never reached the wreck. I called the dive because there was no progress. By this time we had drifted about a 1/2 mile away from our boat. Then my buddy decides to deploy a safety line on a sausage which he inflates as it wraps around him. He starts shooting to the surface like a torpedo. I try to drag him back down with no luck. I let go. And I am left doing my safety stop at 15-20 feet thinking now I have a DCI diver on the surface too. Luckily he was OK.

Good news was the Coast Guard helicopter found our divers alive and well. They had drifted away from the wreck, they actually never made it to the wreck. They didn’t have a safety sausage so we couldn't see them in the 3 foot swells. It was a hellacious 2 hours.

It was the BEST possible outcome!!!!!!