6 divers called Humber Coastguard for help after a sudden freak storm forced their RIB Davy Diver to run aground close to Redcar.

The abrupt change in weather caught everybody off-guard, with two fishing vessels colliding and yachts being overturned. Humber Coastguard received 16 calls for help and 3 simultaneous May Days as the sudden, severe storm swept in and visibility was drastically reduced.

The Redcar divers, from the SCARS dive club, had managed to free themselves before the Redcar lifeboat arrived on the scene.

In the Farnes, a 48-year-old diver and his buddy were airlifted from dive boat Guide Me after ascending from a 28m second dive on the Pinnacles without any stops. Both men, from the Fourth Element diving club, began to show signs of decompression illness and were helicoptered to a hyperbaric chamber in Aberdeen.
Reading BSAC reported four divers overdue, possibly missing, to Solent Coastguard before their club RIB located the lost buddy pairs. In Portland a 50-year-old woman was airlifted from dive boat Tango after a rapid ascent and a man diving in Portland harbour with Fathom and Blues was taken to hospital by ambulance after reportedly suffering chest injuries.

With so many divers in the water this weekend, the Coastguard said they were pleased with the safety-consciousness of most dive groups and dive boat skippers. 'To be honest, we get far more problems with the yachties,' commented one coastguard officer to Divernet.


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