Coastguard warns UK scuba divers to be more cautious

Coastguards have issued a warning to divers heading to the west coast after two deaths and two major alerts in five days.

Three of the incidents, in the Sound of Mull, left one diver dead, another missing presumed dead and a third said to have been minutes away from death after falling unconscious in the water yesterday morning.

In another alert yesterday afternoon a lifeboat crew was called to help three divers who had got into difficulty in the water five miles north of Oban after misjudging the tide.

With thousands of divers expected to flock to the west coast in the next few months, the spate of incidents has prompted the Coastguard and the RNLI to issue a safety warning.

Last night, Oban RNLI coxswain Ronnie MacKillop said: "Diving on the west coast of Scotland is not like the Mediterranean. Here, the water is cold and there can be very strong tidal streams. Scotland is famed for its clear water but visibility can often be reduced if divers are disturbing the seabed.

"All those factors make diving a dangerous sport and we would urge people to know the areas they are diving in."

Stuart Pittendreigh, of Clyde Coastguard, added: "Diving is a dangerous pursuit and divers should take all the necessary precautions."

He said thousands of divers were expected on the west coast over the spring and summer, with many venturing into sea lochs without informing the coastguard.

Yesterday, emergency services were called to the Sound of Mull after a charter diving vessel reported that a diver had surfaced unconscious.

The man, thought to be a 67-year-old from Leeds, was first transferred to a lifeboat with a doctor on board and then to a helicopter, which flew him to Lorn and Islands District General Hospital at Oban, where he is being treated and is said to be recovering.

Less than 24 hours earlier, a search for a 62-year-old man who had gone missing Friday was called off.

He was part of a group exploring the wreck of the Thesis, south of Ardtornish Point, and the alarm was raised by the dive boat Equinox, which reported he had become separated from his buddy diver.
Despite extensive searches involving a helicopter, lifeboat crews and Coastguard teams from Craignure, Knock and Tobermory, rescuers were stood down at 1pm on Saturday.

Last night, there was still no trace of the man who is presumed dead.

Both incidents followed the death of a 38-year-old man on Wednesday.

Henry Downs, from the York area, was with friends diving on the Rondo, a popular dive site, on Wednesday morning when he took ill.

The group was on holiday in the Lochaline area and had chartered a local dive boat.

Mr Downs was taken to Lorn and the Isles Hospital by a helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth but was pronounced dead on arrival.

In the least-serious incident in the last five days, three divers got into difficulty yesterday afternoon at the Falls of Lora, where Loch Etive meets the sea, but none of them needed hospital treatment.

Richard Morgans, of Clyde Coastguard, said: "Recreational divers are reminded of their own safety message: plan the dive, dive the plan."

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