Abandoned During A Scuba Dive Trip

The movie "Open Water" quite dramatically depicts what can happen when a scuba diving couple gets left behind by their dive boat. The film claims to be based on true events - and while Scuba Diving is a relatively safe sport, especially with proper training and equipment - getting left behind while on a scuba boat dive is something that can and does happen. Albeit hopefully without the tragic events shown in the film.

What to do if you are scuba diving and you should be left behind. Number one do not panic. Maybe you just did not see the boat. Maybe you got a little disoriented undersea and came up in the wrong location. Get your head as high out of the water as you can and look around. If you see your boat and it seems close enough to swim to, take a compass heading and swim toward it. If the currents are too strong or it seems to far away to swim to, try signaling. If you do not have one of the specific signaling devices that are made for scuba diving (an you should carry one of these, both audio and visual signaling devices are available) - try waving one of your fins in the air, slapping it in the water, yelling or catching a sun reflection with your dive mask.

If you are close to land and think you can make the swim to shore, go for it. It is best to get out of the water if you can to conserve warmth - if you cannot, wait and be alert to boats and ships that may see you in the water, and signal when you do see them. Chances are by the time the dive boat pulls in to shore they will have realized your situation and rescue will be swiftly on the way. The scuba divers left behind in the movie succumbed to Shark attack. This is a highly dramatized and fictionalized Hollywood account of events. While it is possible to be left behind by a dive boat - the chance that you were diving in "shark infested waters" to begin with are minimal. Hollywood like to make people think that sharks are everywhere just waiting to gobble up Scuba Divers - the truth is that shark attacks on Scuba Divers are exceedingly rare, and Scuba Divers statically are actually at lower risk of shark attack then any other water sport participant. Of the few shark attacks documented last year, 54% were on Surfer/windsurfers, 38% were on swimmers and only 6% were on Scuba Divers. Even so the events that "inspired" the movie have lead to making the chances of being left behind even less likely. Many dive boat operators now require that divers sign on and off the dive boat, and carry signaling devices


Scuba Diving continue to be one of the safest and fastest growing recreation sports. With proper training and being prepared for emergencies scuba divers enjoy a sport with a far greater safety record then is commonly perceived or depicted in books and movies. According to the Dive Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) out of the almost 3 million people who scuba dive worldwide there since 2002 there have been consistently less than 100 scuba related deaths, and less then 500 injuries.