"Stand-By"...

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The Dive Team went on "Stand-by" status this past Sunday after receiving notification from the Coast Guard that a body was recovered in the water 4 miles NE of the Manasquan Inlet. Numerous Dive Team members responded to the building to prepare equipment and review dive\search plans in the event of being dispatched to the scene.

From the Asbury Park Press story that appeared several days later:
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NEWS/707260351

"The body of a man found Sunday about 4 miles off the Jersey Shore might be that of Jeremy Blake, a rising star in the modern art world who was last seen wandering into the ocean off New York's Rockaway Beach a week after his girlfriend had killed herself.
The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced that suspicion Wednesday afternoon after a New York City police officer contacted investigators who have been attempting to identify the body since a fisherman found it four days ago."

The team remained on stand-by for most of the morning until it was determined that a underwater search of the recovery area was not needed. Of course with all that equipment and personnel prepared and ready for assignment a training dive in the Inlet was called...

Diver lost off Florida Keys during "Mini-season"

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Saw this in the news today and this took place on the Florida Key that I worked on when I lived down and worked on a Sportfishing charter boat. Mini season brings many tourist and divers to the Keys each year where people are allowed to dive for Spiny Lobster on a "Recreational" permit and limit. It is regulated but with many events like this people fall victim to "GREED" and over do it...

Diver dies as lobster mini-season begins
BY YAMICHE ALCINDOR
yalcindor@MiamiHerald.com
A Florida man died Wednesday morning while scuba diving with his family off Cudjoe Key just hours into the two-day lobster mini-season.
James Gilkinson, 58, of Venice, was scuba diving in about 10 feet of water about 7 a.m. when he signaled to his son he was going to the surface, said Monroe County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Jim Wirth. His wife, who was on board their boat, told authorities Gilkinson appeared to be struggling when he surfaced.
After helping her husband onto the boat, she yelled for help.
Firefighter paramedics and a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer heard her cries and arrived at the scene, where they performed CPR. Gilkinson was taken to a boat ramp and then transported by ambulance to Lower Keys Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.
Becky Herrin, spokeswoman for MSO, said an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of Gilkinson's death.
Last year, four people died in three Keys' diving accidents during the popular mini-season.

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/181800.html

Point Pleasant First Aid and Rescue Dive Team...

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2007 Wooden Boat Festival...

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The Dive Team responded to a request to set up a "Touch-Tank" presentation at the 2007 Wooden Boat Festival and once again provided an outstanding booth and demonstration for the community...

Children had the opportunity to touch and learn about local Marine specimens... This event was also covered by the Asbury Park Press and comments printed there:

"I liked seeing all the boats," said Holly Phillips, the 8-year-old daughter of Jim The elder Phillips said that they attended the festival every year, coming by boat.

"She swims like a fish and likes anything to do with water," Phillips said, watching Holly hold a hermit crab proffered by Sue Lewicki of Old Bridge, a biologist and member of the Point Pleasant First Aid Squad Dive Team.

"There's a lot of different types of life in the ocean," said Flo Melo of Brick, also a dive team member. "We want people to respect the ocean, realize that these creatures are alive, not Christmas decorations."

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070715/NEWS02/707150377/1070

Point Pleasant Rescue Dive Team Response...

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Point Pleasant First Aid Rescue Dive Team members responded to a reported Dive accident near Gull Island in the Mannasquan River on Sunday and found CPR in progress upon arrival. Dive Team members Flo Melo, Tom Conroy, and Brandon Caladzo were all active EMT’s on site and 1st Lieutenant Gerry Meany performed transport duty.

Upon arrival the Dive Team members found a crowd of Scuba Dive students gathered around the Dive Instructor who was performing CPR on the student who had been removed from the water unconscious and not breathing.

Rescue Dive Team EMT members took over CPR and control of the accident scene and began standard operating procedures for a dive accident investigation. Witness interviews were performed to obtain important information on the victims training status, physical condition, time spent in water, location in water, water conditions, and other pertinent information to assist First -Aid Medics efforts. Dive Team members also secured and transported the victims Scuba equipment for further inspection and investigation by the proper authorities.

The Asbury Park Press had the following report on this incident:

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070710/NEWS/707100314

F.B.I.

This week there was an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch about the FBI making the rounds at local Dive Shops...

The FBI is cautioning instructors to be on the lookout for:

Inquiries about diving in areas not conducive to the activity, such as murky water or sewer pipes;

Applicants from countries where diving is uncommon;

Requests from religious organizations, cults, associations or charitable agencies not normally associated with diving;

Requests to learn advanced combat swimming skills, such as how to use rebreathers (which reprocess exhaled air) and diver propulsion vehicles;

Customers seeking to pay cash for diving instruction;

Refusal or reluctance to provide personal information.

Full article available at:
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-06-30-0117.html