Kennet Diver to the RescueLast Saturday Newbury Sub-Aqua Club were on the south coast completing the practical part of a dive marshalling course. Leaving Kimmeridge Bay after lunch they heard Portland Coastguard managing an incident, the co-ordinates of which were only a few miles in the opposite direction they were heading. The club had recently completed an upgraded VHF radio course, so it was something of a baptism of fire for first time radio operator Martin Openshaw who called Portland Coastguard to offer assistance. Using their satellite navigation equipment NSAC were able to be on the scene in a matter of minutes where a boat from another club was experiencing engine difficulties, and had divers in the water. All the members aboard the NSAC boat, Kennet Diver, were experienced divers, but two were experienced diver cox’ns and two first aid and oxygen administration instructors with various other skills amongst the crew. Kennet Diver was in a position to start a search and recovery or other emergency so they went to recover the divers whilst another boat altered course to tow the stricken vessel back to Kimmeridge. Two divers had been holding onto a rope attached to a buoy for about 20 minutes in water temperatures of 7 degrees centigrade and two other divers had yet to surface. The first pair of divers were taken safely on board where advanced instructors Moira and Gordon Simpson, who were running the course, administered warm drinks and checked that no further treatment was necessary. NSAC then stood by to receive the second pair who surfaced 20 minutes later safe and well but a little bemused to find a strange boat waiting for them and the rescue helicopter flying in the vicinity. NSAC then returned the divers to Kimmeridge and received a thank you from Portland Coastguard. The following day they found out that the engine failure had been because of a broken linkage mechanism. It will certainly add fuel to the debate within the club about what to replace the elder of the two club boats with.
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