Terror as diver is trapped in net
AN EXPERIENCED diver thought he was going to die after getting caught up in fishing nets which killed a seal pup.
The dive club member was diving near the 'Asia' green buoy opposite the Waterfront restaurant when the incident occurred on Thursday.
Diving in the same area he had visited for years, the diver was about eight or nine metres from the surface following a 30-metre dive when he became entangled.
The diver, who does not wish to be identified, told a close friend he had been terrified by the experience
"He didn't see the net and swam right into it," said his friend, diving instructor Dougie Allen from the Aquanauts dive company.
"He soon became totally entangled as he struggled to get free", Dougie explained.
"At first he couldn't release himself. The net wrapped itself around his air cylinder and mask like a spider's web.
"It was only after about 15 or 20 minutes that he managed to cut himself free.
"He thought he was going to die. It was only after releasing himself that he saw the seal pup. That's terribly sad."
On inspection, the net stretched out for at least 50 metres. It was two metres in height.
Thousands of harbour porpoises, dolphins, whales, seals, turtles, sharks and seabirds die due to entanglement in such gill nets every year, which can be anchored or free-floating. Free floating gill nets are referred to as drift nets.
The Dockyard Port of Plymouth Order 1999 states that it is an offence to trawl or use fishing nets within Plymouth Sound. Fines can be up to £1,000.
One of the reasons is because Plymouth Sound is home to the rare fan shell, which is one of the rarest molluscs in the UK and a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
After consultation within the maritime community through the Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum and the Port of Plymouth Maritime Liaison Committee, a series of measures to safeguard the habitat were introduced.
The Queen's Harbour Master's office at The Longroom told The Herald that since the incident they had been made aware of the net, but declined to comment further.
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by Tiny, Plymouth by the sea
Monday, January 12 2009, 2:42PM
“ref Colin of Hull
Both PADI and BSAC the UK main Diver Training Agency¿s ¿neither condemn nor condone¿ solo diving and both now do training courses in solo diving, I have dived this site for years as a solo diver and have had a few sticky dives but as a solo diver you get yourself out of the situation, you go back to the basic dive training and you work through it, one of the things about solo diving is you have built in redundant systems (emergency air and back-up systems for the redundant systems). Its not just a case of I learned to dive on Sunday I¿ll go solo on Monday it takes 100¿s if not 1000¿s of dives to build up your confidence to dive solo and many hundreds of pounds spent in specialist dive kit to bring you back home after each dive.
From Tiny a Solo diver and proud of being one”
by eric, stoke
Sunday, January 11 2009, 9:41PM
“Taxpayer.com .... you got it right ... this kind ofthing is done by a very ... very small minority of people ... very small indeed .. How many of use take the time and effort to do this ? someone knows who they are .... time for grassing !!!!”
by Brian, Plymouth
Sunday, January 11 2009, 4:25PM
“Diving solo is entirely legal, many people do this in Plymouth. We know it's not advised and I do not advocate that people do so, but individuals are free to do what they want... as long as it's legal (which this is) and they accept the consequences of their actions and the risk they are taking. No doubt the situation would have been less harrowing if there was a buddy, but there is no reason to suggest that this person was doing anything wrong at all by diving alone. The illegal fishing activity increased the risk this diver took without him being aware, and it is good that he has taken the opportunity to warn others by speaking of what happened.”
by colin, hull, humberside
Sunday, January 11 2009, 12:22PM
“i would just like to ask, why was the diver diving on his own and not with a buddy ?.If he did have a Buddy why is he not mentioned in the report and why dint he help the trapped diver.”
by Mick, Barbican
Saturday, January 10 2009, 8:30PM
“Beats me how they could lay the illegal net under the noses of the Harbour authorities.
Something fishy somewhere”