MAIB: Lack of a Proper Lookout Led to Diver's Death
The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report on the death of a recreational diver who was pulled into the propeller of a dive support vessel in 2023. The accident could have been prevented, MAIB found, if the crew had kept a good lookout and followed sound safety procedures.
The casualty occurred during an outing to the German war wreck sites in Scapa Flow, Scotland on September 28, 2023. Two boats, the Jean Elaine and the Karin, delivered recreational divers to the site of the wreck of the SMS Markgraf, arriving at about 1004. Both vessels circled the site as their respective dive passengers explored the wreckage below. At about 1031, Karin repositioned with a series of turns near Markgraf's stern, just as two divers from Jean Elaine were coming to the surface. Karin's crew did not notice their delayed surface marker buoys (DSMBs), floating visibility devices which indicated their location; the vessel had a raised shelter deck and other obstructions that impeded visibility from the wheelhouse, and created a blind spot of about 20 degrees to port and starboard, out to about 100 meters ahead. This meant the master had to rely on the deckhand for spotting. However, at that moment in time, the deckhand was in the galley.
One of the divers saw Karin's approach and quickly swam deeper to escape danger, but the other - identified as Paul Smith, 70 - was struck in the head by Karin's propeller and killed. Neither the Karin's skipper nor the deckhand noticed the event, and a search began only after the Jean Elaine reported Smith missing.
Smith did not resurface, and a daylong SAR effort did not turn up any clues. After a sidescan sonar survey commissioned by Police Scotland, he was found on the bottom, still clipped to the line of his DSMB and showing extensive head injuries.
It was the second time that year that Karin had hit a diver with her propeller. In an earlier incident during diver deployment in June 2023, one diver failed to descend and was struck in the leg by the prop; the victim was medevaced and survived with minor injuries.
"It is apparent that the stated procedure of a lookout posted on the bow was not always used. This was most likely because Karin’s skipper had previously operated the vessel single-handedly and was comfortable doing so. Consequently, divers on or near the surface were at risk of not being seen," MAIB concluded. "It is evident that the lookout arrangements on board Karin were ineffective, placing divers at risk of collision with the vessel while they were submerged close to the surface."
To address apparent gaps, MAIB recommended extending safety management system (SMS) requirements to cover all small commercial vessels, like day-trip dive boats. Locally, it also recommended increasing local harbor authority control over the busy dive site.
The diver's setup may also have played a role. Since Smith was found clipped to his DSMB reel, and the DSMB line was parted, MAIB believes it is possible that he was hampered by the DSMB and unable to move away quicky - as the other diver had done. Modern safety guidance calls for divers to hand-hold the DSMB reel only, never to clip it on. "It is also possible that diver 1’s DSMB line snagged on a part of the vessel or its diver recovery ladder and drew diver 1 into the path of the propeller blades," MAIB concluded.
The Karin's owner has sold the vessel to another operator and retired, MAIB said.