Diver Pulled into Boat's Propeller

A diver was killed by the propeller of a passing dive boat - not the dive boat he was from - while exploring shipwrecks in Scapa Flow, off Orkney, Scotland, where the German Imperial Feet was scuttled after Germany surrendered to end the First World War.

Paul Smith and his dive buddy were surfacing near the wreck of the German battleship SMS Markgraf.

They had stopped at 10 feet after sending up a delayed deployment surface marker buoy several minutes earlier. Smith had clipped his line reel to a D-ring on his BC. The Karin, a UK-registered liveaboard dive boat, one of at least two vessels in the area, passed overhead and it appears the buoy and line became entangled in its propeller, dragging the diver up into it.

The crew of Smith's own dive boat saw the buoy disappear under the Karin, but his body was not found for three weeks.

The accident happened last September, and in June this year the British Marine and Rail Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) identified key safety issues including the need for "an effective lookout at all times" and for boats to "keep a safe standoff distance" from submerged divers, adding, "Posting a dedicated lookout in an appropriate location is essential to make sure the helm or skipper receives timely warnings of surfacing divers and allow for effective avoiding action. There is the need for detailed and frequent communication between operators when multiple boats intend to operate in the same area. This coordination is crucial to ensure deconfliction and prevent accidents."

The authorities noted the importance of the correct handling of an SMB line and the potential hazard of a diver attaching a reel to his body or BC and drifting away from the wreck while decompressing. It's safer to ascend the buoyed shot-line permanently attached to the wreck site (STV News).