A Fright Worth $20?

A Chinese diver, diving with Plumeria Diving and Watersports on Vaavu Atoll in the Maldives, got embroiled in a litany of errors that left her drifting at sea for 40 minutes, waiting to be picked up by the dive boat. Xu Man, an experienced diver, but only recently certified as a Rescue Diver, started the dive only to find her primary regulator was not working, so the dive guide told her to use her alternate air source instead.

When the time came to ascend, the guide had difficulty deploying his surface marker buoy, so he waved at their dive boat, though a strong current was pushing them from the dive site. Away from the reef, the waves became higher, and Xu struggled to keep her head above water. By this time, they had lost sight of their dive boat.

Eventually, the dive guide accepted Xu's suggestion that they tie his leaking SMB to a selfie stick she had with her, and he held it high above the waves. Luckily, a passing fishing boat spotted it, and she and the guide, together with a third diver, were recovered. She reported the incident to the hotel manager and questioned the professionalism of the diving services. The manager refused to apologize for the incident, offering her a measly $20 discount for her trouble. (South China Morning Post)