Three divers rescued in the Baltic Sea - they didn't have permission or credentials

On the night of January 14-15, a rescue operation took place in the waters of the rough Baltic Sea for three divers from Spain.

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Just before 2 a.m., the person on duty at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Gdynia received information from the State Fire Service from Gdansk about a sinking vessel. Initial information said that it was a barge in need of assistance in the area of the Mouth of the Dead Vistula River.

Rescuers from the Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) shore station in Swibno have launched a search. In the course of them, new information emerged saying that the vessel they were looking for was not a barge, but a red motor boat. Finally, after more than an hour, they tracked down the vessel, which turned out to be carrying three men, citizens of Spain.

The motorboat with the three Spaniards was located about 2.7 Mm north of the West Mountains. Available information indicated that they had been in the water for at least six hours, conducting a dive. Subsequent information made it possible to clarify that the motorboat was not sinking, but had steering problems. The sought-after vessel, together with the Spaniards, was delivered by rescuers safely to the port of Górki Zachodnie.

The Spanish nationals, along with the boat, were transported to the port of Górki Zachodnie and handed over to the paramedics and police officers who arrived on the scene. In addition to our unit, the Water Police, PSP Gdansk and the Medical Rescue Team were involved in the operation – summarized in social media SAR rescuers.

Night diving in the Baltic Sea

If we take a moment to think about it and put all the facts together, a rather interesting picture emerges. Three Spanish citizens went on a night dive in the rough Baltic Sea in mid-January. Add to this the fact that their vessel had no navigational lights and no proper means of communication. In addition, they did not have the authority to operate it or the required agreement to conduct the dive.

This made us a large list of factors that had to be consciously overcome and regulations that had to be broken. While I love diving in the Baltic myself, even in my eyes it doesn’t seem all that tempting to take on the challenge under the above circumstances. That being said, I am very curious as to what motivated the Iberian tourists? Could it be that the Baltic is expected to be the most popular diving destination in 2023? Or is it simply that for some, diving is like a drug and they can’t help themselves?

Photo: Maritime Search and Rescue Service

Without a doubt, Spain has a lot to offer underwater and you can read about it in Joanna Kruk’s article. Cabo de Palos is a place you will learn more about in the 20th issue of our DIVERS24 quarterly! The digital version of the magazine is available free of charge, while you can purchase the printed version in our online store.