Originally Posted by
John Eacott
An unfortunate but true dit: called out in a Sea King for a missing diver search off the Scilly Isles, and basically hover taxing around the harbour following a report of a sighting. Lots of mooring buoys and general seaman stuff, being a busy harbour, but nothing sighted so we returned to Culdrose.
A few hours later we received a report that the missing chappie was highly miffed as we flew right over him, and he accurately described my helmet looking out the window.
Turns out that he didn’t wave, didn’t respond, and assumed that I had seen him 🤔 🙊
In my defence, a diver’s black wetsuit headpiece blends neatly with buoys and general flotsam 😂
Had a similar experience in the Falklands, tasked to pick up a 6 man patrol who were naturally wearing ‘you can’t see me camouflage suits’. Working on a grid reference that maybe taken from the blue grid or red grid ? I kid you not the Falklands had 2 grid systems, obviously not confusing!
I had just decided we were almost bingo fuel and getting the flock home, when my rear crew called, they are on the right 20 feet away hiding behind the rocks!
When questioned as to why they didn’t make themselves more visible, the answer was, we saw you 2 miles away so we assumed you could see us…….🙀