Tuckunder
I still stand by what I have said there is no rescue where a fatality has occured due to non carriage of a SAR diver that I am aware of.
I've just given you four mate, first hand. Somebody back me up here with some more of your own?
On the other hand, if you're just quoting North Sea, I can believe you. I suppose it's a horses for courses thing - UNTIL it happens, and that's a bit late for the poor test case!
But I don't buy the financial argument at all. If you total the cost of a full SAR setup and compare it to the difference between training (and keeping) a wet suit or a dry suit on the end of the wire, what do you get? My guess is that it's considerably less than one percent.
Would one in a hundred rescuees benefit from a free diver? I think they would.
You could of course use the same maths to put a good case for not having SAR.......anywhere........ever, but this is too close to the Gordon Brown school of accountancy for my liking!
Cheers (and good wishes for ALL the boys doing the job in the North Sea, I take my hat off to you, these old bones have moved to Oz!).
JerryG