Search called off for PADI divemaster and Danish divers

Canadian PADI instructor Neil Clark along with four Danish dive students went missing July 16 Pemba Island near Zanzibar. Nine days later, the search was called off.

Danish students Lisa Lotte along with Dannie Schov and her two sons, Gabriel and Simon Lowestan were participating in a PADI Gold Palm scuba certification course at Swahili Divers. The group was diving in an area noted for strong currents and were possibly swept away. Police feel by the time the group surfaced they were too far from the dive boat to signal the captain.

Police, an anti-smuggling unit, and volunteers with a private light aircraft and fishing boats searched to no avail.

The CDNN story explained incidents similar to this one have increased sharply in areas where a dive safety infrastructure or missing diver response preparedness is lacking.

I was supposed to be aboard Pemba Afloat this time last year, but some civil unrest changed my plans from Africa to Cuba. I love the idea of going to remote places.....places where few dare to travel, places where tourists haven't screwed everything up completely. I had received my OW certification six months before my expected departure date and probably wouldn't have been prepared for such currents.......maybe someone intervened? I ended up in Cuba for a photo workshop and dove Maria la Gorda instead with only 15 dives under my belt......but that was in calm Caribbean waters....


I still want to go some day......I have this thing for Africa. If any of you other gypsy souls have been diving around Zanzibar or Pemba......what were your experiences? What would you recommend to those diving in the area?