Dan Fitzgerald and his student Stu spent almost 24 hours at sea, having been swept off the dive site (Flat Rock, North Stradbroke Island) by strong current. They aborted the dive and ascended only to find that the weather had kicked up. The dive boat was a distant image, only seen as they crested the now 2.5m waves. Dan and Stu were adrift.
Search aircraft passed overhead. Their signals went unseen. And as daylight faded, they faced the prospect of spending the night in open water, with no way of knowing when they would be found.
In this episode of The Scuba GOAT Podcast, Dan takes us back to those hours. The decisions, the doubts, the humour, and the determination to stay together and make it through until morning.
Dan also speaks openly about the mistakes they made before the dive. Sharing those errors takes courage, and he does so to help other divers learn from their experience and avoid making the same mistakes.
He reflects on the lessons he carries with him and his gratitude to the search teams and Gold Coast Westpac rescue helicopter crew who helped bring them home.
This is Dan Fitzgerald. And this is Adrift.