Elderly Woman Diver Rescued After a Day in Icy Pacific Waters

A female diver from St. Petersburg endured nearly a full day in the 11°C waters of the Tatar Strait before being rescued by the Russian search-and-rescue vessel Otto Schmidt on August 14. The strait connects the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, where conditions can be unforgiving even in summer.

The Diving Trip and Disappearance

The woman had joined a trip organized by the magazine Predelnaya Glubina. During a 20-meter dive, her instructor surfaced early due to insufficient diving weights, assuming she would rejoin another group diving under a different instructor. Left alone underwater, she became separated from the rest of the divers.

Rescue by Chance Encounter

Her first sighting came when cadets aboard a rescue tug spotted her during their training exercises. When rescuers finally approached, she signaled them by raising her hand from the water holding something red. Onboard medics provided immediate care, and officials from the Sakhalin branch of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that hospitalization was not required.

Expert Explains Survival Factors

Kirill Raymuev, a medical doctor, candidate of medical sciences, and former submarine sailor, emphasized that survival in such cases depends on a combination of factors, with self-control being paramount.

“If you panic, you’re as good as dead. This has been proven by numerous incidents at sea,” Raymuev said. “It’s possible the woman had exceptional training. In salt water at temperatures between zero and minus two degrees Celsius, a person has no more than 20 minutes before fatal hypothermia sets in. The longest survivors were sailors from the submarine Komsomolets, who lasted about two hours.”

Enduring the Elements

While 11°C water is less extreme than near-freezing conditions, the physical and mental strain of such prolonged exposure is enormous. Experts believe that mental resilience, possible prior survival skills, and perhaps sheer luck played key roles in her escape from what could easily have been a fatal ordeal.