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Close call! Spearfishing diver narrowly avoids being pulled by a speeding boat in Hawaii
- Shocking video footage shows the thrilling moment a speedboat passes lone diver Chris Lastra, spearfishing off Magic Island on Thursday in Oahu.
- The spearfisherman ducks as the speeding boat’s propeller slices his fin in half, but saves him from what could have been his death.
- Lastra, who has been diving for 10 years, said afterwards: ‘I’m definitely lucky to be alive. God was taking care of me’, he said
A spearfisherman on Oahu narrowly escaped death when he climbed out of the water only to see a speedboat hurtling towards him.
Lone diver Chris Lastra was underwater in the ocean looking for fish when the boat approached him.
Incredible video footage shows the exciting moments as the speedboat passes Lastra, who was fishing off Magic Island on Thursday. She steps out of the way as the propeller slices her fin in half, but saves him from what could have been his death.
Seconds after the boat passes, Lastra raises his orange-gloved hand and makes an A-Ok hand gesture before saying, ‘Oh my God,’ between breaths, ‘What the hell?’
The speedboat that nearly killed him is seen circling to see if Lastra was hurt. Swaying in midstream, Lastra calls out: ‘I’m fine. I lost my fin,’ he said before apologizing.
The speedboat, named ‘Wind Whisper’, was anything but as it sped through the ocean waters nearly killing the diver.
In the video, the captain is seen hanging around to see if Lastra was injured. Swaying in midstream, Lastra calls out: ‘I’m fine. I lost my fin,’ he said before apologizing.
That was my fault. She didn’t have a buoy,” she said. ‘I should have stayed below to be honest.’
He added: “Don’t worry bro, it’s not your fault.”
Coast Guard officials said a bright dive flag could potentially save someone’s life and divers and boaters should be familiar with regulations when it comes to ocean safety.
US Coast Guard Diving Supervisor Kendall Smith said that under state law a 12-by-12 dive flag must be displayed while snorkeling, spearfishing or scuba diving. CNN informed.
“If someone was diving, they had a down diver flag, that’s a 200-yard exclusion zone outside of that down diver flag or buoy.”
“In this case, he’s lucky to be alive,” Smith said.
“I realized in the video that he was alone. You should always dive with a buddy and have a plan and hope for the best, but always be prepared for scary incidents like that.
Chris Lastra, who resides in Hawaii but is a native of Santa Barbara, California, said he learned his lesson and said he was “grateful to be alive.”
The speedboat named ‘Wind Whisperer’ was anything but when it sped past Lastra while under spearfishing, but the navigator came back and checked it out.
The ship passing by Lastra in the waters off Oauahu. The US Coast Guard said she should have had a flag or buoy to alert boaters to her presence, and had been diving with a friend.
Lastra, who resides in Hawaii but is a native of Santa Barbara, California, where there are no laws requiring a dive buoy, said he learned his lesson and was “grateful to be alive.”
‘Your life flashes before your eyes when you face death, but to me, I was just thinking I’m an idiot, I should have had a buoy here.
Lastra accepted full responsibility for what he described as a ‘bad decision’ not to have a buoy.
Many took to social media to share their reaction to the ‘close call’.
“Lucky the prop caught his fin and not an arm or leg,” one person wrote.
Another said: ‘That was close, bro! Dive safe!!