I Can Only Cry in the Water…

KOMPAS/LASTI KURNIA

The late Syachrul (wearing glasses, center) is seen prior to taking part in the search for the victims of the Lion Air plane crash along with other divers of the Indonesia Diver Rescue Team (IDRT) at JITC2 Pier, Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, on Wednesday (31/10/2018). Syachrul lost his life as a result of problems caused by pressure adjustment.

Diving to a depth of more than 30 meters to recover the victims of the downed Lion Air flight JT610 is not easy. Many challenges face the divers. “I can only cry [while I am] in the water," said Agus Sulaiman, 43, after two dives to recover the victims’ bodies.

Although it is not the first time he has volunteered for a search and rescue (SAR) mission, the Lion Air crash seemed to affect Agus deeply. "When I reached the seabed for the first time, I saw everything, from the wreck to parts of human bodies," he told Kompas on Sunday at the JICT 2 Pier in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

Agus did not dare tell more about what he had found and seen on the sea floor. The record of his experience is stored only in his memory and in his camera. While diving off the coast of Karawang regency, West Java, Agus must face various challenges. Diving at a depth of more than 30 meters, he does not have much time to choose and sort. At that depth, visibility is only 3-4 meters during the day, and he cannot stay submerged for more than 15 minutes. The deep mud and underwater currents, which usually appear in the afternoon, also make it difficult for him to carry out recovery efforts.

About 100 SAR divers are deployed every day. Volunteer divers must have logged more than 1,000 hours or be a certified search and recovery diver. Agus had an experience similar to the SAR operation for the Lion Air crash in 1997.

At that time, he was on the SAR team for the Silk Air MI185 aircraft, which crashed into the Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra, and killed 104 passengers. Agus, a native of Palembang and a certified Dive Master, equipped himself with 23 kilograms of personal diving equipment. He had a 17-kilogram oxygen cylinder filled with 3,000 psi of oxygen, equal to 100 times the pressure in a car tire. He also carried a 30-centimeter-by-1-meter satchel he had woven himself.

Mental readiness is one of the keys to a diver\'s safety. The worst-case scenario of diving, according to Agus, was paralysis or death. This misfortune befell Syahrul, 48, alias Anto, a volunteer diver from the Indonesia Diving Rescue Team (IDRT), who was helping in the search for the Lion Air crash on Friday. He lost his life because of decompression – problems adjusting to changes in pressure.

Six days

Sandro Feldy M., 26, one of the 15 divers from the National Police’s Directorate of Water and Air Police, said the divers had been deployed on the very first day of the Lion Air plane crash for SAR operations. “Since then, or six days, they have not touched land, living on the waves of the ocean. The divers have struggled in the sea, where sometimes the waves are unpredictable and erratic and visibility is limited, plus the water is cloudy.

"We’re exhausted, certainly. If we don’t find anything, it motivates us to try even harder," said the police diver. Fatigue and grief disappeared when they make a find. Motivation is rekindled in every diver, including Muhammad Mudjtahidin, 24. "Our spirits are lifted when we discover plane debris," he said.

Amid the challenges of life at sea, the divers have been accompanied by a respected figure and friend, police commissioner Faried. Sandro was amazed by Faried, who has mingled among the divers, resting with them, sleeping together on the boat, sometimes sleeping on an empty body bag.

Faried is responsible for the safety of the divers, aged 23-30 years. A search-and-recovery dive can be a battle between life and death for these divers, who dedicate themselves to this humanitarian operation. This cannot be simply called “experience”, but is a dedicated effort for the sake of humanity and knowledge.

(E02/E20)