Captain Lost Our Group

[Scott]

Were the DM together with their divers or were they separate groups U/W ?
Post 33

Billiken and his dive partner were with Miguel as a private DM. They surfaced before Pedro and his 3 divers, but Pedro and his divers also floated for 35 minutes - totally unacceptable!

I would suspect separate groups

How does a boat captain follow more than one group?
I had this conversation with our Captian and a guide from SCC last week since one of the sites was a bit crowded.
Just as they do one group, bubbles. It requires knowledge of the site, conditions, experience with the guides and skill on the Captains part.

 

[djanni]

A few weeks ago we completed 117 dives with Blue~XT~Sea and almost all of those were with Pedro. Needless to say, we think Christi runs a first class operation and we're happy that so many of you have expressed support and confidence. The next time we're in Cozumel we'll be diving with Blue~XT~Sea.

 

[Christi]

As far as my other questions....

Were the DM together with their divers or were they separate groups U/W ?

How does a boat captain follow more than one group?

Where did the lost divers reach shore?

Beaver - all of these things have been addressed in this thread in previous posts

 

[beaverdivers]

Christi,

I have asked these questions because I feel they are relevant. I have read the thread.

Please specify the posts that these questions were answered.

Perhaps my first question about the separate groups is answered above in Scott's post.

So if they were separate groups, " How does a boat captain follow more than one group of divers? "

Again, Scott's reply is bubbles and skill of the captain.

However, it can be quite a challenge for any captain to keep track of two separate groups.

Maybe I missed it, but as far as my last question " Where did the lost divers reach shore? " has not been addressed.

Please clarify.

Christi, I am not asking these questions just to stir the pot.

My hope is to shed some light on this dilemma - Capain Lost our Group.

You have done an excellent job of handling this situation.

I would like to hear both DM's perspectives.

Personally, I have been both in the water as a " lost " diver and on the boat looking for " lost " divers. ( fortunately, only a few times in 40 years of diving ) It is not fun!
I have never been the captain.

Do you think having the captain on a flying bridge so he can better track the divers is important?

 

[Texas Torpedo]

Maybe I missed it, but as far as my last question " Where did the lost divers reach shore? " has not been addressed.
Please clarify.

Seriously... Why does it matter where they reached shore?? The only thing that matters (IMO) is they reached it safely and Christi has done everything in her power to rectify the situation / make sure it won't happen again..

I would like to hear both DM's perspectives.

With regard to the DM's.. They are considered by many (myself obviously included) to be some of the best on the Island (if not anywhere).. They however don't frequent online communities so good luck having them show up here to fulfill your personal need for specifics.

David

 

[beaverdivers]

Seriously... Why does it matter where they reached shore??

Because I have been diving Tunich in the afternoon and I'm sure I'll find myself there again. If I am in a similar circumstance as the OP, I want to know as much about his experience as possible ( and how to avoid it or deal with it ).

This inquiry is not about putting Chisti or her dive operation on trial.

It is about gaining info to deal with this type of dilemma.

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Sue Sue]

Knowing where the divers reached shore has no bearing on how to handle such an incident should it ever occur. The fact is that every diver with every dive op at any dive location should be aware there is a remote possibility that, yes, something like this could happen. This is something that all divers, newbies as well as those with 5000 + dives, should be aware of. If they don't, then perhaps they should not be diving.

With that said, ideally, all divers should be prepared to :

A: Signal their dive boat or another boat or someone on shore using an SMB, whistle, mirror, Dive Alert, or a GPS such as a Nautilus Lifeline. Blue XT Sea Divemasters have SMB's as do, I will say, Cozumel Divemasters in general. Christi has posted that her divemasters will have Nautilus Lifelines. All divers should be prepared with or should at least have knowledge about an SMB, whistle and mirror from their BOW course. Remember, ultimately, divers are responsible for themselves.

B: Swim to shore if possible, be it Punta Tunich on Cozumel or Hilma Hooker on Bonaire, or..., or..., or... etc. Where the specific location is does not matter, as long as a diver in need makes it to shore. This is a plan B or even plan C solution to a problem. Christi's divemasters were presented with a problem and solved it. The two Blue XT Sea divemasters disclosed the information to their employer and Christi has already shared that information with all Scubaboard members.

C: Understand that there is personal risk in this sport. However, should an incident occur, divers can take comfort and respect the Dive Op who takes the responsibility to address and correct any problems. Again, Christi has issued Nautilus Lifelines to her divemasters as well as permanently relieved the captain in question of his duties.

 

[ggunn]

Because I have been diving Tunich in the afternoon and I'm sure I'll find myself there again. If I am in a similar circumstance as the OP, I want to know as much about his experience as possible ( and how to avoid it or deal with it ).

You know that the odds of this happening to you exactly where this incident happened are vanishingly small, right?

 

[Texas Torpedo]

Because I have been diving Tunich in the afternoon and I'm sure I'll find myself there again. If I am in a similar circumstance as the OP, I want to know as much about his experience as possible ( and how to avoid it or deal with it ).

This inquiry is not about putting Chisti or her dive operation on trial.

It is about gaining info to deal with this type of dilemma.

Inquiring minds want to know!

If I really thought you were serious about needing their shore exit location to learn how to "deal with this type of dilemma", I'd be very worried about you diving in Cozumel, not to mention teaching others how to dive beyond basic OW.

Why? Because your excuse is completely unrealistic.. There are so many different variables it would render any 'safety plan' or exit strategy practically useless without a considerable amount of research and understanding of the entire shoreline prior to the dive.. Measuring currents just prior to the dive (real measuring.. Not shooting it by eye), knowing precisely where you are going to drop, keeping up with dive time, holds in position to accommodate divers falling behind (taking pics), factoring in any cross current swimming, etc.. etc.. etc.. ...to make it to the same egress point they used, should the same extremely rare event arise again. Talk about taking the fun out of diving..

Beaver Divers, you already know what any diver needs to deal with a situation like this... But, for those that don't know, haven't read about them earlier in this thread, and / or might be new to diving in Cozumel, here's my list:

Equipment:
1. Well maintained Regulators, BCD, mask, fins, snorkel, etc
2. A Surface Marker Buoy.. IMO, every diver or buddy pair/team should have at least one and know how to deploy it, at least on the surface.. Big plus for adding a spool and learning how to deploy from depth. While I can't speak for all DM's in Cozumel, I know both Pedro & Miguel have been happy to teach divers how to properly deploy SMB's prior to surfacing, when asked. I'd be surprised if others wouldn't do the same.
3. A mirror or reflective device that can be spotted from a distance - via water or air
4. A whistle or other noise maker.. (Sorry, you or you dive buddies screams are not very effective at all outside of working everyone up)
5. PLB = Personal Locator Beacon.. There are many flavors and quite a few threads here at SB discussing them.. While I'm not sure the Nautilus Lifeline is really considered one in the strictest sense (no satellite coverage), it still will aid nearby boats in locating you, as well as allowing you to communicate directly with them.. I own a Nautilus Lifeline and won't dive open ocean without it any longer. For diving way off shore, a personal EPIRB & case is a smart move to have should you find yourself floating in really open water thinking how you would trade just about anything to have the Coasties show up..

Nautilus Lifeline... A small price to pay and the obvious choice if you want the added insurance and don't want to waste all that time researching shore lines, currents, etc... But, you knew that already BeaverDivers...

---------- Post Merged at 09:00 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 07:56 PM ----------

*Note* Didn't mean to look like I was piling on... I typed up my response and didn't submit until after supper and then the Internet went poof.. Just saw the other responses which cover pretty much the same.

 

[mstevens]

Do you think having the captain on a flying bridge so he can better track the divers is important?

I'll be interested in hearing Christi weigh in on this as an expert.

However, in my non-expert opinion, I'd be concerned that having a person on a flying bridge on a panga could capsize the boat sooner or later. In that case, I think it'd be important not to have the captain on a flying bridge but rather to have him where he can safely control the boat.