Advice for boarding in choppy sea

[scubafanatic]

Watch you tube videos of the bull riding. That'll help .
Seriously it has all been covered very well. Boarded boats in the keys in sporty conditions (3-5 ft with 7 ft rollers). At least what they call sporty.
Off of Monterey the Keys "sporty" is "wow this is great!"

One thing I don't get is the comment about everyone running low on air at the same time. My experience was completely different. Some of us were coming up with 1200-1500 after an hour while others had 500-700. Tried to let those people on first.

---------- Post added November 29th, 2014 at 02:05 PM ----------

And I have never had to hand fins up. Slip em over your wrist until you are up the ladder if it's not a fins on ladder. You can hand them to the crew if necessary when you get to the top. That way if you do fall you just slip em back on.
And yeah keep the reg in your mouth. A snorkel does you no good if you do fall off and drop under and need to inhale. In fact leave the snorkel on the boat so that you are not even tempted to go to it.

Hi Jim,
Sounds like you're referring to my suggestion/comment. I simplified things to make a point. Don't take it 100% literally, take it 80% literally. Yes, there will be a bell curve where a couple of divers will surface pretty early (air hogs)...and couple of other divers will surface late (air sippers or someone on board with doubles or an oversized single tank), but the bulk of the divers (the middle of the bell curve) will be surfacing at approximately the same time, potentially causing the traffic jam. I've seen this on many a recreational liveaboard dive trip.

 

[dallaskincaid]

Monitor your air supply, all the divers will tend to run out of air about the same time, all come up about the same time, and you'll find yourself in a traffic jam waiting to board. You don't want to risk being OOA (out-of-air) at this point! In choppy seas especially you'll want to ability to remain 'on scuba' until you are fully and safely back onboard. Allow yourself an extra margin of 'air' for this contingency.

Of course we all wear our snorkels in case we DO run out of air on the surface, right?

 

[RJP]

I'm going out to dive in the keys tomorrow and know it will be windy, am curious if any care to offer their advice/best practices for boarding post dive in choppy or turbulent seas. Thanks!

The best advice I can offer on how to board a boat - in any conditions - is to listen to and FOLLOW the boat crew's directions for how to board.

They know the boat. They know the local conditions. They know what works best on THAT boat, in THOSE conditions.

(Edit - I should have known/seen that Frank (Wookie) had this answer covered.)

PS - Did you go out? Keys is famous for blowing-out any time there's even the slightest bit of wind.

 

[scubafanatic]

Of course we all wear our snorkels in case we DO run out of air on the surface, right?

Actually I DO still wear a snorkel on all my dives, but it seems most divers abandon snorkels once they've graduated from OW class.

 

[DownDiver]

I really appreciate all the all the comments. I did go out RJP, small 6 person boat, we dove Hannah Bell and the Benwood. Five ft swells and 20-25ft viz with milky water on the latter. I kept much of the advice in mind, listened and took the crew's guidance to the letter, took my time and watched for the ladder to hit the low point, and firmly committed and stood straight up as soon as I got on a rung - then climbed aboard. No problems at all, other than the swim to the boat from where we surfaced! But we made it just fine, in no small part due to the knowledge sharing here on SB! Thanks all!

 

[Hatul]

I'm surprised no one mentioned to be careful where you grab the ladder, as parts of the ladder bang against the boat and can sever fingers.

 

[Zeagle Eagle]

Have the crew take all your gear and then get on the ladder. It's much easier that way. I have never figured out in my 40 years of diving why someone would want to climb a pitching ladder in 5 foot rollers with fins on, mask on and tanks on their backs. I have seen some real nasty accidents from divers doing it that way. I swing my mask around on my forehead and wear it rock star bandanna style. As far as a snorkel, the last time I used one was about 30 years ago.

When you do get on the ladder get on a middle rung and also be careful not to pinch a finger. USE BOTH HANDS. Some ladders are not fixed and can swing out. Many also have a rope attached so you can use that to help you get on a rung. Once you are on the ladder, use your knees to take up some of the pitching up and down. If the seas are pitching, time your climb so the ladder is somewhat steady. Climb quickly and then get the hell out of the way of the other divers. Put your camera in the rinse tank and get your fins and mask to your seating area.

 

[Tigerman]

I'm surprised no one mentioned to be careful where you grab the ladder, as parts of the ladder bang against the boat and can sever fingers.

I kinda did actually, although in a "kinda" flippant way...

 

[uncfnp]

And be extra careful of gear. Not sure how but twice now I have lost gear boarding boat in rough seas. First time was a brand new lion tamer. Secured with bolt snap and 1 inch ring. Ring was actually pulled apart. Next time was a lobster loop. I think the loop opened and caught on the ladder. DM behind me saw it and grabbed it before it was lost. Showed me how to secure the loose end through the d ring on my crotch strap. Not sure I would recommend that with the lion tamer though.

 

[elinox]

You're lucky they took you out at all in 5-6 foot swells! I was in the Keys November 15-22 and Cap'n Hook's in Marathon had to cancel 3/5 dive days due to the 3-4 foot rollers!