Another Boating Scenario for Captians..

[Cacia]

Today was "pretty flat" and we went to Sea Caves. Drifting it would be easy, but we wanted to all dive. There is a wall that drops to 300 feet or so, mirroring the volcanic sheer wall of the topside. There IS a bouy very close to the rock wall about 40 ft off the wall at 20 feet.

You have to be pretty brave and agile to get to the bouy. Pointing towards the rock lava wall, with the swell behing me (long, slow swell), I felt the swell could move the boat into the rocks. My freediver found the pigtail on the ball (subsurface) but I did not have the nerve to get that close. The swell was out of the south, and we were pointed N into the wall.

Any tips for achieving this? All I had figured out was that we would clip off before we cut the engines and start them up before unclipping, because a dead boat in this spot would ..not be pretty.

I'll upload a picture if I have one.

My cohorts thought I was being a weenie, but I just don't have the experience yet.
(they don't either)

The scope in this swell, this close to the rock wall would need to be perfect, it seemed.

We saw lots of whales....once three big tales all flipped in unison.

 

[ItsBruce]

I'm a bit unclear on your description, but 40 feet from an obsticle puts you real close to it unless you have both a bow and stern anchor/mooring. Remember the adage: "He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day." It applies to approaching lee shores.

Note, in a motorboat always keep the engines running until you are secured by an anchor or mooring or dock lines.

 

[DennisS]

Listen to that little voice in your head that says, what if.

 

[Tom Winters]

You're referring to the coastline between Portlock and Hanauma? I was able to anchor there some days and depend on the Molokai Express to keep the boat trimmed off parallel to the coastline. Most days though, there were swells rolling in so that was all live boating - I would time the swells, then motor in close off the cliffs, roll my divers and power back out to sea. After people surfaced, they had to swim out to the pickup zone in deep water. Worked liked a charm.

 

[OceanObsessed]

If you are trying to approach a cliff wihtout the waves pushing you into it then would it be possible to allow the swells to push you toward the cliff while you are manuevering your boat so that your bow stays facing into into the waves? This way you always have the forward thrust of the engine available to quickly power away from the cliff if you feel that you are getting too close. If you try this then be sure you don't let the boat get parallel to the waves. I am not familiar with your exact conditions but this approach may be my first option. If the swells are too big then they may not push you toward the cliff in a controlled manner like smaller waves would.

Also, is the pigtail going to be too big to fit on the bow cleat? Some of the pigtails over here require a large cleat so some people loop a dockline through the pigtail and then tie the dockline off to the cleat. Have an escape plan ready in case the tie off does not go as smooth as you like. Once you are tied off I would inspect that pigtail and mooring ball. Sometimes they can break loose .

 

[Cacia]

cliff while you are manuevering your boat so that your bow stays facing into into the waves? This way you always have the forward thrust of the engine available to quickly power away from the cliff if you feel that you are getting too close.

yes, I did not like the way the boat felt facing into the cliff. The swells were the loooong slow ones and all that power converging against a flat wall gives some chaotic backwash. Once I am trying to power out in reverse, in response to a swell, I felt I was not able to manuever as well. Turning the boat around would make fast motoring easier, it would seem.

Tom, that is right

between Portlock and Hanauma?

Sea Cave is a bit more than half way. It seemed the conditions very deceptive and the south swell was one of those that seemed to be building.

How fast can a swell materialize/ increase in say..an hour?

A captain/ Instructor did a private 1:1 class in our pool last night and he said he puts the diver in to freedive the bouy, bring up the pigtail, then motors in and throws him the bow line/carabiner and then imediately backs out, in reverse, adjusting the scope to keep off the rocks.

Also, having a guy in the water, under those conditions, was beyond what I felt good doing. I can always say "no"...but then it bugs me to figure out how/ IF it could be done next time.

I am thinking a south swell might be a contraindication. These swells are often camoflouged by the wind/ current surface stuff that is going on.

Another issue is that a cat, while they handle fantastic in a lot of conditions, that "following sea" situation, they do some weird things.

would inspect that pigtail and mooring ball. Sometimes they can break loose .

yea, that gives me some bad dreams. I usually look at it pretty good on the way down to the site now.

All I could think of yesterday was "I forgot my serrated bread knife!"

 

[Tom Winters]

On a boat as heavy as yours, I wouldn't trust any anchorage there, my own included, except on the five dead calm days per year that happen along that coast. Otherwise, you have to stick to a live boat. You can't power into the dive drop zone and let people fiddle with their gear either - they have to dive-dive-dive then and there, and the boat op has to get back offshore. If they miss the drop, don't drop them wrong or they're in the Molokai Express.
For recovering, a few times I used a long dragline that I would encircle the surfaced divers with, have them all grab on, and slowly tow them far enough offshore where it was safe to put the engines in neutral.
While you're doing all of this, you always have to watch the seas because those swells do nasty things sometimes when they close in to the shore cliffs. The Penguin Banks out there generate some of the worst coastal seas anywhere on the planet.
That coast is unreal for scooter diving.

 

[Cacia]

yea, they were all making me feel kind of bad about not doing it.

The North Shore of Molakai is pretty ninja too....when there is a north swell.

Only been up there on another boat.

The physics of a deep ocean swell up against a volcanic wall is pretty amazing...all that power coming in.

What are the conditions that make Penguin Shoals so treacherous? Converging currents?

Isn't there a Hammerhead schooling / siting spot there?

 

[Wildcard]

Clip on to the bouy back out and drop a tail hook just to make sure or visa versa Drop the bow anchor let out scope untill you can grab the bouy and clip it on the stern then tighten up the bow line to stay clear of the wall.

 

[Cacia]

here is the picture...Alex says the bouy is about 75-100 feet off the rocks.

Drop the bow anchor let out scope untill you can grab the bouy and clip it on the stern then tighten up the bow line to stay clear of the wall.

hmm...yea...need somebody who knows what they are doing.