Best way to dive Browning Pass ...

[Stoo]

And I will repeat Jody, that the information that I passed along was also told to me by John... not by the guests...

Regarding insurance, gear is generally covered under home policies, and when that is the only insurance in place, then the payment is subject to the deductibles associated with that policy but the amount (full vs depreciated cost) is likely to be whatever you contract the insurer to do and the premium you pay.

In my case, because my gear normally lives at my second home in Tobermory, it isn't really covered too well under my home insurance. As a result, I have it on a floater policy... with a premium of $2/$100 coverage, but there is no deductible and it's covered at replacement cost. Same deal with my camera insurance.

Needless to say, this is a discussion to have with your insurance broker.

 

[nadwidny]

I also think that those that stuffed their gear into the skiff without telling someone that they did that share some responsibility for what happened...

Are you saying that 4 people put gear on the skiff and John didn't know about it? Were they not on the trip?

 

[Stoo]

Are you saying that 4 people put gear on the skiff and John didn't know about it? Were they not on the trip?

My understanding is that they arrived late. The skiff had been loaded. John left to tend to other business. While he was away, the four showed up, and put their stuff in the skiff. Based on my experience, one of the crew would normally be overseeing that process if John wasn't there.

When we were there a few weeks ago, everything was packed very carefully and tied in. I suspect this "little detail" is watched pretty carefully these days...

 

[Jennifer A Titus]

i was one of the people who lost gear. i had insurance. all of us arrived and met at the quarterdeck for lunch before john's arrival. none of the guests touched any of the gear. all of it was loaded into the skiff by john's volunteers. what is being published is pure poppycock.

---------- Post added November 2nd, 2015 at 07:43 PM ----------

and saying this...i am over worrying and obsessing over lost gear. tish happens. i chalk this all up to a life lesson. i let my judgement get sloppy. i trusted someone to take care of my gear. the hideaway is great if you know exactly what you are getting into. i would recommend the hideaway to experienced divers who can trouble shoot any sort of problem in a remote location. i lost about 2000.00 (us dollars) in gear on my supposed "vacation". i did everything right....DAN insurance and home owners insurance. problem is....the incident cost be 2 k in gear and a week out of my life. the paperwork alone took a solid 2 days out of my life. do not even get me started on the expenses getting to and from the hideaway. i am done. proceed at your own risk.

---------- Post added November 3rd, 2015 at 09:31 AM ----------

i was insured and both insurance companies denied my claim. this was a horrible incident. at one point ALL OF MY GEAR was in hardy bay. i felt lucky to recover what i could. my insurance company still stuck me with a 2500.00 bill to replace my equipment. the only reason john knew the skiff was sinking is that one of the guests had been carefully watching the skiff. she alerted john to the problem. i feel thankful that the skiff did not take down the entire boat.
we as guests did everything right. john told us that he had no insurance and that we had to go through our homeowners. i guess this is pretty standard for the business. it was nice that john cut us a 500.00 check. everything helps. i figure that in life one wins some and one loses some. this was definitely a loss.

what is amazing is that the entire front cabin of the boat was filled to the gills with paper towels and toilet paper. excuse me? i think the proper place for such a load is on the skiff. why john did not load our items in the cabin is beyond me. bad planning. we had more than enough room on the main boat for our main gear. there were only 7 guests. our gear should have never been placed in the skiff.

we spent an afternoon recovering as much gear as possible from the icy waters of hardy bay. guess what? most of it fit on the boat. i also maintain that
a salvage operation should have been done at john's cost. he certainly has the resources to make such a move. there were 7 tanks, weights and regulators that are at the bottom of hardy bay.

anyhow....rant over.

 

[Stoo]

Hi Jennifer...

Thanks for the clarification and in setting us straight... I guess the only thing I would comment on at this point is I understand that where the gear sunk is about 300' deep, and that if the tide was running, it would be scattered all over the place. Any attempt at salvage would have likely cost far more than the gear was worth I suspect... and likely wouldn't have been successful anyway. On our most recent trip, John had a crew person sitting near the transom (across from me) and it was clear that he was there to keep an eye on the skiff. I think "procedures" are a little more tight following this incident~

I'm curious about your insurance claim... You mention in one line that both insurance companies denied your claim but then later you say that the insurance company still "stuck you" with a $2500 bill. Was this the deductible on your policy? Did they cover the rest of the cost? Were the two companies bickering over who's responsibility it was to pay?

The reason I ask is that the subject of the type of policy has come up in this thread. I think generally that gear insured under a regular homeowners policy is subject to more conditions... larger deductible, depreciated replacement cost etc. I have my stuff insured under a "rider" which has no deductible and is for replacement cost. I pay extra for this coverage, and the main reason I have this rider is because my gear is normally stored at my second home, and not really covered well at all under my homeowners policy there simply because we aren't normally there...

I am disappointed to hear of your loss though, and I am especially disappointed to learn that what I understood doesn't appear to be true.

Regardless, the lesson is that proper insurance is critical... And do your homework!

 

[JohnN]

Regardless, the lesson is that proper [-]insurance[/-] dive operator is critical... And do your homework!

There. Fixed it for you

 

[Jennifer A Titus]

yes. i am glad john has stepped up to the plate in terms of keeping an eye out for gear. lessons learned for all of us. i have DAN insurance and thought that this incident would be covered. unfortunately DAN does not cover gear lost "while in your care, custody or control". i argued with DAN that the gear was not "in my care ,custody or control". i got to to settle for a payment for half of the loss. better than nothing. crikey....diving is an expensive sport. i guess the thing to remember is that we have a choice as to whether we go underwater or not. there are always inherent risks and one has to get used to the fact that humans and water are not always compatible.

 

[alaskasharks]

Another option would be alaska. Check out alaskasharks.com

[video=vimeo;112431875]https://vimeo.com/112431875[/video]

 

[Stoo]

there are always inherent risks and one has to get used to the fact that humans and water are not always compatible.

True enough... When I was tossing together our little group last year, I really emphasized how important it was that everyone have DAN insurance, travel insurance AND equipment insurance. I was surprised at how many in the group didn't have their gear insured. Most assumed that it would be adequately insured under their home contents insurance, which may not be the case...