Calling off the trip

[Tortuga James]

Using these 3 realities we decided to deal with the issue up front. .

Safe Diving,
Mike Ange
USCG Lic Master

Thanks Mike for that valuable wisdom. Your stated policy is not that far from what I established, but after review of my website, I went back and made it much clearer, with not much wiggle room.

My updated policy statement tortugacharters.net Policy

On a side note, I would like to thank you for the "lessons learned" and your book that have really helped me be a safer DM and Captain by helping me spot trouble coming.

 

[SkipperJohn]

Some people think you can read the marine weather by looking online at the weather for the town of Beaufort. I gave them a 30% chance of running before they left home and drove down and got a motel room. We all know that sometimes NOAA is spot on, and other times they totally miss it. I can basically tell by wind direction and speed at the dock what it is going to be like. Then it is just a matter of deciding the chances for it getting better or worse.

Reading the weather is an art form. Up here in the NE US I will cancel a trip if we have a 3 foot wave of any period and the wind is out of the NE. Period. The predominant currents up here run form the south and west. This makes for a sloppy confused sea. yet I have sailed on days with 14 footers predicted and measured (using my dept finder).
And... as far as getting an accurate report, well that's next to impossible. I will not consider myself ready for any off-shore trip unless I have reports form at least 3 different independent sources with NOAA being one of them. Then, after 35+ years on the water, I look at the sky, sniff the air and draw a conclusion. Still I get caught. (oh man do I have stories!)

 

[shawner1971]

It's been stated repeatedly but you are ultimately responsible for the lives of passengers and crew. The buck stops with you! If something where to happen these same divers they and or there families would be coming after you for restitution. We unfortunately live in a very litigious society. I know of a captain who got sued by a woman who got a really bad sun burn while on board his boat. Sounds crazy but the court awarded her damages. You have to think about you liability. Is there business really worth the potential cost. (Not just Financial) My point is you make the call based on the information you have. If you feel it’s not going to be safe or if there is even a question in your mind the trip does not even get started.