Divers rescued from Gulf

[boulderjohn]

Agreed, but I am not *convinced* that this boat wasn't *trying* to keep an out for where the divers were, either. Nothing I've read has given me the impression the boat wasn't looking for the divers before 40 minutes, just that they didn't call in the CG. I don't know what happened and I'm not willing to assume the worst without more information. That's all.

The article Frank quoted said, "The captain of the dive boat Reel Excursions contacted the Coast Guard on marine band VHF-16 after growing concerns that they were 40 minutes overdue and could not be found." It sounds to me as if they were looking for a while and then decided to to call the coast guard. I guess 40 minutes is too much time, but it's not like they did not realize they were missing for 40 minutes.

Sometimes divers just show up late. After a dive on a very shallow site in Key Largo, the roll call revealed two divers were missing. We all packed our bags and scanned the sea carefully for signs of divers or bubbles. It was more than 20 minutes after roll call before bubbles were spotted. The DM swam out to them on the surface, free dived down, and signaled them to come back. Once on the boat, the captain asked why they had overstayed the dive time limit they had been given. They replied that they did not have any kind of timing device. They then cheerfully packed their gear, apparently completely oblivious to the angry stares of everyone else on the boat. If the DM had not made them come back, they clearly would have stayed longer.

 

[tursiops]

The article Frank quoted said, "The captain of the dive boat Reel Excursions contacted the Coast Guard on marine band VHF-16 after growing concerns that they were 40 minutes overdue and could not be found." It sounds to me as if they were looking for a while and then decided to to call the coast guard. I guess 40 minutes is too much time, but it's not like they did not realize they were missing for 40 minutes.

Sometimes divers just show up late. After a dive on a very shallow site in Key Largo, the roll call revealed two divers were missing. We all packed our bags and scanned the sea carefully for signs of divers or bubbles. It was more than 20 minutes after roll call before bubbles were spotted. The DM swam out to them on the surface, free dived down, and signaled them to come back. Once on the boat, the captain asked why they had overstayed the dive time limit they had been given. They replied that they did not have any kind of timing device. They then cheerfully packed their gear, apparently completely oblivious to the angry stares of everyone else on the boat. If the DM had not made them come back, they clearly would have stayed longer.

Those guys should not have been allowed to go in the water. A timing device and an SPG are mandatory.

 

[TSandM]

I've seen divers blow a maximum dive time by over 20 minutes . . . what's worse, we all knew them, and knew they were capable of doing this, so nobody was LOOKING for them. They came up when they were good and ready, but had there been a problem, they would have been down there 20 minutes before anybody thought to start a search. That's one of the reasons why, when the boat gives me a maximum time, I am ON THE SURFACE at that time, even if gas, deco and warmth would have allowed me to dive longer.

 

[boulderjohn]

That's one of the reasons why, when the boat gives me a maximum time, I am ON THE SURFACE at that time, even if gas, deco and warmth would have allowed me to dive longer.

I agree with emphasis.

On ScubaBoard, you read all sorts of posts about people who hate the "nanny state" of scuba and declare how they ignore the "stupid rules" of the dive operators. Not me. If I am on somebody's boat, somebody makes the rules, and I follow them because not doing so can create all sorts of problems.

---------- Post added June 29th, 2015 at 06:14 PM ----------

Those guys should not have been allowed to go in the water. A timing device and an SPG are mandatory.

No one checked before the dive, which is pretty typical of any dive operation I have seen. When they said they had no timing device, the captain, knowing that they were paying customers for an extended number of dives, said, "Well, we will remedy that situation tomorrow."

 

[descent]

Rescue Swimmers are awesome, and have saved the lives of more than one of my divers. Here's to you, Mr. Rescue Swimmer.

I had a friend who was a "Miss Rescue Swimmer".

She was not much more than five feet tall. More than three feet of blonde hair. Swam the 800 meters like a Mk 48 torpedo.

Graduated from USCG Rescue Swimmer School in the summer of 1992. Her first assignment (some claimed favoritism) was Nawiliwili, on Kaua'i.

Her first splash with her new crew was into forty foot surf during Iniki. Diamond hard, that one.

 

[redacted]

Those guys should not have been allowed to go in the water. A timing device and an SPG are mandatory.

Why? With an Al80 and a max depth of 25 ft, why do I need a timing device; even for a pair of planned dives?

 

[boulderjohn]

Why? With an Al80 and a max depth of 25 ft, why do I need a timing device; even for a pair of planned dives?

To get back on the boat in time.

Other than that, no reason.

 

[RJP]

Is that recreational diving? You have your divers give you a run time before the dive and hold them to it?

Yes sir.

---------- Post added June 29th, 2015 at 10:47 PM ----------

Do you have run time limits?

No sir.

 

[Mr. Black]

Why? With an Al80 and a max depth of 25 ft, why do I need a timing device; even for a pair of planned dives?

For starters so that you can be aware of your run-time and be back at the upline / ladder at the prearranged time +/1 3 mins.

 

[Peter69_56]

Is that recreational diving? You have your divers give you a run time before the dive and hold them to it? I've never seen that done. Individual run times can vary by 40 minutes easily depending on one's air consumption rate, activity, and depths. At our platforms we may have spearos drop to 80' and blow through a tank in 10 minutes fighting a fish or we may have photographers hovering at 30' and exceeding 60 minutes. Do you have run time limits?

I was out with Capt Beard this weekend (both days, I think this was Saturday) and we heard the CG side of comms but weren't getting anyone else. There was a stiff surface current down to 30' at our location but I don't think it was anywhere near 2 knots. You could swim against it for short periods, after all we managed to get a down line from the boat to the platform.

In our part of the world (on a well run dive boat) the DM performs the following functions for all divers (regardless of qualification) before they hit the water;

Checks the following on every diver;
Inflator working, dry suit inflator working, Occy working, reg working, sling tank reg working, tank air pressure not dropping (indicating closed valve), Expected run time, expected depth, start pressure.

Divers enter the water, longest run time first so all being well divers all come up with similar end times so divers are not waiting on the boat for ages for other divers with longer run times (planning).

Then on returning; remaining air pressure, max depth achieved, run time, signature.

That is what I ask of divers and expect to be asked of me.