diving from an inflatable boat

[Thalassamania]

Getting back into the boat: Hang some lines with clips off the side. But a ring on your BC (if it does not have one) and on your belt. Clip off your tank and take it off. Clip off your belt and take it off. Let them hang. Enter the boat (and now I'm assuming a 16ft Zodiac or smaller) with either a fin assisted pull up onto the gunwale or (I'm not kidding, it is actually quite easy) holding the lines on the side of the boat whilst facing away with the back of your head against the boat, flip your feet up and over while hanging on, you will find yourself kneeling in the boat facing out after having done what is a very controlled back somersault.

We generally try to anchor and leave someone in the boat. When that is impossible, we still anchor, but we check the anchor carefully.

 

[ptyx]

...or (I'm not kidding, it is actually quite easy) holding the lines on the side of the boat whilst facing away with the back of your head against the boat, flip your feet up and over while hanging on, you will find yourself kneeling in the boat facing out after having done what is a very controlled back somersault.

I'm so trying that next time I'm on an inflatable!
I guess it's best done when you're the first one back in. The potential for fin slaps and other collateral damage seem quite high

 

[Thalassamania]

Not really, it happens real slow ... and we try to stay away from the middle part of the boat after boarding.

 

[diver 85]

I dove out of a 20 ft inflatable for years... love them.

We never had anyone to assist us.

Typical method was to hang attachment hooks off the boat for your gear.

Inflate the vest, remove and attach to the hook... make sure it is a very secure attachment.

Then, dip down, swim up (usually pulling on the lines on the top and flop onto the air chambers..turn sideways and you are on the boat.

Remove fins, pull gear into boat.

In several thousand dives, don't every remember anyone who could not do it once they got the timing.

similar to a kayak----then.....

 

[paulpost]

Hi, my questions are regarding the techniques and the best ways and safe to approach diving from an inflatable boat.
First is which is the best way to get back in the boat and second which is better or easier,
to anchor the boat and fight the current or to use the boat as a buoy for the dive flag and and let it float along with the current . .

Paul

Sorry for the confusion, what I meant was to attach the reel rope to the boat (12 feet long inflatable) and drift along if is possible and safe.

 

[Troutmaster]

holding the lines on the side of the boat whilst facing away with the back of your head against the boat, flip your feet up and over while hanging on, you will find yourself kneeling in the boat facing out after having done what is a very controlled back somersault.

I have no idea if your way is easier, but I am going to try it. I am sure at a minimum it looks REALLY cool. And it actually sounds like a easy way to get back in.

 

[Peter_C]

(I'm not kidding, it is actually quite easy) holding the lines on the side of the boat whilst facing away with the back of your head against the boat, flip your feet up and over while hanging on, you will find yourself kneeling in the boat facing out after having done what is a very controlled back somersault.

Are you doing that with or without fins on?

I just power up into the boat and wind up kneeling on the side and take my fins off. Of course that is after removal of weight belt, then BP/W.

No way would I ever dream of hooking a reel to my boat and letting it drag me along. Of course that would also be impossible at most of our dive locations in CA.

 

[gsk3]

There have been two DAN Lessons for Life in Scuba Magazine that come to mind here:
-One where they had a long swim back to shore after their boat sprung a small leak while they were diving (lesson: always leave someone on the boat)
-One where the person drowned after removing their B.C. because their weight belt dragged them under (lesson: always take your weight belt off first, then your B.C., and don't dive overweighted).

 

[Nemrod]

Is it like this?



Seriously, I dove from our Novurania Canucro, 14 footer for years. I have not used the boat other than as a party float for a long time since we have had three BWs along the way. But, I always anchored unless the dive was intended to be a drift (applicable to South Florida and parts of the Keys) in which case I removed the heavy anchor and used a small clevis anchor/grapple and then just carried the anchor. The small clevis anchor allowed me to set the anchor down for a moment, but only for a moment.

As to getting out, we geared up in the middle, sat on the sponsons and did a back flip. To get back in I installed two grab handles into the floor on the inside up close to the sponsons. I would reach over, grab the handles and then pull my self up and over in full gear and then reach over and grab my wife by the tank valve/reg and pull her in much the same way also in full gear. Of course, we don't wear all the junk some of you wear so that helps in that regard. A few times I would, if using a wing BC, remove it, and then climb aboard but I often either did not use a BC or used a horsecollar BC which if I removed the tank, bye, bye tank :0. It was just easier for me to shimmy aboard in full gear. Push-ups and pull-ups and being skinny helped. Today I might have to adjust my technique to account for, well, never matter.

N

 

[Thalassamania]

Are you doing that with or without fins on?

I just power up into the boat and wind up kneeling on the side and take my fins off. Of course that is after removal of weight belt, then BP/W.

No way would I ever dream of hooking a reel to my boat and letting it drag me along. Of course that would also be impossible at most of our dive locations in CA.

Fins are on, but it should work fine either way.

There have been two DAN Lessons for Life in Scuba Magazine that come to mind here:
-One where they had a long swim back to shore after their boat sprung a small leak while they were diving (lesson: always leave someone on the boat)
-One where the person drowned after removing their B.C. because their weight belt dragged them under (lesson: always take your weight belt off first, then your B.C., and don't dive overweighted).

The second lesson is, IMHO, wrong ... the lesson should be not to dive over-weighted.