That is an excellent article but like so many it over complicates the issue and assumes there is going to be multiple groups of divers. Most small boats (sub 24 feet) used for diving are used by the owner and a buddy or wife or such, not a large team of a dozen divers. Modern navigation systems and sonars allow even the dimwitted to locate the best dive areas. GPS numbers are all over the net. Most of the anchor tackle is the same as used for bottom fishing. It really is not the big deal they make it out to be. As to leaving the boat, we do it all the time. Will continue to do so. Now, I am not going to head 50 miles offshore, anchor in the middle of nowhere all by myself and then dive, I cannot swim 50 miles anymore, but a few miles offshore, yes, in a heartbeat as long as conditions are suitable. Dive up current, come up your anchor or mooring line, keep your explorations close to your anchor, if possible keep it in sight. Run a tag line with a dive flag float on at least a 100 foot long floating line--a tag line. Fly the appropriate dive flags, have fun.
As to leaving a boat on anchor, there are other issues, a self bailing boat meant for use in big water will not sink, many boats are not self bailing. A bass boat is fine on a small freshwater lake but not in the Gulf twelve miles offshore. They do not self bail, they can sink, in other words, small boats are fine on big water as long as whatever small boat you have is equipped and designed for such use and operated with appropriate regard for the weather. It is most disturbing when green water rolls over my little boat. It is also quite possible, seen it once and heard tale of it several times, people manage to get out of a pass, the tides turn out, the waves stack up, now they cannot get back in, they try, they ground, the next wave washes over them and then the boat rolls over on top of them, capsizes. Big waves and passes can be dangerous.
Know the weather, know the area, know the navigation rules, if you know how to operate a boat then diving from it is a no brainier. If boating is new to you then give it a season to learn the ropes before adding diving to your agenda.
Two years ago, at Destin Pass, I and my wife headed out for a day of diving and fishing, my parents came along for the ride and as soon as we turned the corner I knew I did not like what I was seeing and what I was seeing was not the forecast I had pulled up on my laptop PC. I saw a wall of green water across the pass with breaking tops, nope, we will just stay in the bay or go shopping or something. As I surveyed the pass, thinking, a guy pulls up beside me in the same (brand) boat as mine and asks if I am headed out. I shook my head no, he laughs and says, you have a XXXXXXX, blah, blah, blah, I shook my head and waved him ahead. He blows out of the hole and gets to speed, slams into the wall of green water and disappears. Then we saw his XXXXXXX bob to the surface, they were still in it and it was still upright. Then he tried to turn around and got sideways, abeam, the standing sets of waves, he disappeared again, and then bobbed back to the top somehow free of the monster wall of water. He sorta put- put-ted back in, sitting awfully low as the water cleared his decks, suffice to say, he did not go out. I kinda like, not being a local, to observe the locals, when the guys in the 50 foot sport fishers are staying in, probably a good idea for the little guys in whatever ever little XXXX, YYYYY, NNNNNN, boat might have to pay attention to that fact, the locals are a very good weather vane. When they go out, I go out, I watch them, when they pull anchor and head in, I am leading the way. There is a reason they are all pulling up, count on it.
One of the most important things is not to damage the environment with your anchor, that is bad, bad, IMO.
Oh well, good luck with it.
N
