Jetski diving?

[AdamHorsman]

Hello. I'm in the market for a dive boat. For some time I've considered "Jetski" diving. Basically, purchasing a relatively powerful jetski (enough to hold 2-3 people) and constructing some sort of raft to be towed behind with the gear. Is this crazy? Have you seen/tried this?


Adam

[bwerb]

AdamHorsman once bubbled...
Is this crazy? Have you seen/tried this?


Yes :D: and No to your questions.

Why not just drop the funds on a small used boat. Much more practical. You should check out the thread where the Darwin's son on the new jetski buzzed figure 8's around the dive flag and the boat and got a flare-gun to the front fiberglass cowling for his amazing display of boating brilliance...then he got the major fine for his antics.

Seriously, I think a small boat would suit your purpose much better than a ski, especially for switching tanks and live boating.

Let us know what you do.

[SeaJay]

My thought process has been:

1. My favorite wrecks are 10-20 miles offshore.

2. Seeing them on a regular basis is a very expensive proposition. I've managed to negotiate $300 for a boat up to 4 passengers, but finding four people to dive with, believe it or not, has been difficult. That's why I built the website, and I still can't seem to fill a boat. Nobody can.

3. If I were to buy a boat capable of offshore cruising comfortably, I'm looking at a relatively large expense... The largest portion of which would probably be fuel. I'm looking at like $50 every time I went out. Of course, split between a couple of divers, that's nothing... But see #2 for the reason why that's not working.

4. If I were to split the charter with people, I'm looking at $75 per person... Close to what I'd be spending if I had the boat.

5. Small, fuel efficient boats aren't advisable offshore.

6. You can't easily sink a 'ski, and so they'll run in rough waters. Effectively, that's a small boat that can run offshore.

7. 'Skis are comparably very fuel efficient.

8. 'Skis are generally very fast, especially in smooth waters, building in a sort of safety margin that would be nice... The ability to outrun weather or get to help fast if someone got hurt.

...So why haven't I pursued this?

1. A good 'ski is nearly as much money as a good, solid, used boat. At least, one that I'd trust offshore.

2. Even the largest of 'skis are going to be full with one diver and gear... So I'd have to take two 'skis. So much for the savings!

3. Two 'skis would be needed offshore, anyway. Simply put, if you don't have a redundant engine offshore, then you need a redundant boat. Thus, two are needed. Again, so much for savings...

4. Towing gear in a sort of "trailer" could get really ugly in your average 4' seas. It would also slow the 'ski considerably.

5. No room whatsoever for surface interval or changing tanks, etc.

6. To "wreck" from a 'ski, I'd need to equip the machine with GPS (not hard... I have a handheld) and a depth finder, at the very least. Simply put, I don't know how well a depth finder would work on a 'ski.

7. Smallish fuel tanks mean that my range would be limited. I have not yet figured out if this would be an issue or not.

8. Jetski engines are generally less trustworthy than most boat motors, unless you're talking the new four stroke kind... And those are seriously pricey.

9. No protection whatsoever from the elements... Cold water, wind, sun.

10. While a 'ski might be able to handle average 4' seas all day long, it sure would beat me up. I think it'd be fun for the first hour... But then after that, I think it'd get pretty old.

11. Can't take friends... And certainly can't expand my buddy list.

12. Built-in safety margin of speed negated by the fact that getting an unconscious diver out of the water and onto a 'ski... Not to mention trying to keep them there while returning inland... Would be near impossible.

13. My favorite wrecks are between 50' and 100'... I don't know if I could seriously find a place to put 200'+ of line for the anchor.

Personally, I would love to dive from a 'ski, and the thought's crossed my mind many times. Unfortunately, I don't think it really would make for a very good dive platform... Especially since I can get a deep vee hull on a 21' boat that would fare a little better offshore... And provide a lot more flexibility in terms of buddies, gear, safety, etc.

...But then I'm back at the fact that it's gonna run me $50 every time for gas. Then, because it's a boat, I've got to have a place to keep it... Maintenance...

...So unfortunately, I'm stuck with the idea of a charter. Still. The problem with that, of course, is the fact that I've got to dive what they say to dive, and I can't do any proper exploration...

Help.

[SubMariner]

SUCK

They are the bane of the aquatic realm. I only wish I had access to stinger missles every time I saw one.

Just MHO, of course.

~SubMariner~

[Andrey Katkanov]

My thought process has been:

1. My favorite wrecks are 10-20 miles offshore.

2. Seeing them on a regular basis is a very expensive proposition. I've managed to negotiate $300 for a boat up to 4 passengers, but finding four people to dive with, believe it or not, has been difficult. That's why I built the website, and I still can't seem to fill a boat. Nobody can.

3. If I were to buy a boat capable of offshore cruising comfortably, I'm looking at a relatively large expense... The largest portion of which would probably be fuel. I'm looking at like $50 every time I went out. Of course, split between a couple of divers, that's nothing... But see #2 for the reason why that's not working.

4. If I were to split the charter with people, I'm looking at $75 per person... Close to what I'd be spending if I had the boat.

5. Small, fuel efficient boats aren't advisable offshore.

6. You can't easily sink a 'ski, and so they'll run in rough waters. Effectively, that's a small boat that can run offshore.

7. 'Skis are comparably very fuel efficient.

8. 'Skis are generally very fast, especially in smooth waters, building in a sort of safety margin that would be nice... The ability to outrun weather or get to help fast if someone got hurt.

...So why haven't I pursued this?

1. A good 'ski is nearly as much money as a good, solid, used boat. At least, one that I'd trust offshore.

2. Even the largest of 'skis are going to be full with one diver and gear... So I'd have to take two 'skis. So much for the savings!

3. Two 'skis would be needed offshore, anyway. Simply put, if you don't have a redundant engine offshore, then you need a redundant boat. Thus, two are needed. Again, so much for savings...

4. Towing gear in a sort of "trailer" could get really ugly in your average 4' seas. It would also slow the 'ski considerably.

5. No room whatsoever for surface interval or changing tanks, etc.

6. To "wreck" from a 'ski, I'd need to equip the machine with GPS (not hard... I have a handheld) and a depth finder, at the very least. Simply put, I don't know how well a depth finder would work on a 'ski.

7. Smallish fuel tanks mean that my range would be limited. I have not yet figured out if this would be an issue or not.

8. Jetski engines are generally less trustworthy than most boat motors, unless you're talking the new four stroke kind... And those are seriously pricey.

9. No protection whatsoever from the elements... Cold water, wind, sun.

10. While a 'ski might be able to handle average 4' seas all day long, it sure would beat me up. I think it'd be fun for the first hour... But then after that, I think it'd get pretty old.

11. Can't take friends... And certainly can't expand my buddy list.

12. Built-in safety margin of speed negated by the fact that getting an unconscious diver out of the water and onto a 'ski... Not to mention trying to keep them there while returning inland... Would be near impossible.

13. My favorite wrecks are between 50' and 100'... I don't know if I could seriously find a place to put 200'+ of line for the anchor.

Personally, I would love to dive from a 'ski, and the thought's crossed my mind many times. Unfortunately, I don't think it really would make for a very good dive platform... Especially since I can get a deep vee hull on a 21' boat that would fare a little better offshore... And provide a lot more flexibility in terms of buddies, gear, safety, etc.

...But then I'm back at the fact that it's gonna run me $50 every time for gas. Then, because it's a boat, I've got to have a place to keep it... Maintenance...

...So unfortunately, I'm stuck with the idea of a charter. Still. The problem with that, of course, is the fact that I've got to dive what they say to dive, and I can't do any proper exploration...

Help.
How about small minisubmarine with gas engine for run off shore and battery for dive?

[ShakaZulu]

http://www.makoinflatablesusa.com/gallery.html bottom of page............

[j_c_a]

As the owner of two PWC's I can tell you unequivably that they are not suitable dive platorms for a whole host of reasons.

First off is cost. Even w/ a larger ski you will need a minimum of one ski per person. This is easily more expensive than a servicable, used boat.

Secondly, the idea of towing an equipment raft won't work. If you've ever seen a raft being towed by a PWC you'd understand instantly. In any kind of seas, there's only a 50/50 chance of your raft arriving with the correct side up.

Third, a jetski is stable for what it's intended, but not in open water w/ multiple people. When you add more people to a jetski, the center of gravity becomes higher. With 2-3 people on a single ski it is surprisingly easy to flip one. Also, part of a PWC's stability is due to forward momentum. When they're moving at speed, they are very stable, but if they're not moving, once again, they are surprisingly unstable.

Finally, although PWC's are inherantly bouyant, that doesn't mean that they can't flip. Once flipped, water can get in the engine compartment and potentially prevent the ski from restarting. If you were crazy enough to go beyond the sight of land, that would leave you with no locomotion, no protection from the elements, and no basic safety equipment such as a marine radio (although you can get handheld radios). I routinely jump wakes and swells over 4', but jumping one when you control the timing is a much different story than being continually pounded by offshore seas. You'd be lucky to come out of it w/ both your kidneys where they're supposed to be.

Basically, taking any PWC beyond the sight of land, in even light seas is stupid. Someone mentioned above something about 4' seas; that would be suicidal.

[sb_diver]

Like some of the other people I don't think buying a jetski is a great idea as a dive platform for long distances. However, one time the state lifeguards at the beach had their jetski in the water while we were having an event at their beach. We were doing an underwater beach clean up and fish count at the state beach. They had one of those rescue boards/floats on the back of the seadoo. SO MUCH FUN! He towed us out to our dive site with 2 of us on the rescue board so we didn't have to do the surface swim. Just my experience. A small zodiac would be just as good, but I don't know the prices of those either.

Thomas

[getwet2]

SUCK

They are the bane of the aquatic realm. I only wish I had access to stinger missles every time I saw one.

Just MHO, of course.

~SubMariner~
Ditto

[fashionablylate]

SUCK

They are the bane of the aquatic realm. I only wish I had access to stinger missles every time I saw one.

Just MHO, of course.

~SubMariner~
BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!
That's hilarious. I was wondering where all the black market Stinger missiles were going.

[j_c_a]

With all this talk of stinger missles, I can see I'm going to need to invest in some ECM soon ;)

Seriously, I probably get even more PO'd than boaters do when I see someone on a PWC do something stupid. Unfortunately, that occurs way too often amd it's a bad reflection on those PWC riders who aren't idiots. I think it's the lower barrier to entry in buying one. People that have no business buying a boat can afford a PWC and because it looks small, figure they don't need to learn the rules of the water.

Anyway, I guess my reply is to let you know that there are at least a few of us on PWC's who aren't idiots and take water safety seriously. So, give us the benefit of the doubt until we do something stupid, then you can let loose w/ the stinger ;)

[NOVIZWHIZ]

My ski is set up for our dive team. It's great for snagging an errant diver and not have to worry about chewing him up with a prop (we have a backboard hanging off the stern) BUT it will hold three people and I would never try to get on / off it using scuba gear....very unstable - buy a boat.

[mntdiver]

SUCK

They are the bane of the aquatic realm. I only wish I had access to stinger missles every time I saw one.

Just MHO, of course.

~SubMariner~

Heat signature is too small... :m16: