Diver drifts 3 miles

[stu_in_fl]

Agreed, never been a problem for myself either.



I haven't seen sub-surface moorings since Lady Cyana

Thunderbolt in Marathon has the balls at 15 or 20 ft.

The middle ball on the Eagle is the same as well (as the first dive I ever did on it, the instructor accidentally took us up it !)

 

[Walter]

I haven't seen sub-surface moorings since Lady Cyana

I worked for Tavernier Dive Center from 1985 until 1992.

the instructor accidentally took us up it

Rookie mistake.

 

[crd_kats]

I think it is worth noting that the writier of the story did not say the diver went three miles in 45 minutes. He quoted Spenser Slate saying it. If it's wrong, it's Slate's [-]wrongness[/-] screw up, not the reporter's.

People are always so quick to kill the messenger.

Fixed that for you.

I dove Jupiter last weekend and was SHOCKED that the diver next to me, who claimed 20 years experience, did not have one. Then, he was too cheap to go into the store to buy one. A friend lent hers to him. Very nice of her but I would not have done that. With my luck, I'd end up needing the lent signalling tube. (Off topic, he was a horrid diver, he was "bicycling" vertically throughout both dives, stirring up sand. If he's been diving for 20 years, I think he made no dives between his initial Basic and last weekend!)

I see that you have never been misquoted by a reporter. Not saying that Slate was, but there's a damn good chance of it.

As I read someone say in another thread a few days ago, if you can't afford to lose gear, you shouldn't be diving. However, I did tell him to replace it if he lost it.

WOW! I was under the impression that the dive boats that go out of Jupiter make it REQUIRED that you have a sausage, at least the ones I have been on.

They do require it. The captain made sure my buddy had an SMB before allowing this other diver to borrow mine.

To Indian Valley Scuba, I'm surprised with some of your comments in this thread. There is a post of yours on page two I thanked because I felt that's maybe what you actually meant to say.. however, since your profile says you are from PA, I imagine you would have been a little more understanding of a non-local diver accidentally missing the granny line. In the last two months I've had 6 charter dives here in SE FL and have noticed neither the Captain or the DM watching divers to make sure they are ok directly before they descend. I think both the diver and the Charter (Captain and DM) screwed up here.

 

[scubadada]

For challenging dives, the predive briefing should be very good and the divers should follow it, exactly. This is particulary important when there are visitors, unaware of local practices, regardless of experience. I've been there many times and have learned a lot. I'm a much better and safer diver as a result.

Good diving, Craig

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

Gosh Crd Kats sorry if I offended or disappointed, but no, even though we are from PA, we really can't empathize with a diver who actually misses the line. Sorry. We dive the Keys a lot, in fact we are there this week, and of course we respect the conditions and observe the briefings, but again, ultimately the responsibility for being a safe and prudent diver lies with the diver, not the boat, captain or anyone else. Take responsibility for yourself and don't assume others are going to save you!

 

[Walter]

I imagine you would have been a little more understanding of a non-local diver accidentally missing the granny line. In the last two months I've had 6 charter dives here in SE FL and have noticed neither the Captain or the DM watching divers to make sure they are ok directly before they descend. I think both the diver and the Charter (Captain and DM) screwed up here.

It wouldn't have mattered in this case if they'd watched him or not. He did almost everything wrong on entry, including taking an action that would cause the crew to think he was correcting his mistake.

Jim did not grab the granny line when he went into the water an was immediately swept out of reach,

I hate that term. It is not a line for grannys, it is a line for everyone, including big strong men. The proper term is tag line.

He didn't grab the tag line. When diving in current the first thing a diver does is grab the tag line. If the current is really strong, divers should grab the tag line as they enter the water. He missed the tag line, his first screw up.

he was unable to swim against the current and drifted to the buoy behind the boat

He grabbed the current line. Exactly as he should have done. If the crew was watching him (I would have been in strong current) they would see the potential emergency was over. He is no longer drifting, he's now attached to the boat. He can now pull himself up the current line to the tag line and continue his dive. If the current is too strong, he can pull himself back to the boat and abort the dive. If the current is too strong for him to make it back to the boat, the crew can use the current line to pull him back to the boat.

and decended down it to reunite on the bottom,

His second screw up. If he couldn't swim against the current a minute ago, why does he think he can now swim against it? True, sometimes the current isn't as strong at depth, but often it is. I certainly wouldn't bet my life the current would be significantly weaker at depth. He did.

at some point he was blew off that buoy line and was drifting underwater not realizing how fast and where he was drifting.

His third screw up. He let go of the line in a strong current. His fourth screw up, he didn't immediately ascend to the surface.

When he did ascend, he did exactly as he should, he inflated his BC, dropped his weights and inflated his SMB.

While the crew may very well have made some mistakes (I wasn't there, so I don't know), the responsibility for him drifting to French Reef lies squarely with the diver, not the crew.

 

[Jax]

Just a great example of how one little "oops" can turn into a possibly dangers situation.

It 'sounds like' he had opportunities to fix the "oops", but thought he could overcome it. Pride, perhaps? Not wanting to immediately surface and let everyone know he 'oops'd by asking for help?

 

[Cave Diver]

It wouldn't have mattered in this case if they'd watched him or not. He did almost everything wrong on entry, including taking an action that would cause the crew to think he was correcting his mistake.

Where you there? Or are you basing this off the report given previously?

 

[fisheyeview]

I haven't seen sub-surface moorings since Lady Cyana

I used to crew for them, and made that tie in many times on the Eagle. Back when I used to crew for Divers Den I used to tie in to the Duane the same way. Usually not as easy on the Duane as on the Eagle. I have had a mask and a couple of fins ripped off in the current before while tieing in to the Duane.

 

[Jax]

I used to crew for them, and made that tie in many times on the Eagle. Back when I used to crew for Divers Den I used to tie in to the Duane the same way. Usually not as easy on the Duane as on the Eagle. I have had a mask and a couple of fins ripped off in the current before while tieing in to the Duane.

Wow! :shocked2: I feel so fortunate to have dived the Duane in the almost still conditions that I did!