What to do when your dive boat sinks?

[Akimbo]

This thread covers most of the options: Diving and Seamanship

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I've been left at sea three times.

Once, I was wreck diving with two friends. We began taking on water rapidly and nearly capsized. The owner yelled, "We need to get weight off the boat." I slipped into my gear and went overboard with my buddy's fins. They got the boat started and figured they'd take it for a ride to keep it on plane and let the bilge pump work. I said I was going diving. I did a 115 ft dive on the Keystorm. Returned. No boat. Dropped back under and did a dive between 50 and 20 feet exploring the bow and the shoal. Surfaced. No boat. I clung to a buoy and signaled passing ships with a safety sausage for a couple hours. Thought someone would call the Coast Guard. After the third hour or so, a tour boat spotted me and changed direction from Singer Castle to pick me up. The captain kept blowing the horn to let me know they spotted me from 1.5 miles away. As the boat neared, I saw a small craft moving fast to overtake it. It turned out to be my friends. The motor had quit and they had drifted down river coming to rest on an island where they managed to repair it. Water had entered the motor. Once they got that sorted they came back for me and arrived just in time to ruin the stories the tourists would have about rescuing the diver. This happened at the end of the season. The tour boat was making its last run to the castle for the year. Other than the occasional passing freighter. No other traffic whatsoever.

 

[tcpip95]

I'm pretty anal when it comes to safety. I've mentioned here on the board before about my homemade dive canister that I keep my PLB and VHF radio in. It is strapped to my BCD on the back alongside the tank. It's going in the water with me first.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

LOL! After that incident. my buddy, one of them on board, bought a marine rescue GPS and phone.

 

[CuzzA]

A first world commercial vessel should have an EPIRB that automatically deploys. I would prefer a bright orange life jacket opposed to my black BCD.

 

[Kimela]

I think @Kimela means by grabbing her gear that she is using it as safety gear and as a tool...wetsuit for flotation and/or warmth, BC for flotation, fins if needed to swim a distance, mask and snorkel, etc....At least, that is how I am thinking.

Yes, thanks. This is what I meant. I wouldn't go looking for my camera or my drybag with iphone in it. I'd want my gear - fins, sausage and all - to help me stay safer longer. I like the idea of grabbing the rig and throwing it overboard (making sure there's air in the BC first) if there's not enough time to don it all.

Funny - have credit cards for a PADI wreck specialty! LOL!

 

[Wingy]

You likely would not have time to put your gear on.

 

[CuzzA]

The thing about a life jacket is it will float your face out of the water if you're unconscious or too tired to stay awake. My BCD won't do that.

 

[Dish]

From a passenger in the boat perspective, given the time, I would don all my exposure protection... it will help me afloat and keep me warm. Next, don a life jacket... it will also help me float and be a bit more obserable by SAR. More time, grab your mask and the snorkle you have stuffed in your dive bag, you’ll appreciate it if the seas are a bit rough. Then, grab your camera, because who doesn’t want to share photos of the “adventure”? Oh, and if possible, grab the water jug and take it with you.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

What to do when your dive boat sinks? Go diving, of course ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)