Pro Diver sinks

[TN-Steve]

Dr. L,

Just curious, what would be the expenses for a dive like that, just in terms of gases and other consumables? Not even counting charter or running costs for a private boat.

I agree, at 400+ feet any electronics would be shot, and I imagine the warranty doesn't cover that

 

[Shaka Doug]

We still haven't heard any first hand accounts of this accident here on SB. I'm wondering if passengers lost personal items like wallets with ID, CC, $, etc. How did this boat sink so fast? What went wrong? How can it be prevented from happening again?

Like most bad news on Maui it is kept hush-hush so as not to upset the tranquil vibe of being in paradise. I'm glad no one was killed or seriously physically injured in this in incident but it is far from being over and done with for the owners of Pro Diver.


So what happens next? We read that the CG will be monitoring for oil and fuel... How long does that last? How exactly do they accomplish this? Aerial surveillance? Post a vessel at the wreck site? Wait for a passing boat to spot something and report in? I don't really get it I guess. Does anyone know more? A lot of us would like to know!

 

[Tunaman68]

My heart goes out to Paul and Matt who have taken us on great trips for many years and were part of a VERY nice operation. It's sad to hear, but really glad everyone is OK. Both those guys have families to take care of, and I will be hoping to hear some news of the recovery of the boat, but also where those guys end up working.

 

[Shaka Doug]

OK so this came up in conversation over a beer at the bar:

The dive boat is going to sink. Do you put on your SCUBA or your life jacket? A lot of divers would think "SCUBA"... Are they right or wrong? The captain would say "Life Jacket". Is he right or wrong? The Coast Guard would say "Life Jacket". Right or wrong?

When you fear for your life you will sometimes need to make decisions to save yourself. Sometimes others will disagree. Is this any time for an argument? Hmmmmmm..... I wonder how it went on Pro Diver that day?

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

We had the Albion (not a dive boat) go down off Monterey in about 185' a few years back. NOAA spent a good deal of money ($1M?) to recover the lubricating oil out of the two big diesels.

If I were on a dive boat that was sinking, I'd take, in order: exposure suit (on my body), PFD, dive gear (because there's good signaling stuff attached).

Chuck

 

[DiveMaven]

Friends of ours on another dive boat that day said they smelled fuel for at least an hour after the sinking. They also said they've never seen the Coast Guard out to monitor anything.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Dr. L,

Just curious, what would be the expenses for a dive like that, just in terms of gases and other consumables? Not even counting charter or running costs for a private boat.

Maybe $30 worth of O2 and hypoxic dil consumed by a CCR over a 4 hour dive, with all but 20 minutes of that being deco; given the low CO2 production and warm water, I doubt even a full revo scrubber worth of sorb, so 1.4kg gets used/dumped, which costs $15 (20kg keg is $200 out here). Bailout deco gas would be about $50, but that's generally laying around already. The really expensive thing would be an 80 of deep BO with somewhere around 60-70% helium…helium isn't cheap out here and that might cost as much as $100 to blend up. Then again, you're not using it (knock on wood) and can use it to make deep dil later on.

All in all, a lot ​ more reasonable than doing it on OC.

 

[DiveMaven]

I heard first hand that there was a loud noise and the boat started taking on water. I also read a comment on MauiNow that someone said they saw a video from a passenger on B&Bs boat of the sinking.

 

[Peter_C]

http://mauinow.com/2014/07/17/prodiver-maui-vessel-sinks-by-molokini-crater/#fbcomments

Dan I was the captain on B&B Scuba's boat that did the rescue. The boat took on water and sank in less than a minute in 470 feet of water outside of the crater. The captain and crew of ProDiver did an outstanding job of keeping all of the people safe and performing critical rescue operations "by the book"! It was an unfortunate accident that was handled in the absolute best possible manner resulting in no injuries or serious complications. The Coast Guard is conducting a thorough investigation at this time. So please, people, don't start criticizing and making assumptions unless you were there! This is a sad day but was handled in the best manner by a professional crew!
July 18, 2014 10:29 pm

Dave I was a diver aboard B&B's boat (the "KILIKINA II" that day and witnessed the entire thing. I second captain Dan's comments. Both the crew of the ProDiver and the crew of B&B's KILIKINA II did an outstanding job that day. The boat sank incredibly fast and the fast actions of these professionals prevented this from being a much more serious incident. My hat's off to these crews, they really know their stuff. And, by the way, Molokini is better than ever!!! July 19, 2014 2:52 am

It would be very interesting to me to know why a boat like that sank. A loud bang "could" have been from hitting a solid object, or it "could" have thrown a connecting rod threw the bottom. From that description of a loud bang, it doesn't sound like it had as much to do with the weather as it did with a mechanical failure creating a very large hole in the boat. I would assume it had some sizable bilge pumps onboard, so it had to be a very large hole, "probably" larger than the raw water intake. Once the deck was awash they were in big trouble since the seas were heavy. Sounds like the captain handled everything very well, getting a mayday call off, setting off an EPIRB, and of course making sure everyone had a PFD.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

OK so this came up in conversation over a beer at the bar:

The dive boat is going to sink. Do you put on your SCUBA or your life jacket? A lot of divers would think "SCUBA"... Are they right or wrong? The captain would say "Life Jacket". Is he right or wrong? The Coast Guard would say "Life Jacket". Right or wrong?

When you fear for your life you will sometimes need to make decisions to save yourself. Sometimes others will disagree. Is this any time for an argument? Hmmmmmm..... I wonder how it went on Pro Diver that day?

Life Jacket, hands down. That is assuming there is even time to pass them out.

A life jacket is designed to float you face up; a BC or wing is not. Life jackets are "International Orange" with reflective tape, making them MUCH more visible to searchers than the typical black BC or wing.

The "ideal" situation would be to still have your wetsuit and booties on, and grab a life jacket and your fins before hopping into the water. That way you would slow down hypothermia and be nice and floaty and visible while waiting for (hopefully) a prompt rescue.

My heart goes out to the operators of the Pro Diver. I hope they can bounce back from this.

Best wishes.