altaskier
Contributor
Here is what the dive boat looks like upside down, along with typical Lake Michigan hazards. (Thanks to Bill K. for the original photo). And by the way, the charter people did a great job getting everyone's gear back!
A Close Call (from jsonline)
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UnderSeaBumbleBee
Contributor
Glad everyone got home safely and got most of their gear back. Nice picture of the juvenile walleye jumping near the boat. 
cloudswinger
Contributor
Someone managed to keep his camera! Just wondering, was all the stuff labeled? I know most of mine is not currently labeled, so I'm working on that. I just read another dive boat capsized somewhere in N Florida, on the ocean, and most of the stuff was not recovered, you were lucky in that regard. We see lots of stuff on the beach, even saw a safe once, but nothing is ever labeled so no chance of finding owners.
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The problem with labeling is it's difficult to resell goods marked, but I mark everything. I got a paint marker pack at Walmart with various colors.
vondo
Contributor
That camera may have bobbed up, I don't know. Some stuff was labeled, lots of mine was not. We provided a very detailed list to the operator and they were able to tell who's gear was who's. A lot of the neoprene (hoods and gloves, basically) floated up and was recovered during the time we waited for the USCG.
vondo
Contributor
One complaint I see about incidents is that we never find out what happened. So I've decided to update this post. From what I can tell, the USCG investigated this incident and chose to take no action. I've decided to post what I wrote and provided to the USCG within three days of the incident. Only names have been redacted. I hope someone can draw a benefit from this.
------------------------------------
On 17 July, a friend and I took a charter on Diver’s Delight to dive two wrecks in the the Port Washington area. That trip was without incident, but since there were only two clients on the boat, we got to know the captain and first mate ([redacted]) somewhat. Looking back on that day, the impression I got was that they paid more attention to dive safety than to operating a vessel as safely as they could. Two cases in point: 1) The captain proudly showed off a mouth-blown horn on the boat that he said passed USCG muster as a signalling device because he didn’t want the hassle of putting a powered horn on the boat. 2) Lots of talk about how the USCG initially didn’t believe him that the boat would carry 19 divers.
On 27 August, our group of ten arrived at McKinley Marina in ones and twos. We were instructed to assemble our dive gear and pass it up to be secured to the dive bench in the center of the boat. This process generally involves attaching a BCD and regulators to a SCUBA tank, checking the air pressure and regulator connection, etc. In doing this, I forgot to place my weights (17 lbs) into the pockets on my BCD tank straps. They were placed, by the crew, on the floor of the boat right near my gear so I could do it later on the water.
We all signed standard PADI waivers acknowledging we knew the risks of SCUBA diving. I did not witness any diver being asked for a certification card. Some charters do this, some do not, some are inconsistent asking people they don’t know for a C-card, but not frequent customers. From our gear it was pretty obvious we were all experienced divers, but many of the clients were on their first trip with Diver’s Delight.
The captain mentioned that the conditions were good now but would worsen later in the day. No mention was made of canceling or altering the charter. We were scheduled to be back to port about noon to pick up tanks for our third dive and finally of the water at about 2:00 pm.
We were given a safety briefing (read from a clipboard) by the 2nd mate. This covered life jackets, oxygen, the EPIRB, exit and re-entry procedures, and other aspects of the boat.
When we were underway the ride was smooth until we got outside the harbor breakwater. At that point it started getting rough and it was mostly spray coming into the boat. Kind of what we expected. I believe the captain commented that the waves were bouncing off the breakwater and that’s what made it rough.
The ride out was longer than I expected considering that the charter puts in at the closest marina. We were underway for about 25 minutes, I would estimate. The ride was increasingly rough. I was lifted off my seat many times, could not see well from all the spray, and was sliding down the port side dive bench towards the aft of the boat. It was a struggle to keep my seat My recollection of the route we took is that we paralleled the shore for a while, then turned to head NE to put distance between us and the shore and then turned north again to follow the shore at a greater distance. At times during this part of the trip I could see [Diver A], who was sitting on the port side of the boat in the aft, sitting in a foot or two of water in the back of the boat. At one point someone, I believe it was [first mate], yelled to us that [Diver A] should stand up. Sitting between the console and the gunwale as he was was blocking the flow of water to the back of the boat. He stood up the rest of the trip out.
When we first arrived in the vicinity of the shipwreck, the captain slowed and began looking for the mooring. He yelled to [first mate] “We’re within 50 feet of it”. At this point, through several pitches of the boat, I managed to put my four weights into my BCD pockets. The first time we were in the area, the captain was certain we were in the right area, but no one could see a mooring. I didn’t think anything of this because moorings are often just a rope floating at the surface with a float a little below the surface. After looking for some time and taking waves over the gunwales, the captain said “I gotta get the water out of the boat” and began maneuvering at a higher speed, circling around where he thought the mooring was.
On the second pass trying to find the mooring, we found it, a large white ball. We came close to tying into it, but the captain again said “I gotta get the water out of the boat” and broke off for another pass. During this time, if anything, the amount of water in the boat was increasing.
On the third pass, [first mate] and the 2nd mate hooked the buoy and tied the boat into it. There was still a lot of water in the boat with more coming in. The captain was obviously displeased that the short line attaching us to the buoy was not pulling tight. He said something to the effect that the wind and current were canceling each other. At about this point the boat started to list to one side and then the other. I think the captain gave commands two different times for the passengers to move from one side of the boat to the other. During one of these times, [Diver B] climbed over the tank racks to get from the starboard side to the port side.
Shortly thereafter I found myself standing in a boat full of water listing to port so far the gunwale was under the surface of the lake. At that point I jumped into the lake. Immediately after the boat went completely sideways and everyone came out. Then the boat capsized going completely upside down.
We all started looking around trying to account for everyone. The captain got up on the overturned boat and quickly counted heads and asked if everyone was all right. All were, no one was injured or missing. I was close to [Diver B] who looked frightened but not panicked.
Most of the other divers swam for the boat to join the captain on top. I was not comfortable being close to the boat again, so I grabbed onto a life ring that had popped up near me. After everyone was on the boat, [first mate] swam around gathering up the flotsam, mostly neoprene from the divers. I moved around with my life ring collecting a few things as well. At first the rope on the ring was snagged on the boat, later it came undone and [Diver C] tied it off to an engine mount. My position was always to what used to be the starboard side of the boat and near the stern.
Shortly after the flotsam began floating up, I saw the EPIRB floating in the water. I swam with the life ring to retrieve it and bring it back to the boat and the captain. It was shortly after this that I saw him with the EPIRB in his hands and talking on a cell phone. I mistakenly assumed he had stowed the cell phone inside the EPIRB container.
Everyone was in good spirits since the skies were sunny and the water was warm. We knew the USCG was on the way. Lots of us were joking with each other trying to keep our spirits up about how this was a day we’d never forget. [First mate] kept picking up flotsam including a few things that were floating under the boat. He also retrieved a life jacket for anyone who wanted one (about three people). We all had buoyancy from our wet or dry suits and were accustomed to being in the water.
The waves were such that people did get washed off the boat hull when it pitched but they were quickly helped back on by others.
At one point another round of attempts to make phone calls was made. The captain's phone was dead. [First mate] retrieved a dry bag floating beneath the boat that contained the [Diver B]'s cell phone, but it also was dead. At this point I began to worry that no help was coming and that no real contact was made before. Since I was floating away from the boat on the ring, I couldn’t really get an answer if we’d sucessfully contacted help before.
At some point, the captain decided he wanted to try to “flip the boat.” He told anyone that didn’t want to help to get back into the water. I moved closer to the boat to try to convince the captain to give me the EPIRB before they flipped it, but he refused saying “It keeps turning off” About half the group finally got into the water at various places well away from the boat while the remaining half put their weight on the port side of the upturned hull. They made no visible progress. Personally I thought this was a crazy idea as someone could get hurt and the waves were likely to fill the boat with water anyhow. Even the captain said the engines would not start anyhow. And, this visibly upset a number of the passengers, [Diver B], [Diver D], and myself. We were all out near “my” life ring watching this.
After the failed attempt to flip the boat, people again got back on the top of the boat. [Diver E] stayed with me and [Diver F] took photographs from the bow region.
Then the Coast Guard arrived. [Diver E], I, and [first mate] were pulled out by a small auxiliary boat while the rest were pulled out by the larger boat. [first mate] was trying to get transferred to the other boat to be with his father to begin arranging salvage operations because he felt the boat was a navigation hazard. He also assured us they would be back out ASAP to recover lost scuba gear.
Back on shore, after our statements to the police, USCG, and a more extended interview with [USCG] Commander Farrell, [Diver E] and I were the only ones left. We were waiting for [Diver E]’s wife who was driving up from IL. [Captain and first mate] returned, having gone out on the Len Der to tow the boat back in, but we learned they had failed to reach her because of the seas. I was sitting in the sun and the captain came to talk to me. He said “sorry about that” and also talked to me a bit about the EPIRB saying he didn’t want to put one on the boat because they were so expensive ($2400, I think). But now he was glad he did. He also explained to me that the EPIRB was turning off during the incident because he was tipping it over, but he didn’t know until after the incident (and being informed by the USCG) that it worked that way.
---------- Post added July 27th, 2014 at 02:15 PM ----------
And now a quick update about what has happened since. One of the divers on this charter actually had a fractured leg. I presume this was from the very rough ride out and the awkward seating position on the boat (my account doesn't really do that part justice). I believe that person has sought legal representation. Attempts were made to get insurance information from the operator so those with losses (a few people had losses of $1000-$1500) could recoup damages. We were repeatedly told they had no insurance to cover "acts of God" and the operator refused to provide any such information or renumeration.
This operation is still running. I have heard the boat is back in the water. The only other time I've seen the captain/owner on Lake Michigan he was captaining a different boat, so it's possible the boat that capsized is relegated to operating on inland waters. From the grapevine, the captain is telling a very different story about what happened that day involving a rogue wave and passengers who caused an uneven weight distribution.
I've lost touch with a few of the divers we had out that day, but of the ones I know, everyone is still actively diving and diving the Great Lakes. Presumably, like me, with more caution and more of a sense of shared responsibility.
------------------------------------
On 17 July, a friend and I took a charter on Diver’s Delight to dive two wrecks in the the Port Washington area. That trip was without incident, but since there were only two clients on the boat, we got to know the captain and first mate ([redacted]) somewhat. Looking back on that day, the impression I got was that they paid more attention to dive safety than to operating a vessel as safely as they could. Two cases in point: 1) The captain proudly showed off a mouth-blown horn on the boat that he said passed USCG muster as a signalling device because he didn’t want the hassle of putting a powered horn on the boat. 2) Lots of talk about how the USCG initially didn’t believe him that the boat would carry 19 divers.
On 27 August, our group of ten arrived at McKinley Marina in ones and twos. We were instructed to assemble our dive gear and pass it up to be secured to the dive bench in the center of the boat. This process generally involves attaching a BCD and regulators to a SCUBA tank, checking the air pressure and regulator connection, etc. In doing this, I forgot to place my weights (17 lbs) into the pockets on my BCD tank straps. They were placed, by the crew, on the floor of the boat right near my gear so I could do it later on the water.
We all signed standard PADI waivers acknowledging we knew the risks of SCUBA diving. I did not witness any diver being asked for a certification card. Some charters do this, some do not, some are inconsistent asking people they don’t know for a C-card, but not frequent customers. From our gear it was pretty obvious we were all experienced divers, but many of the clients were on their first trip with Diver’s Delight.
The captain mentioned that the conditions were good now but would worsen later in the day. No mention was made of canceling or altering the charter. We were scheduled to be back to port about noon to pick up tanks for our third dive and finally of the water at about 2:00 pm.
We were given a safety briefing (read from a clipboard) by the 2nd mate. This covered life jackets, oxygen, the EPIRB, exit and re-entry procedures, and other aspects of the boat.
When we were underway the ride was smooth until we got outside the harbor breakwater. At that point it started getting rough and it was mostly spray coming into the boat. Kind of what we expected. I believe the captain commented that the waves were bouncing off the breakwater and that’s what made it rough.
The ride out was longer than I expected considering that the charter puts in at the closest marina. We were underway for about 25 minutes, I would estimate. The ride was increasingly rough. I was lifted off my seat many times, could not see well from all the spray, and was sliding down the port side dive bench towards the aft of the boat. It was a struggle to keep my seat My recollection of the route we took is that we paralleled the shore for a while, then turned to head NE to put distance between us and the shore and then turned north again to follow the shore at a greater distance. At times during this part of the trip I could see [Diver A], who was sitting on the port side of the boat in the aft, sitting in a foot or two of water in the back of the boat. At one point someone, I believe it was [first mate], yelled to us that [Diver A] should stand up. Sitting between the console and the gunwale as he was was blocking the flow of water to the back of the boat. He stood up the rest of the trip out.
When we first arrived in the vicinity of the shipwreck, the captain slowed and began looking for the mooring. He yelled to [first mate] “We’re within 50 feet of it”. At this point, through several pitches of the boat, I managed to put my four weights into my BCD pockets. The first time we were in the area, the captain was certain we were in the right area, but no one could see a mooring. I didn’t think anything of this because moorings are often just a rope floating at the surface with a float a little below the surface. After looking for some time and taking waves over the gunwales, the captain said “I gotta get the water out of the boat” and began maneuvering at a higher speed, circling around where he thought the mooring was.
On the second pass trying to find the mooring, we found it, a large white ball. We came close to tying into it, but the captain again said “I gotta get the water out of the boat” and broke off for another pass. During this time, if anything, the amount of water in the boat was increasing.
On the third pass, [first mate] and the 2nd mate hooked the buoy and tied the boat into it. There was still a lot of water in the boat with more coming in. The captain was obviously displeased that the short line attaching us to the buoy was not pulling tight. He said something to the effect that the wind and current were canceling each other. At about this point the boat started to list to one side and then the other. I think the captain gave commands two different times for the passengers to move from one side of the boat to the other. During one of these times, [Diver B] climbed over the tank racks to get from the starboard side to the port side.
Shortly thereafter I found myself standing in a boat full of water listing to port so far the gunwale was under the surface of the lake. At that point I jumped into the lake. Immediately after the boat went completely sideways and everyone came out. Then the boat capsized going completely upside down.
We all started looking around trying to account for everyone. The captain got up on the overturned boat and quickly counted heads and asked if everyone was all right. All were, no one was injured or missing. I was close to [Diver B] who looked frightened but not panicked.
Most of the other divers swam for the boat to join the captain on top. I was not comfortable being close to the boat again, so I grabbed onto a life ring that had popped up near me. After everyone was on the boat, [first mate] swam around gathering up the flotsam, mostly neoprene from the divers. I moved around with my life ring collecting a few things as well. At first the rope on the ring was snagged on the boat, later it came undone and [Diver C] tied it off to an engine mount. My position was always to what used to be the starboard side of the boat and near the stern.
Shortly after the flotsam began floating up, I saw the EPIRB floating in the water. I swam with the life ring to retrieve it and bring it back to the boat and the captain. It was shortly after this that I saw him with the EPIRB in his hands and talking on a cell phone. I mistakenly assumed he had stowed the cell phone inside the EPIRB container.
Everyone was in good spirits since the skies were sunny and the water was warm. We knew the USCG was on the way. Lots of us were joking with each other trying to keep our spirits up about how this was a day we’d never forget. [First mate] kept picking up flotsam including a few things that were floating under the boat. He also retrieved a life jacket for anyone who wanted one (about three people). We all had buoyancy from our wet or dry suits and were accustomed to being in the water.
The waves were such that people did get washed off the boat hull when it pitched but they were quickly helped back on by others.
At one point another round of attempts to make phone calls was made. The captain's phone was dead. [First mate] retrieved a dry bag floating beneath the boat that contained the [Diver B]'s cell phone, but it also was dead. At this point I began to worry that no help was coming and that no real contact was made before. Since I was floating away from the boat on the ring, I couldn’t really get an answer if we’d sucessfully contacted help before.
At some point, the captain decided he wanted to try to “flip the boat.” He told anyone that didn’t want to help to get back into the water. I moved closer to the boat to try to convince the captain to give me the EPIRB before they flipped it, but he refused saying “It keeps turning off” About half the group finally got into the water at various places well away from the boat while the remaining half put their weight on the port side of the upturned hull. They made no visible progress. Personally I thought this was a crazy idea as someone could get hurt and the waves were likely to fill the boat with water anyhow. Even the captain said the engines would not start anyhow. And, this visibly upset a number of the passengers, [Diver B], [Diver D], and myself. We were all out near “my” life ring watching this.
After the failed attempt to flip the boat, people again got back on the top of the boat. [Diver E] stayed with me and [Diver F] took photographs from the bow region.
Then the Coast Guard arrived. [Diver E], I, and [first mate] were pulled out by a small auxiliary boat while the rest were pulled out by the larger boat. [first mate] was trying to get transferred to the other boat to be with his father to begin arranging salvage operations because he felt the boat was a navigation hazard. He also assured us they would be back out ASAP to recover lost scuba gear.
Back on shore, after our statements to the police, USCG, and a more extended interview with [USCG] Commander Farrell, [Diver E] and I were the only ones left. We were waiting for [Diver E]’s wife who was driving up from IL. [Captain and first mate] returned, having gone out on the Len Der to tow the boat back in, but we learned they had failed to reach her because of the seas. I was sitting in the sun and the captain came to talk to me. He said “sorry about that” and also talked to me a bit about the EPIRB saying he didn’t want to put one on the boat because they were so expensive ($2400, I think). But now he was glad he did. He also explained to me that the EPIRB was turning off during the incident because he was tipping it over, but he didn’t know until after the incident (and being informed by the USCG) that it worked that way.
---------- Post added July 27th, 2014 at 02:15 PM ----------
And now a quick update about what has happened since. One of the divers on this charter actually had a fractured leg. I presume this was from the very rough ride out and the awkward seating position on the boat (my account doesn't really do that part justice). I believe that person has sought legal representation. Attempts were made to get insurance information from the operator so those with losses (a few people had losses of $1000-$1500) could recoup damages. We were repeatedly told they had no insurance to cover "acts of God" and the operator refused to provide any such information or renumeration.
This operation is still running. I have heard the boat is back in the water. The only other time I've seen the captain/owner on Lake Michigan he was captaining a different boat, so it's possible the boat that capsized is relegated to operating on inland waters. From the grapevine, the captain is telling a very different story about what happened that day involving a rogue wave and passengers who caused an uneven weight distribution.
I've lost touch with a few of the divers we had out that day, but of the ones I know, everyone is still actively diving and diving the Great Lakes. Presumably, like me, with more caution and more of a sense of shared responsibility.
Last edited:
uwxplorer
Contributor
Glad you guys made it and sorry to hear about the broken leg of one of the passenger. Thanks for the update. Truly eye opening...
Thanks for the update. One thing that many people may not realize (unless they've seen it) is that Lake Michigan is like the ocean... When I went to school in MI and stayed on Lake Michigan for a weekend, I was surprised at how much it looked and behaved like the ocean!
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