Divers lose boat, no pilot left aboard - Florida

[Belzelbub]

I didn't have a windlass on my last boat. My buddy called me freakishly strong as I muscled the ground tackle aboard after each dive.

I was pleased to find one installed on my boat when I bought it. I don't foresee myself owning a boat without one anytime soon. I still have memory of hauling the anchor on my Dad's boat. His still does not have one.

This summer, we took my boat down to the Keys. A friend rented a boat down there. When we were pulling anchor, my daughter sat up front and operated the switches to pull the anchor while I was at the helm. We chuckled a bit as my friend's twin boys (same age as my daughter) were manually pulling the anchor.

Good point. I knew there must be a reason such a simple solution hadn't been created.

Give it time. Tesla is releasing a "truck." That truck must be needed to haul a Tesla boat. Both will probably come with "Summon."

 

[MaxBottomtime]

After a few years of armstronging the anchor, I finally wised up and put a liftbag on it. At the end of our dives, we would put just enough air in the bag to lift the anchor a few feet off the bottom. The chain still held the boat in place. Once back on the boat, I would pull for a minute or so until the anchor began to rise on its own. The rest was easy. My current boat has a nice windlass, which is even nicer.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

After a few years of armstronging the anchor, I finally wised up and put a liftbag on it. At the end of our dives, we would put just enough air in the bag to lift the anchor a few feet off the bottom. The chain still held the boat in place. Once back on the boat, I would pull for a minute or so until the anchor began to rise on its own. The rest was easy. My current boat has a nice windlass, which is even nicer.

To be fair, a drifting vessel it isn't always the skippers fault.

I was on a commercial job today, replacing mooring riser chains. Procedure was: descend and attach job line to ground chain. Surface lower new riser, shackle new riser to ground chain, release old riser (informing topside of each step). The dive supervisor told us to be careful in the zero viz as, the previous week, the duty diver had carried out each step as required. It was only when the standby noticed an unmanned vessel drifting away that they realised that the "dope on a rope" had undone the wrong chain. Whoops!

 

[Belzelbub]

After a few years of armstronging the anchor, I finally wised up and put a liftbag on it. At the end of our dives, we would put just enough air in the bag to lift the anchor a few feet off the bottom. The chain still held the boat in place. Once back on the boat, I would pull for a minute or so until the anchor began to rise on its own. The rest was easy. My current boat has a nice windlass, which is even nicer.

So, you'd do that while still on the bottom? Depending on current and wind, I'd imagine the boat would start drifting as soon as the anchor was off the bottom. Unless, of course you have an inordinate amount of chain. I have about 30 feet of chain for a 25 foot boat, so can't see that working.

For those I know without a windlass on their boat, most use a buoy to float the anchor. Floating buoy is on a large ring, which is clipped around the anchor line when ready to retrieve. Boat operator then drives past the anchor. The buoy is forced down the anchor line due to the speed of the boat. When it reaches the anchor, it will bring the anchor to the surface. Then, the anchor bitch just has to pull everything in. Much easier than pulling up straight from the bottom. Still much harder than flicking a switch on the windlass.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

California diving is different than Florida. For the most part, we never have to dive in current. We don't have a Gulf Stream here. I also don't dive when it's windy. We do get wind here, but we make sure we're either on our way back to the marina or already home before the wind comes up.

I had sixty feet of chain on my last boat, a 22 footer. I now have 416 feet of chain on my current boat, a 25 footer. I got tired of re-splicing my rode every year.

 

[CuzzA]

Not to mention the complete waste of time( money ) Coastguard spent assisting on a badly run dive . You can get charged for that over here. K

She requested to pull anchor and go pick the other two up, the CG ordered her to stay put.

 

[tarponchik]

For stupid divers like these, they should be charged.

Coast Guard shoud get the grouper.

 

[tarponchik]

Did she swim in full gear or she'd left her BCD with her friends?

 

[DandyDon]

Did she swim in full gear or she'd left her BCD with her friends?

I haven't seen that explained. I'd bet she swam without her BC for speed, as risky as that is. Then her friends failed to stay together. I carry a buddy line just in case. Only used it once, but if I were drifting with someone else, we would be tied together. I'm usually the only one with a PLB, so that would be to the other diver's benefit.

 

[Khrissi]

She requested to pull anchor and go pick the other two up, the CG ordered her to stay put.

I think she misheard him - he meant ' stay put , in bed.'

My day job is tree faller, dangerous job & dangerous hobby in scuba . People do make mistakes- the skill is realising. If these guys were on my site they would have been kicked off the job. Is my two bobs worth.

Scuba doesn't need more accidents, cos that ends up as more regulations. K