Post-Conception Disaster: what you learned & will change

[BoltSnap]

Are you getting any ideas?

Yes, lots of them. I need to upgrade my truck.

 

[drrich2]

I have heard more than one person say, why drop more than a thousand on a LOB in cold water when I can go to Coz for X?

I've done both. Cozumel offers the option for a singularly great value Caribbean boat diving trip. That said, most repeat trip divers want to hit more than one destination, getting 4 dives/day at Cozumel wiped me out, and the easy 'work flow' of Caribbean live-aboard diving was easier. No need to go out and hunt up food (note: Coz. rocks on good food, not too expensive). No live-aboards serve Cozumel that I know of, so obviously 'the lands have it.'

Now, a cold water live-aboard in California? If you live close, no airfare, a big money saver. I don't, so my 5-day Vision trip still cost flight money. Why do that? Well, I was flying a long ways (from KY), wanted to cram in all the diving I could for what might be my once in a lifetime California dive trip, and I got to dive with kelp, garibalda, bat rays, a Pacific torpedo ray, California morays, bunch of star fish, California sea lions, a harbor seal snuck up and nudged my fin twice (priceless!), abalone, purple hydro coral...I loved it. No, I didn't like bundling up in a full wetsuit, hood and gloves...but I loved the diving.

My point: It's not either/or, and California diving is distinctive from the Caribbean, an extreme 'apples to oranges' comparison.

If you want the better Belize diving, at the outer atolls area, and you want a very simple 'turn-key' vacation with very little planning, and an easy dive day with good food and no roaming or drama, live-aboards rock. If you want to dive Wolf Island and Darwin's Arch in the Galapagos, or Cocos Island or the Socorros...live-aboards are your way. They also offer practical advantages diving the Turks & Caicos. In the Caymans, it's a much closer debate as to land vs. live-aboard.

I hopped on board and immediately started on the beer and welcome "punch" and Jerry's munchies, totally ignored the safety briefing - as did most everyone else. After all, I was on vacation in a nice floating hotel - about equivalent to Hampton Inns. And we all know hotels have that placard on the back of the door with instructions on how to get out that we all read and absorb.

Earlier in my diving, it was hard to me to listen (boat noise, etc...), assimilate and retain useful info. from dive briefings on day boats en route to the site (I'm a reader more so than a listener) - I was a bit overwhelmed with all the sensory stimuli, new situation, trying to make sure I had all my gear, trying to figure out when to start setting up, worried I might not remember how to set something up... My point: people earlier in their diving are likely more at risk to not gain and retain dive or safety briefing info., and lack a frame of reference for what they need to know. When all else fails and something hits the fan, follow the herd...

This is one time that a poll would have been useful.

Thought about that, but didn't want to risk turning it into a competition between viewpoints - 'You're paranoid,' 'No, you're complacent,' etc... I just want to see and learn from each other's perspectives, not pick a side.

Trust, but verify,

That's good stuff right there!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

No nefarious intent? They said screw the safety regulation of a roving watch - for years. They were lucky until they weren’t lucky. Textbook example of normalization of deviance. If the owner had no nefarious intentions, why are 34 people dead and why is the owner (maybe captain, too? Don’t remember) facing criminal charges?

I am astonished at your response and I suspect I’m not the only one.

...and if the fire never happened they would still be doing the same crap.

Just like PG&E ( the utility company in my area), they let trees and crap grow over lines and were supposed to fix and upgrade infrastructure as time went along. But instead they chose to stuff their pockets with the profits and shine on the necessities until it all burned down in 2017.

 

[NothingClever]

I've seen boats with empty O2 bottles but they show you the bottles making you believe they are full.

I wouldn’t be bashful about pointing that out and sharing my judgment of the crew’s readiness to operate. If you see something, say something.

 

[Ana]

I wouldn’t be bashful about pointing that out and sharing my judgment of the crew’s readiness to operate. If you see something, say something.

Yeah, people that know me has never used the term bashful about me. But after all my interactions with charters, and after saying something over and over, I decided to let my money do the talking.

 

[BoltSnap]

Yeah, people that know me has never used the term bashful about me.

I really always thought you were a shy person here.

 

[DiveProKoko]

I'm a homicide cop. I've been around death....A LOT. I've been a cop for over 21 years and pretty much don't trust anybody. I'm lied to every day. I've seen the worst of society, how cruel people can be to each other and the horrible things they'll do on purpose....and out of neglect. I live in a condition that affords the opportunity to react quickly to save my life and the lives of others. Having said that, me and my wife are booked on the Aggressor out of Turks and Caicos in December. I would never intentionally put my wife's life in danger, and I have been convinced that the T&C boat has their stuff together.

My point is, I've been trying to limit my exposure to threats since I was a young paratrooper and all the way through my career as a cop. and the experience of enjoying a liveaboard is worth the risk in my book. It doesn't mean I'm right and you're wrong, etc. It just means we have different risk tolerances. In staying on task with the OP, I ensured the boat has a night watch, a good safety plan and most importantly, a good crew. We have a saying: "In God we trust....everyone else we run through NCIC". Somebody else mentioned, "Trust but verify." Good advice! I also think it's a shame that accidents/incidents occurring deter people from having a great experience simply out of the incident's "notoriety." Often times an incident is talked about more because of the fact it is extremely rare. While it doesn't negate the tragedy, infrequency of an event is good thing to consider when weighing that risk. Safe diving, my friends!

 

[John Bantin]

After a lifetime of such experiences, I am embarrassed by the degree to which I was shocked, but I have to say I was more shocked by the Red Sea Aggressor experience that followed. Since it followed in the wake of the Conception tragedy, I would have thought they would have cared a little.

The Egyptian crew probably didn't even know about the Conception tragedy. Here in the UK, few divers have heard about it. Ahmed Fadel (whom I know) was unaware of it. He was the Aggressor manager at the time. Do many foreigners travel to California to dive?

 

[boulderjohn]

The Egyptian crew probably didn't even know about the Conception tragedy. Here in the UK, few divers have heard about it. Ahmed Fadel (whom I know) was unaware of it. He was the Aggressor manager at the time. Do many foreigners travel to California to dive?

In the thread related to it, this was discussed in detail. The passengers knew about the Conception and asked the crew about their policies. The crew stated emphatically that they were aware of it and assured the passengers they would be well protected.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Do many foreigners travel to California to dive?

No, it’s mostly locals or at least people from the western states.
California is not known as an international dive destination by any means.