Almost left at a Reef

[CA Diver]

Here is my dive report from Sunday April 24 while diving with Florida Keys Dive Center in Tavernier.

The trip was planned for two afternoon reef dives with about 12 to 14 divers on the boat. There were two divers doing OW dives one and two on the boat with an instructor. Thankfully the mother of one of these students is associated with a dive boat in North Carolina (more on this later).

During the predive briefing for the first dive the captain joked that we "had 60 minutes because if we were down longer than that he would not". My first dive was exactly 50 minutes and was uneventful.

During the second dive my assigned buddy and I navigated back to the boat after about 45 minutes. After 50 minutes he signaled he was going up to the boat, I watched him exit the water from directly below the boat. I Know I should have left the water with him, but I had a pony bottle and stayed within a 100' radius of the boat for an additional few minutes. I glanced up and noted that the current line was still in the water. A minute later I noticed the sound of the motor and saw that the boat had moved a short distance. I then ascended and noted that while the current line was still in the water , the ladders were both raised. After exiting the water I was told by the mother of the student that she and another non-diving woman on the boat had to tell the captain that there were still two yollow scuba pro fins in the water next to the boat. I do not believe there was a roll call before I returned to the boat and there was never one after I returned. I was in the water for 59 minutes.

I have been in situations where the boat was signalling to the remaining divers to surface. This usually consisted of banging on either the lafdder or the side of the boat. I understand the points that will be made that I should have exited with my buddy and I accept this criticism, but that is no excuse for the behavior of this crew. To move the boat and pull the ladder is both unprofessional and dangerous. In the current environment after the diver was left at the oil rig here in California it is unbelieveable that a dive operator would operate with 12 to 15 divers on board and not do a roll call and head count.

 

[Itote]

Spooky stuff Bro, glad ya made it out ok. Thats one dive outfit I'm gonna have to keep an eye on.
Chris

 

[jviehe]

I agree. There is no excuse for not doing a thorough roll call. Havnt we all seen Open Water by now? I would report this to PADI (if they are a PADI resort).

 

[FL_Chad]

Not right no matter how you look at it. thanks for the heads up.

 

[augie]

It's good that the others on the boat saw your fins and alerted the captain, but if it were me I'd be asking my buddy why he didn't let them know that you were still in the water.

Did anyone on the crew help you when you got on the boat? If so, shouldn't they have asked your buddy where his partner was? It certainly should have alerted them to the fact that there may have been someone left in the water.

From my experience a lot of the captains and crew in the keys are in a hurry to get back to shore, but there's no excuse for not calling roll.

 

[Tom Winters]

So between the captain and crew, they could not count to 14? I was looking at their website and saw their blurb for a new 46' Newton with room for 36 divers. How are they ever going to count that high?
I'd love to hear their excuse for this. CA Diver - from their point of view, they did have 93% of their clients onboard.
.. edit - name calling .. working there. I worked on dive boats for years as a captain or instructor - we never, ever started the engines until we had everyone accounted for.
I'm taking my kid down to the Keys for her birthday this month. I might have to stop off at this place and ask them about their diver-counting specialty courses.

 

[CBulla]

Reasons I really don't want to dive in the keys anymore keep showing up.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

During the second dive my assigned buddy and I navigated back to the boat after about 45 minutes. After 50 minutes he signaled he was going up to the boat, I watched him exit the water from directly below the boat. I Know I should have left the water with him, but I had a pony bottle and stayed within a 100' radius of the boat for an additional few minutes.

I wouldn't be so quick to throw the operation under the bus. You admitted you were part of the mistake. You should have stayed with your buddy and exited the water.

I get the impression you used your pony to extend your dive. This is why some operations do not allow pony bottles.

Yes, the operation made a mistake, but it was preventable by proper actions on your part.

TwoBit

 

[DennisS]

There is no blame on the diver when the boat miscounts.

It's simple--Do we have the same number of people going back as we did going out

and yes there is the possibility of someone from another boat getting aboard the wrong boat.

 

[Tom Winters]

I wouldn't be so quick to throw the operation under the bus. You admitted you were part of the mistake. You should have stayed with your buddy and exited the water.
I get the impression you used your pony to extend your dive. This is why some operations do not allow pony bottles.
Yes, the operation made a mistake, but it was preventable by proper actions on your part.

This sure is an eyeroller. You're trying to absolve an incompetent captain and crew for failing to make a head count? Proper actions on his part? So just cruising under the boat at the end of a dive is out now?
Unreal...