Anchor Almost Dropped on Head - What Would You Do?

[clownfishsydney]

Today we were diving Bare Island, a very popular dive site inside Botany Bay in the metropolitan area of Sydney. It is probably Australia's most popular shore dive, with some days hundreds of divers here. Today there were at least 100 over the time I was there. Botany Bay is also a very popular fishing and recreational boating location. My advice to divers here is to never surface if you lose your buddy as it is too dangerous and you are likely to be run over by a boat. See my web site page on Bare Island Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site.

Together with a few members of my independent club, we did a dive that takes us to 18 m (60 feet) for about 35 minutes and then we gradually head back shallower to exit back onto the island (which is connected to the mainland by a walking bridge). When we were about 13 metres (45 feet), we heard a boat go overhead. The spot was below the oil tanker and off to the right of the island in the photo on the above link. All of a sudden, an anchor came down and missed my wife by about two metres (6 feet). F#$k!

The anchor and chain started dragging over the sand and then the reef.

The driver must have been an idiot, as we had seven divers in the group near me and there were at least another five divers that I did not know within 20 metres of us. Therefore, there were a lot of bubbles going up and I know you can see where divers are very easily.

What would you have done? I will post later what I did, but I am interested to see what others would do if they encountered the same situation.

 

[JohnN]

Today we were diving Bare Island, a very popular dive site inside Botany Bay in the metropolitan area of Sydney. It is probably Australia's most popular shore dive, with some days hundreds of divers here. Today there were at least 100 over the time I was there. Botany Bay is also a very popular fishing and recreational boating location. My advice to divers here is to never surface if you lose your buddy as it is too dangerous and you are likely to be run over by a boat. See my web site page on Bare Island Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site.

Together with a few members of my independent club, we did a dive that takes us to 18 m (60 feet) for about 35 minutes and then we gradually head back shallower to exit back onto the island (which is connected to the mainland by a walking bridge). When we were about 13 metres (45 feet), we heard a boat go overhead. The spot was below the oil tanker and off to the right of the island in the photo on the above link. All of a sudden, an anchor came down and missed my wife by about two metres (6 feet). F#$k!

The anchor and chain started dragging over the sand and then the reef.

The driver must have been an idiot, as we had seven divers in the group near me and there were at least another five divers that I did not know within 20 metres of us. Therefore, there were a lot of bubbles going up and I know you can see where divers are very easily.

What would you have done? I will post later what I did, but I am interested to see what others would do if they encountered the same situation.

You were in a high traffic area and weren't dragging a float?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I had this happen to me once. I was diving at Catalina Island in calm waters with great visibility. While looking in a crack at one hundred feet I heard a boat overhead slowing to a stop. My bubbles were going straight up toward the boat. Suddenly their anchor and chain began plummeting through my bubbles. They had to have seen them. I had to swim quickly to avoid being hit by the anchor. I picked it up and jammed it into the rocks as far as I could get it, then continued my dive. Later, I thought that I should have motored over to them and asked if they needed a diver to free their fouled anchor...for a fee. Instead I left the area.

 

[sphyrnidus]

So you're a diver and look for bubble's. But the guy in the boat may not have been a diver and not aware of that, or he wasn't looking at all because it was his first day on this boat etc. There are lots of things I can think of that could cause this. Aside from diving I ride a motorcycle and you'd be surprised how many people don't see a bike, because it's not on their mind, so they don't look for it. Same kind of thing might have happened here.
It might help indeed to use a SMB if you're in a mooring area. But then again a non-diver might not know what that orange thingie is and come looking at it...

 

[supergaijin]

You were in a high traffic area and weren't dragging a float?

'Nuff said.

 

[mala]

a float wont stop a falling anchor.

Cave divers wear protective head gear.

 

[clownfishsydney]

It is not a mooring area.

It is impractical to tow a float due to the nature of the dive

In fact, in 3,550 dives all over the world I have never seen a person do this.

He should not have been anchoring in this area anyway due to the obvious number of divers entering the water near him.

 

[kwinter]

It is impractical to tow a float due to the nature of the dive

Bull****. The only thing I can possibly think of that would make towing a float impossible would be swim-throughs. Either avoid them, have someone swim around them, or tie off the marker at one end and then go back and retrieve it after you emerge. The swim through would provide cover from falling anchors.

There is no excuse for not alerting surface vehicles to your presence.

In fact, in 3,550 dives all over the world I have never seen a person do this.

I have no idea where you have been diving, but I suggest you try opening your eyes next time.

There is no excuse for not alerting surface vehicles to your presence.

He should not have been anchoring in this area anyway due to the obvious number of divers entering the water near him.

Ok, he is an idiot. Or rather, he is uninformed. But is it regulated and marked as a no-anchor zone? Or a no-fishing zone? Is it like Cozumel where the only boats allowed are dive boats that know what to look for? Or are you relying solely on someone who is not dive oriented to realize there are divers below based on bubbles? My biggest fear is not the anchor, although I did have one drop uncomfortably close to me once, with full permission of the mate on the dive boat I was diving from. But my biggest fear is that after the boat anchors, the yahoos on the boat start dropping in fishing lines.

Once again, there is no excuse for not alerting surface vehicles to your presence.



Please pardon any typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Why are you diving in a "very popular recreational boating" area with no flag?

 

[fsardone]

Ok,
I know it is hard to pull the float (been doing it often enough) but if you do not have it and somebody drop an anchor on you ... well it is not his fault it is yours. I am licensed for boat up to 24 mt in Italy and US and both countries (and most of the IALA ones for the matter) require both scubadivers and free divers to dive within 50 meters from an either international divers sign (Alpha flag which is blue and white with double pennants) or the widely recognized Red with white diagonal. This can be on a boat (support vessel) or on a float.
So next time have a support boat, pull a float or moor a float and stay within allowed distance.
Sorry but this time not boaters fault is divers fault. Even if you are not a licensed boat captain, if you dive you have to know the sea rules applying to you and follow them.
Live to dive another day ....
By the way, I am not sure that towing a float would have made a difference.

Cheers

Fabio