Bad experience on my first dive with strong current

[scubadada]

I don't disagree with you, but If the divers on board are not skilled enough to make the dive safely and easily in the existing conditions, then it is the dive boat operator's responsibility to take them to another site better suited to their experience level.

Most operators dive from a moored buoy, sometimes from a hot drop to a ball, that works for the majority of divers to this location. Get over it, it's not SE FL. We dive like we do at home . You should try the Duane sometime, great dive.

 

[Photo Girl]

Most operators dive from a moored buoy, sometimes from a hot drop to a ball, that works for the majority of divers to this location. Get over it, it's not SE FL. We dive like we do at home .

I wonder if the operator was too lazy to pick everybody up.

 

[JackD342]

I don't disagree with you, but If the divers on board are not skilled enough to make the dive safely and easily in the existing conditions, then it is the dive boat operator's responsibility to take them to another site better suited to their experience level.

@Photo Girl
Correct me if I am wrong, but I read your post #31 as suggesting a hot drop would have been easier than mooring the boat. Then some other folk chimed in to explain why they do not believe that to be the case. So doing a different dive when the hard way on this dive is problematic, with the more real possibility of getting scattered over the ocean, is not most folks first choice.

I have done that dive in ripping currents, and wholeheartedly agree with choosing to fight the current on the line over dropping in and hoping/praying I have timed it just right to land somewhere on the top of the deck, 100 feet down. So hopefully the OP is learning something here about techniques and options to gain more experience, rather than learning to stay out of the water.

If you haven't ever done Key Largo, there are not a lot of other choices to fall back on. The Duane, the Bibb, and Spiegel Grove can all be subject to the same challenging conditions. Signing up for one of those and being brought to the Benwood instead will not generate repeat customers. But it would generate some highly negative screeds here on SB!!

 

[Photo Girl]

@Photo Girl
Correct me if I am wrong, but I read your post #31 as suggesting a hot drop would have been easier than mooring the boat.

Like I said in my first post I have never dived the Duane, so I am certainly not in any position to criticize. I was just wondering why the boat captain chose anchoring in those conditions.

If you haven't ever done Key Largo, there are not a lot of other choices to fall back on. The Duane, the Bibb, and Spiegel Grove can all be subject to the same challenging conditions. Signing up for one of those and being brought to the Benwood instead will not generate repeat customers.

I have made many dives around Key Largo, but not on those wrecks. And I get it that customers expecting to dive a deep wreck will not be happy if detoured to another site. But the fact remains that the OP had a very bad experience that could have easily turned into a dangerous situation. Perhaps the dive operator should have taken a closer look at the OP's experience level given the current conditions at the site.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Photo Girl

We don't know the operator for this dive so don't know the specific requirements for diving the Duane. Many/most operators require AOW or recent proof of deep dives. It is a well advertised fact that the current on the Duane can be quite brisk. I have been both to the Duane and the Spiegel Grove where the dive was cancelled due to excessive current. The captain must make the choice whether the conditions allow diving.

See my post #16 regarding diving with a newly minted AOW diver. In this case, the current was only moderate, but caused the diver to blow through his gas very quickly. This was @anchochile 1st dive following AOW and he did not have experience with current. On the other hand, as he pointed out, he had reasonable experience in cold water with poor visibility and surge, wearing a thick wetsuit, conditions that many Floridians might find very challenging. I would imagine many of the divers this day found the dive within their experience range and did not have any significant problems.

On one hand, you suggest doing a direct hot drop up current from the wreck, on the other, you suggest the captain cancel the dive in conditions that are within the usual for diving. Most operators dive these wrecks reasonably frequently.

 

[caruso]

If you haven't ever done Key Largo, there are not a lot of other choices to fall back on. The Duane, the Bibb, and Spiegel Grove can all be subject to the same challenging conditions. Signing up for one of those and being brought to the Benwood instead will not generate repeat customers. But it would generate some highly negative screeds here on SB!!

Exactly. It generates ill-will among the diving population when those of us who don't live local spend a lot of money, time and effort to get down there for a few days worth of diving and are canceled- not because of the conditions necessarily but because they can't accommodate us due to unwillingness or inability to adjust to the present conditions- i.e. a hot drop or mooring upstream and then moving the boat downcurrent for pickup.

I get it that they might not know the skill level of the divers, but in our case they did and we were certainly qualified.

.

 

[johndiver999]

Hot dropping onto a huge wreck in clear water in a moderate current is EASY. Very little exertion, almost no need for navigation and is safer since exertion is avoided. But this is only true if the boat operator knows what he is doing.

However, The primary complications arise from inadequate experience and the varied diving abilities of the customers. They must be able to descend fast and vertically and often with no visual reference.

They also must be able to ascend on their own, again with no visual reference in blue water and deploy a smb at some time during the ascent, preferably during the initiation of the ascent. They also need to be able to follow directions and leave the wreck at the scheduled time and they must follow the ascent protocol quickly if they miss the wreck for whatever reason- lost, inability to descend fast, adverse current, bad drop from boat captain, lost buddy, problem with gear etc.

Also if some divers end their dive earlier than others, then this places divers in the water column over a wide area downstream of the wreck which means they can get lost, run over by other boats, and may need to endure a long wait on the surface to get picked up if the boat is attending to other divers being recovered.

Drifting into a wreck in current and deep water has a lot
Of moving parts. If just one diver does not have the skills or brains to follow contingency protocols, then things can get out of hand quickly.

It is much easier for a boat to tie into a mooring and say go down that line and come up that line. The weak and incompetent will probably fail getting down and will just make their way back to the boat. I would hate diving like that, but it is somewhat understandable why the operator might take the easy route, even if it kicks the butt of the divers.

 

[caruso]

@johndiver999's post describes my recent West Palm Beach triple wreck dive off of Dustin's Florida Scuba Charter's boat almost to a T.

Fast hot drop into moderate current in medium visibility conditions, negative entry if possible, free descent to the bottom at 90' which isn't visible for most of the descent. Divers end up all over the place as expected- I dive solo and didn't see anyone else swimming close together. Dustin didn't request anyone shoot a bag though. Just surface after the last wreck or sooner if necessary - taking the usual precautions to listen and do the 360 upon surfacing to make sure you aren't run down and then inflate your SMB. It's a heck of a lot easier and enjoyable to dive this way- not having to make your way back to a fixed point, ascend whenever and wherever you want and you'll be picked up by the boat. It's really not difficult for confident divers with at least AOW training which is the required minimum certification level for this sort of diving.

Also as per @johndiver999 post a few bad divers can make things difficult for the Captain but in a dive as described above, all they have to do is surface- anywhere anytime and they'll be picked up and won't be an issue for anyone else. Assuming they don't panic and ascend to quickly or whatever. On one of the dives that day someone forgot their weights, he turned around, picked them up immediately, they got squared away, he redid the approach to the first wreck and in they went, no issue.

On the boat that day were divers doing wrecks and other divers hunting for lobsters on reefs. Dustin was able to accommodate all of us. Nobody got lost or run over. And we all got home safely.

Dive Ops need to be flexible and accommodate the full range of diving skills or they might find they aren't filling up their boats.

 

[Photo Girl]

@johndiver999's post describes my recent West Palm Beach triple wreck dive off of Dustin's Florida Scuba Charter's boat almost to a T.

Fast hot drop into moderate current in medium visibility conditions, negative entry if possible, free descent to the bottom at 90' which isn't visible for most of the descent. Divers end up all over the place as expected- I dive solo and didn't see anyone else swimming close together. Dustin didn't request anyone shoot a bag though. Just surface after the last wreck or sooner if necessary - taking the usual precautions to listen and do the 360 upon surfacing to make sure you aren't run down and then inflate your SMB. It's a heck of a lot easier and enjoyable to dive this way- not having to make your way back to a fixed point, ascend whenever and wherever you want and you'll be picked up by the boat. It's really not difficult for confident divers with at least AOW training which is the required minimum certification level for this sort of diving.

Also as per @johndiver999 post a few bad divers can make things difficult for the Captain but in a dive as described above, all they have to do is surface- anywhere anytime and they'll be picked up and won't be an issue for anyone else. Assuming they don't panic and ascend to quickly or whatever. On one of the dives that day someone forgot their weights, he turned around, picked them up immediately, they got squared away, he redid the approach to the first wreck and in they went, no issue.

On the boat that day were divers doing wrecks and other divers hunting for lobsters on reefs. Dustin was able to accommodate all of us. Nobody got lost or run over. And we all got home safely.

Dive Ops need to be flexible and accommodate the full range of diving skills or they might find they aren't filling up their boats.

I have done deep wreck drift dives in strong current on Dustin's boat, and never had to swim. He is an excellent captain, always right there to pick me up when I surfaced.

 

[caruso]

I have done deep wreck drift dives in strong current on Dustin's boat, and never had to swim. He is an excellent captain, always right there to pick me up when I surfaced.

Yes, he swung that boat around an backed up and stopped so smoothly and swiftly, the transom was within a foot. The way he stopped, the stern dropped a bit in the water, and I almost felt like I could step right onto the platform and skip the ladder entirely.