Big wave throws dive boat captain overboard - Florida

[PBcatfish]

Curious as to why none of the passengers attempted to drive the boat after the MOB.

A lot of the people on the cattle boats around here are tourists with zero local knowledge of the waters. Almost all of the people on the cattle boats are there because they don't have boats of their own. It's not uncommon to have nobody that is capable of driving a boat like that among the paying passengers. Fortunately, it sounds like the dive master was up to the task in this case.

 

[CuzzA]

Sure. Cuzza, please stick to your arm chair.

You mean the one I custom built for my dive boat? It's pretty sweet. The arms of the helm chair flip up and I welded pull pins so I can lay the back flat to a lid so I can access the starboard side tank bench that holds eight tanks.

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Captain's chair made by CuzzA discussion moved to its own thread.

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Layflat Captain's Chair DIY

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[vacationcrazy]

Meh....

I don’t have the spare bandwidth to make up stories on the internet or go into defense litigation.

You’ve had your experiences, I’ve had mine.

Life goes on.

I wish Adam and Maggie the best of luck with their business.

Wishing someone the best of luck after posting complete fabrications about them is about as insincere as it gets.

 

[The Chairman]

Wishing someone the best of luck after posting complete fabrications about them is about as insincere as it gets.

Were you there? Did you go through what he went through? Do you have proof that his statements are "fabrications"? Has the dive op suggested that he has fabricated the situation? if not, then chill out.

Good people make mistakes all the time and simple denial is rarely an effective response. No one is perfect so why act like they are. Rather than calling him a liar, simply give us your opinion and realize that it's OK for someone to have a different experience and view point than you do.

 

[johndiver999]

a dive master immediately began driving the boat from the lower helm after the skipper went overboard. The surfer who jumped on board didn’t realize the boat had a lower helm and ran up to the fly bridge thinking that no one was driving the boat, which wasn’t the case. I was blown away by how well the crew handled the situation without any panic.

If I understand the video, it appeared that the captain was ejected when the second wave hit.

After that, the boat looked disabled or nobody was operating the boat. I can not reconcile the facebook video with the statement that a crew member took control of the vessel and was "driving" the boat.

Also IF someone was operating the boat in any manner, then there would be no need, nor any opportunity, for a surfer to board the vessel. The video seems to completely refute the statement above?

 

[DandyDon]

After that, the boat looked disabled or nobody was operating the boat. I can not reconcile the facebook video with the statement that a crew member took control of the vessel and was "driving" the boat.

I think you saw that no one was at the upper helm, but you could not see that the DM had taken control at the lower helm as we have established many times in this thread, as stated in the first two linked news stories.

Also IF someone was operating the boat in any manner, then there would be no need, nor any opportunity, for a surfer to board the vessel. The video seems to completely refute the statement above?

While there was no need, the surfer (himself an experienced local boat captain) did not see the DM at the lower helm either. His actions were heroic even tho unneeded. Whatever he saw and realized after boarding the boat in such dangerous waves (not a feat I'd ever want to try even in my young & stupid years) none of us could say. I'm sure the fog of the emergency was in play, but he wanted to ensure he did what he could.

 

[vacationcrazy]

I was on

If I understand the video, it appeared that the captain was ejected when the second wave hit.

After that, the boat looked disabled or nobody was operating the boat. I can not reconcile the facebook video with the statement that a crew member took control of the vessel and was "driving" the boat.

Also IF someone was operating the boat in any manner, then there would be no need, nor any opportunity, for a surfer to board the vessel. The video seems to completely refute the statement above?

I was on the boat. Immediately after the skipper went overboard, the DM shouted “man overboard.” A deckhand grabbed the life ring while the DM went to the lower helm and started to operate the boat. The surfer boarded the boat as the DM was driving at the lower helm. This all happened in a matter of seconds. The report in the media that this all unfolded over 30 minutes is not true

 

[vacationcrazy]

I think you saw that no one was at the upper helm, but you could not see that the DM had taken control at the lower helm as we have established many times in this thread, as stated in the first two linked news stories.


While there was no need, the surfer (himself an experienced local boat captain) did not see the DM at the lower helm either. His actions were heroic even tho unneeded. Whatever he saw and realized after boarding the boat in such dangerous waves (not a feat I'd ever want to try even in my young & stupid years) none of us could say. I'm sure the fog of the emergency was in play, but he wanted to ensure he did what he could.

absolutely agree that Captain Burt’s actions were heroic. To keep the record clear, after jumping onto the boat, he shouted: “how do you get to the bridge.” He then climbed up to the fly bridge and started driving the boat. After we entered the inlet and things calmed down a bit, he acknowledged he hadn’t seen the DM on the lower helm or realized that the boat even had a lower helm.

 

[johndiver999]

I think you saw that no one was at the upper helm, but you could not see that the DM had taken control at the lower helm as we have established many times in this thread, as stated in the first two linked news stories.


While there was no need, the surfer (himself an experienced local boat captain) did not see the DM at the lower helm either. His actions were heroic even tho unneeded. Whatever he saw and realized after boarding the boat in such dangerous waves (not a feat I'd ever want to try even in my young & stupid years) none of us could say. I'm sure the fog of the emergency was in play, but he wanted to ensure he did what he could.

No, my observations were not associated with the presence or absence of a person on the fly bridge. The TV news story clearly shows a wheel down on the deck level so I am aware of that.

After the second wave (when I assume the ejection occurred) .. nothing happened. The boat did not seem to move under its own power. I saw no evidence that anybody on the boat was doing anything. Presumably a competent boat operator would either immediately turn the boat toward shore or back east and try to get off the bar, but instead the boat was left to flounder in the surf taking seas on the beam. I assume that would be the worst possible situation and the only reason I could guess why an operator might not begin moving the boat was if he thought it might further endanger the person who had been ejected and was in the water.

Do you see evidence of immediate and decisive "operation" of the vessel at that time? As I indicated initially, I was wondering if the engine stalled or some mechanical problem existed, but apparently that was not the case.

 

[vacationcrazy]

No, my observations were not associated with the presence or absence of a person on the fly bridge. The TV news story clearly shows a wheel down on the deck level so I am aware of that.

After the second wave (when I assume the ejection occurred) .. nothing happened. The boat did not seem to move under its own power. I saw no evidence that anybody on the boat was doing anything. Presumably a competent boat operator would either immediately turn the boat toward shore or back east and try to get off the bar, but instead the boat was left to flounder in the surf taking seas on the beam. I assume that would be the worst possible situation and the only reason I could guess why an operator might not begin moving the boat was if he thought it might further endanger the person who had been ejected and was in the water.

Do you see evidence of immediate and decisive "operation" of the vessel at that time? As I indicated initially, I was wondering if the engine stalled or some mechanical problem existed, but apparently that was not the case.

I can only tell you what I witnessed first hand. When the skipper went overboard, the DM shouted man overboard. The deckhand grabbed the life ring, one of us kept a constant line of sight on the captain in the water, and the DM went to the lower helm and got on the wheel. There were jet skiers very close to the boat, so he had to be very careful not to hit them or the captain.