boljakool
Contributor
The dive site: Beatrice in Anilao, the Philippines
This dive site is known for stong currents but with a rich and colorful marine life. There were 6 of us in the group and it was the first time for most of us to dive here. The dive was quite a challenge, we did experience the currents coming from everywhere...upward, downward, left & right, and the dive was going along fine as it was planned.
The current even steadied a bit when we were doing our safety stop. The only problem we had was that my balloon got lost from my bc upon entry and descent. It was probably removed due to the strong current that we encountered. We proceeded to do the safety stop and decided that we'll have to surface without a balloon. When the signal to surface was given, 3 of us went ahead with the usual slow ascent with one arm on the inflator and the other extented upwards. I was about 5-6 feet below the first 2 to surface, and from underwater we can see that the surface was calm and clear. Then out of nowhere, I heard a fast approaching outrigger boat (they're called banca here in our country) coming our way! We knew we were either going to be hit by the hull or the bamboo stabilizers of the banca. I looked to my left and saw that only 2-3 feet from my face was the boat's hull passing by and it was indeed going fast that in less than 2 seconds in saw the propellers!!! I ducked to my right, trying to protect my head and face from getting grinded. Next thing I knew, I was on the water surface hearing my dive buddies screaming and cursing. The banca that almost killed us was already about 30 meters away and the people on board were signalling if we were alright. We were just glad that nobody got hurt.
When we got to our own boat, our crew told us that they even warned the passing boat that there are divers below that are about to surface. And still, they did not bother to slow down. When the first diver hit surface, the first thing she saw facing her was the front of the boat. She went below the surface, curled herself into a ball and just waited to get hit. My buddy who was on her right was shocked to see the fast moving boat passing us like a train. From below, the other divers in our group thought that we were actually hit. I am so thankful that we came out of the water safe. We proceeded with our surface interval sharing the story.
The lessons:
(1) ALWAYS remember to secure everything before and upon entering the water.
(2) Make sure to use a balloon when surfacing from an open water dive site. There were no bouy markers on this one.
(3) There should be more that one balloon in a dive group.
(4) When you are the one on a boat, ALWAYS remember to slow down when passing through a known dive site. Watch out for any signs like bubbles, flags, nearby boats that are parked or anything that would be on your path.
What else do you think could have been done to avoid close calls like this?
Dive safe!
This dive site is known for stong currents but with a rich and colorful marine life. There were 6 of us in the group and it was the first time for most of us to dive here. The dive was quite a challenge, we did experience the currents coming from everywhere...upward, downward, left & right, and the dive was going along fine as it was planned.
The current even steadied a bit when we were doing our safety stop. The only problem we had was that my balloon got lost from my bc upon entry and descent. It was probably removed due to the strong current that we encountered. We proceeded to do the safety stop and decided that we'll have to surface without a balloon. When the signal to surface was given, 3 of us went ahead with the usual slow ascent with one arm on the inflator and the other extented upwards. I was about 5-6 feet below the first 2 to surface, and from underwater we can see that the surface was calm and clear. Then out of nowhere, I heard a fast approaching outrigger boat (they're called banca here in our country) coming our way! We knew we were either going to be hit by the hull or the bamboo stabilizers of the banca. I looked to my left and saw that only 2-3 feet from my face was the boat's hull passing by and it was indeed going fast that in less than 2 seconds in saw the propellers!!! I ducked to my right, trying to protect my head and face from getting grinded. Next thing I knew, I was on the water surface hearing my dive buddies screaming and cursing. The banca that almost killed us was already about 30 meters away and the people on board were signalling if we were alright. We were just glad that nobody got hurt.
When we got to our own boat, our crew told us that they even warned the passing boat that there are divers below that are about to surface. And still, they did not bother to slow down. When the first diver hit surface, the first thing she saw facing her was the front of the boat. She went below the surface, curled herself into a ball and just waited to get hit. My buddy who was on her right was shocked to see the fast moving boat passing us like a train. From below, the other divers in our group thought that we were actually hit. I am so thankful that we came out of the water safe. We proceeded with our surface interval sharing the story.
The lessons:
(1) ALWAYS remember to secure everything before and upon entering the water.
(2) Make sure to use a balloon when surfacing from an open water dive site. There were no bouy markers on this one.
(3) There should be more that one balloon in a dive group.
(4) When you are the one on a boat, ALWAYS remember to slow down when passing through a known dive site. Watch out for any signs like bubbles, flags, nearby boats that are parked or anything that would be on your path.
What else do you think could have been done to avoid close calls like this?
Dive safe!
