Diver drifts 3 miles

[Walter]

Funny Walter I don't remember you being there to make such a careless statement.

I wasn't there. I've said so. Everything I've posted is based on reports of others who have implied they were there. If those reports are inaccurate, my statements, with regard to this specific case, are not valid, but they are still valid in general.

His mistake was not having the line in his hand before he jumped in the water, by the time he completed his giant stride and returned to the surface he was already out of reach.

Rarely are tag lines rigged to allow them to be in a diver's hand prior to entry. If this line was so rigged, I agree with you. Since you left out this information and I wasn't there, I was unable to include it. Usually, the soonest a diver can take the tag line in hand is as he hits the water, unless he used a controlled seated entry. In 5 ft seas, I wouldn't normally recommend a controlled seated entry.

I don't think anyone really cares what you like and dislike, the term the boat used on the dive was a granny line, had you been there you would understand where the term came into play here.

Maybe they do, maybe they don't, but that isn't the point. I do understand the term is used. I've expressed an opinion about its use and gave reasons why. Accept my reasons or reject them, continue to use the term that discourages the use of a tag line or start using what I consider a better term. It is certainly your choice.

Again were you there, where did "he grabbed the current line come from", he drifted & swam into the mooring behind the boat.

Again, I was not there. It came from your report. This is the first time you told us he grabbed the mooring behind the boat. Yes, that changes things. Was there a current line deployed?

He never figured he could, he descended down the mooring buoy behind the boat to reunite on the wreck.

Thanks for giving us this new information.

He got blown off the mooring , no let go, nothing more than being blown off, once he realized he wasn't going to meet anyone in the sand he did immediately do his ascent.

So the current was so strong he could not hold on to the line? In that case, it would not have mattered if he had the tag line in his hand before he entered the water or not. If the current was so strong he couldn't hold on to the line, he certainly would not have been able to pull himself along the tag line against it.

On the other hand, is it possible he accidently let go of the line as he was descending and the current pushed him away from the line before he could grab it again? That is much more common. Usually the diver is using one hand to assist with equalization of ears or clearing a mask and instead of stopping and holding tight with the other hand, they try to continue their descent one handed. To descend one handed, they often let go and grab the line farther down. When the current is strong, that method can result in not being able to get another grip on the line. When the current is too strong to swim against, it means you've lost the dive.

Again, I wasn't there. I haven't talked to the diver in question. What exactly do you mean when you say he was blown off the line?

Where did you hear he dropped his weights?

In the first post of this thread.

"He had blown up his [buoyancy compensator] and dropped his weight belt. He was fine," Slate said.

he accepts his responsibility and blames nobody but himself, why is this too hard for some of you to believe.

When you said he paid for a charter for everyone on the boat, I believed he had accepted responsibility.

On another note Walter, your careless posts on an event you have no first hand knowledge of

Nothing about my posts were careless. My posts are based on the information I received being accurate. That information has not been accurate. I still might be getting inaccurate information. I wasn't there, I have no way of knowing.

As you have weighed in your speculative opinion without regard to facts given to you

I have used the facts as given. The reports of what the facts are keep changing.

unfortunately somewhere along the way you have forgotten that at one point that diver very well could have been you.

You are sadly mistaken. I'm far from perfect. I've made my share of mistakes while diving. I will continue to make mistakes while diving. I do try to eliminate them, but I accept the fact I will never stop making mistakes.

You know, I wont get into this BS with you hiding behind a screen name, you know exactly who I am, where I am and where I dive.

How do you figure? How would any of us know exactly who you are, where you are or where you dive? All I know is your screen name, SeaLevelScuba.

CoolTech (Jim) is someone many folks on this board know personally, have dived with many, many times and regularly follow his posts and photographs about his dives.

I would welcome a dive with him

Send me a PM, I have an opening on an all day trip in the Gulf next month. Let's go diving.

 

[Scott L]

5ft seas, 3.5+ knot current = a dive that should been aborted by the operator. Splashing a DM to descend to wreck and survey conditions, report back, then oversee dives on larger charter boats in the Keys is a practice that is worthy of consideration. $3-$5 higher price. So be it...

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

You know, I wont get into this BS with you hiding behind a screen name, you know exactly who I am, where I am and where I dive.

I have absolutely no idea who you are, where you are, or where you dive. I only know your screen name is SeaLevelScuba. My statements were in answer to your very speculative opinion (of which, I thought were BS vs. the logical statements made by Walter based on the accounts given by you... Those accounts we find later were not accurate and are being changed by you. In my book, that makes someone's statements BS, but not mine or Walter's). Neither Walter nor I started insulting others in this thread and then hide by calling other's statements "BS".

1. Walter made logical statements of opinion based on your account of the events.
2. You chose to quote those statements, insult Walter and change your account of events
3. I called you on your manner of insults
4. You called this BS

Walter's experience is not in question, I am sure he is a good diver with whom I've never dived with, my comments were simply from his dialogue based on what he quoted me on.

...I don't remember you being there to make such a careless statement...

... I don't think anyone really cares what you like and dislike...

... The only part of your fairy tale...

... On another note Walter, your careless posts...

... make one wonder if you take the same approach to diving. As you have weighed in your speculative opinion without regard to facts given to you is just so typical of someone who feels the need to have their finger in everything and determined to have the last word...

I just don't see where your statement in bold red above can be reconciled with the quotes you made previously in this thread (and then stated to others their view point is BS)

... not from an inaccurate news report or your sorry butt blaming him.

I have made no such claim in this entire thread. I have not put blame on anyone other than you for your rude insults

My post simply answered your very speculative assumptions about Walter's logical opinion based on your eyewitness account of the events... If the eyewitness account of the events changes, the all logical opinion based on prior accounts is moot.

I encourage everyone to read your initial eyewitness account of events with the information you have supplied since that initial account.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/5375574-post61.html

There seem to be many areas of question in that account now, that were not of question when you first posted your eyewitness account.

I have not judged anyone's skills, experience or general diving in this thread. I have only judged your rude insults and the manner in which you have conducted yourself when someone has called you out for your rudeness on this thread.

 

[Jax]

Y'all sure pick some weird stuff to go all defensive over. Not seeing how all this is pertinent to the audience . . . PMs, anyone?

 

[DennisS]

Y'all sure pick some weird stuff to go all defensive over. Not seeing how all this is pertinent to the audience . . . PMs, anyone?

Scubaboard Trials, court is now in session

"My post simply answered your very speculative assumptions about Walter's logical opinion based on your eyewitness account of the events... If the eyewitness account of the events changes, the all logical opinion based on prior accounts is moot."

 

[deepstops]

[-]TNT[/-] ScubaBoard - We Know Drama

I'll just throw this out there: there's no way the current was 4 knots. If it was, there's no way Slate's boat would have made it to the wreck site

(now I'll run and duck for cover before Spencer tracks me down and smacks me about the head)

 

[Scott L]

[-]TNT[/-] ScubaBoard - We Know Drama

I'll just throw this out there: there's no way the current was 4 knots. If it was, there's no way Slate's boat would have made to the wreck site

(now I'll run and duck for cover before Spencer tracks me down and smacks me about the head)

...

 

[pickens_46929]

So here's what I've learned so far... or at least reminded me of what I already knew / suspected:

1) You can't trust what you read in the newspapers or reported by news outlets these days...

2) Complacency kills... back to Boy Scouts... "Always Be Prepared"...

3) And the 5 C's from flying apply to diving as well... Climb, Confess, Communicate, Comply, Conserve... Climb = give yourself some margin (ie. altitude), Confess = admit when you are in trouble and don't dilly dally about it, Communicate = that you are in trouble, people can't help if they don't know, Comply = when you communicate with others, and they give you instructions, follow them, Conserve = slow down to go fast, conserve your energy and strength or gas (fuel)

I appreciate this post (even with the errors and debates), to remind me and us all that diving is a risky sport and that being prepared and alert reduces the risk to a manageable level to the point where we can do something awesome and amazing! Breath underwater and have a great time.

 

[Jax]

[-]TNT[/-] ScubaBoard - We Know Drama

I'll just throw this out there: there's no way the current was 4 knots. If it was, there's no way Slate's boat would have made it to the wreck site

(now I'll run and duck for cover before Spencer tracks me down and smacks me about the head)

 

[Orlando Eric]

If I ever have a fatal or near fatal accident diving (or anything) I hope everyone picks apart everything I did wrong or could have been done better. Then I hope everyone puts this in their toolbox to use should they find themselves presented with the same problems.