Everything worked out great and now we're REALLY scared!

[billt4sf]

That was not the case when we did it. The DM saw my wife being negatively buoyant, hanging on the end of the line as far down as she could be. He even swam down to her. Maybe they changed their briefing and practices from last year.

The fault was on us for not being prepared for the dive. We didn't have the skills for the dive; we also didn't know what skills we were missing. We had taken the AOW course a few days earlier from the dive op that offered the dive and we talked to them about whether we were properly prepared. They said we were. They were wrong.

It's a great dive for those that are ready for it. I think we are now and I hope to do it again sometime.

- Bill

 

[fisheater]

That was not the case when we did it. The DM saw my wife being negatively buoyant, hanging on the end of the line as far down as she could be. He even swam down to her. Maybe they changed their briefing and practices from last year.

The fault was on us for not being prepared for the dive. We didn't have the skills for the dive; we also didn't know what skills we were missing. We had taken the AOW course a few days earlier from the dive op that offered the dive and we talked to them about whether we were properly prepared. They said we were. They were wrong.

It's a great dive for those that are ready for it. I think we are now and I hope to do it again sometime.

- Bill

Different operators. I see that you went with Jack's Diving Locker. I went with Kona Honu. That likely explains the difference.

I hope you two can do that dive again. I sure would!


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[CapnDan]

Just one note -- the weights are NOT attached to the diver. The vertical rope has a weight on the end of it; the diver has a tether which is sliding freely up and down the vertical line. If the vertical line broke, the weight would fall into the abyss, but it would only affect the diver to the extent that he was depending on the rope to avoid sinking.

Yes, I understand, but lines have been known to snag, you know. I've been around boats and the ocean long enough to know that you can't always assume that a line under tension will run freely through its blocks when it is released at one end. I sure wouldn't bet my life on it, and in fact, I've seen plenty of snags.

If there was an accidental release and the line snagged and the weights were fairly light then an alert, situationally-aware diver would probably be able to deal with the sudden small decrease in buoyancy, but if there were 20+ pounds on each line then the situation would obviously become much more dangerous.

 

[Tortuga68]

There were about 8 people on the dive, all certified divers and one Dive Guide. We each had a line about 6’ long attached to us and this line was then clipped to a second line that was weighted and was about 40 or 50’ long. So each of us could go up or down on our own line independently

Not sure if I understand this right or not... were all 8 divers, who each had their own 6' line, then each clipped to a single "up line" that was 40-50' long? Or did you each have an individual 40-50' weighted line? What were the line/s attached to at the surface, the boat, or float/s? Either way sounds like a bit of a CF

 

[TSandM]

When we did the dive, each diver had his own vertical line. They were separated by enough space that there was no problem of getting lines crossed or tangled.

 

[fisheater]

When we did the dive, each diver had his own vertical line. They were separated by enough space that there was no problem of getting lines crossed or tangled.

Same when I did it.

The down lines were attached to various parts of the boat to maintain separation. IF I recall correctly, we had three port, three starboard and two on the stern.


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[DivemasterDennis]

Buoyancy, trim and awareness of your self and your buddy are a lot different in a blue water night dive than they are on a reef or in a pond. In the story presented I find a few constriuctive suggestions. First- buddy diving. You should have functioned as a buddy team starting before the dive, discussing the plan and clarifying what each of your believed to be the plan. There was communication later, but limited. Second, ask question of the dive leader if there is uncertainity. The leaders have done this dive a bunch and what is routine for them is not for you. There are no dumb questions. Finally, it is rarely constructive when debriefing a dive to tell someone how "they could have been lost." I am all for a strong admonition on improper and dangerous conduct, but here, the impact of the comment (crying) was not what should have been the focus of the conversation. When doing a new or unique dive, always follow buddy dive protocal, and always ask plenty of questions of the dive leader before the dive and be sure you are on the3 same page. BTW, what pelagics did you see?
DivemasterDennis

 

[TSandM]

Dennis, the pelagics are largely invertebrates . . . jellies, salps, and the like. They are fascinating and some are extremely bizarre. They are also a manifestation of one of the largest biomass migrations on the planet. I really enjoyed the dive, and would do it again, but it does not follow many of the principles we use on "normal" recreational dives. For example, it really isn't possible to operate as a buddy team under the conditions we had, with each diver on his own tether.

 

[romad119]

Dangling from lines from a fishing boat.. sounds more like bait

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Here meggie meggie come get dinner!