Filmmaker Rob Stewart's family files wrongful death lawsuit

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Captain has to run the boat. If there is crew then crew can be dispatched to do the rescue.

A captain and a victim floating around while the boat drifts away or is operated by an untrained (or unlicensed) boat operator is not good.

I understand, and if I was 100 miles offshore and just me and the swimmer on the boat yea I would think twice. Unless I knew there was no current cause I had been out all day and swimming back to the boat wouldn't be a problem then yea I would go.

But to be the owner of a company that takes a boat full of people offshore to say your (IE: your company) not responsible for jumping in the water to help a sinking/drowning diver/swimmer is ludicrous to me. You should have procedures in place, throw the donut and someone designated prior is going in.

If that plan failed yea I expect the captain to get wet, the hand knows how to drive the boat I am sure

I have no doubts, the people I go with, are not going to stand by idly while someone drowns. Their going in.

Id rather let the boat go adrift than someone drown, that close to shore.
 
Last edited:
I understand, and if I was 100 miles offshore and just me and the swimmer on the boat yea I would think twice. Unless I knew there was no current cause I had been out all day and swimming back to the boat wouldn't be a problem then yea I would go.

But to be the owner of a company that takes a boat full of people offshore to say your (IE: your company) not responsible for jumping in the water to help a sinking/drowning diver/swimmer is ludicrous to me. You should have procedures in place, throw the donut and someone designated prior is going in.

If that plan failed yea I expect the captain to get wet, the hand knows how to drive the boat I am sure

I have no doubts, the people I go with, are not going to stand by idly while someone drowns. Their going in.

Id rather let the boat go adrift than someone drown, that close to shore.
I'm afraid maritime law disagrees with your opinion. When I ran a charter boat we comped a spot for a certified DM. If a shop booked the boat then they would provide the rescue diver (DM+) otherwise there were lots of local divers willing to come for a free dive.
 
The boat was able to be operated as an uninspected passenger vessel (It has dual "certification" IIRC), in which case, a deckhand (the Coast Guard does not recognize Divemaster) is not required. There are many dive boats in Key Largo that are commercial Uninspected Passenger Vessels that are not required and most often don't operate with a deckhand.

A deckhand is not required to be able to swim.
 
T. There are many dive boats in Key Largo that are commercial Uninspected Passenger Vessels that are not required and most often don't operate with a deckhand.

A deckhand is not required to be able to swim.

Which is crazy to me because like I said I have been on HD's boat for shallow reef dives multiple times and they were extremely adamant in their speech to the passengers that they must give the ok sign and don't mess up and give the i'm not ok sign because the hand would be in the water to get you. Said this to me specifically later as well.

Like I said it makes me reconsider going on the charter boats when they have that attitude "hey we might not even be able to swim so your on your own"

I've been on boats in a lot of places, never met a hand that couldn't swim.
 
Which is crazy to me because like I said I have been on HD's boat for shallow reef dives multiple times and they were extremely adamant in their speech to the passengers that they must give the ok sign and don't mess up and give the i'm not ok sign because the hand would be in the water to get you. Said this to me specifically later as well.

Like I said it makes me reconsider going on the charter boats when they have that attitude "hey we might not even be able to swim so your on your own"

I've been on boats in a lot of places, never met a hand that couldn't swim.
Spend any real time around people who make their living on the water and you will find a very large number who cannot swim.
 
Which is crazy to me because like I said I have been on HD's boat for shallow reef dives multiple times and they were extremely adamant in their speech to the passengers that they must give the ok sign and don't mess up and give the i'm not ok sign because the hand would be in the water to get you. Said this to me specifically later as well.

Like I said it makes me reconsider going on the charter boats when they have that attitude "hey we might not even be able to swim so your on your own"

I've been on boats in a lot of places, never met a hand that couldn't swim.
Didn't say he couldn't swim. Said that a deckhand (Coast Guard term) isn't required to.
 
Spend any real time around people who make their living on the water and you will find a very large number who cannot swim.
Like most in the oil field.
 
Spend any real time around people who make their living on the water and you will find a very large number who cannot swim.

Never met a single one. 4 captains here in Naples are my good friends and I also know many who used to be captains but not anymore that make or made their living taking people spearfishing and fishing. They would laugh at me if I asked them if they knew how to swim.
 
Doesn't matter if you know how to swim on an oil rig or not. If you fall off of some of those rigs, you're pretty much done, swimmer or no swimmer, lol
 
Doesn't matter if you know how to swim on an oil rig or not. If you fall off of some of those rigs, you're pretty much done, swimmer or no swimmer, lol
Imagine trying to grab the MOB ladder in 20 foot seas? I can hear the hide peeling off....
 

Back
Top Bottom