First boat dive.....

[tenover]

Got certified in July 2011. Didn't dive for about 8 months after that, took a refresher course about 4 months ago, and have been shore diving La Jolla a lot in the past 3 months, almost every weekend. My buddy, who is a commercial diver and PADI certified wants to take me on a boat dive (<60') in the kelp beds, either La Jolla or Point Loma. This would be the first time I've dove with him, AND the first time I've dove off a boat. I'm paranoid by nature, and ULTRA safety conscious......Just wondering if you guys think this would be a good idea, or if I should take AOW or a "boat dive" class beforehand? I totally trust this guy, I'm just nervous about currents, etc....And my one stipulation would be that he MUST have someone onboard the boat while we are diving(who knows how to operate the boat)......Yay? Nay? Thanks in advance. I do have a light, whistle, SMB just in case.

 

[CT-Rich]

Got certified in July 2011. Didn't dive for about 8 months after that, took a refresher course about 4 months ago, and have been shore diving La Jolla a lot in the past 3 months, almost every weekend. My buddy, who is a commercial diver and PADI certified wants to take me on a boat dive (<60') in the kelp beds, either La Jolla or Point Loma. This would be the first time I've dove with him, AND the first time I've dove off a boat. I'm paranoid by nature, and ULTRA safety conscious......Just wondering if you guys think this would be a good idea, or if I should take AOW or a "boat dive" class beforehand? I totally trust this guy, I'm just nervous about currents, etc....And my one stipulation would be that he MUST have someone onboard the boat while we are diving(who knows how to operate the boat)......Yay? Nay? Thanks in advance. I do have a light, whistle, SMB just in case.

I know this might come as a shocker, but boat diving is not that much different than shore diving. You need to know the location, i.e. currents, tides conditions depth, etc... It is always better to go new places with someone who already knows the area. If your pro-diving buddy has been diving with you and wants to take you out on his boat, awesome. Talk with him about your concerns before the dive. I did probably my first twenty dives off a boat, so I never knew any different. You probably are pretty comfortable with shore entries, because that is what you know. Ask you how comfortable you are with your buddies judgement. If he wasn't a crazy diver, dragging you towards near death experiences before, he probably won't start now. I suggest you read up on entries and procedures, so that you know what to expect. A boat dive certification is not really one of the certifications that I would call critical to have. If you can dive off a private boat on some less travelled spots. Go for it! I need friends with boats! Since he already told you he would keep it shallower than 60fsw, and he is a pro, he might well be looking for a new buddy.

A dive buddy with a lot of experience is gold, you will learn a lot more from him than sitting in a classroom and making cattle rides to divesites with 12 other AOW students. Back in the good old days, this was the way you learned to dive. learn the basics and then learn from your own experience or from another diver that had more experience. Ultimately, it is your read on your skills and your friends. Given the choice between him, another newbie or an insta-buddy, you could do a lot worse....

 

[Diver0001]

I'm having trouble understanding what your concern(s) is/are.

Are you concerned about diving from a boat or about diving in current?

R..

 

[tenover]

Thanks CT-Rich....You're absolutely right, and I know that. I am super comfortable with "what I know", which thus far, is shore dives only.....
Diver0001- Just nervous about getting carried away from the boat.

what about my stipulation that there be someone onboard who can operate the boat?? He says there is, and his name is "anchor"....LOL

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

Stick to your rule about the boat, anything can happen. And his friend anchor can't call for help if something goes wrong!!

 

[tenover]

Thanks.....That's exactly what I told him. His response was "I know exactly how to get to the nearest recompression chamber and the SEAL base quicker than anything else that could help us"......My response was "Yeah, but if something happens underwater, someone on a boat could get to us a lot quicker when we surface, call 911, and be ON it faster than we could get to the boat...". Paranoid? maybe.....but I'm fine with that.

 

[Diver0001]

Well.... I can't address the issue of currents because I don't know your local conditions but I think it's a valid concern and something you should take up with your buddy. Ask him about conditions, level with him about your concern w.r.t. currents and make a judgement on whether or not to do the dive based on what he says. You're obviously a careful person so you have a right to make sure you have your bases covered.

As for the boat being anchored, at least you know where it is

Seriously though, I don't know if that's normal around where you live but I would also feel a little weirded out if the boat was anchored with nobody onboard and we were diving in current. My *guess* is that your buddy is going to tell you that the current is mild or nonexistent, especially if he's planning on diving from an anchored boat. Nevertheless, I would personally push him on that point. At the very least make sure he has enough experience on this particular dive site to convince you that the potential risk is acceptable. Otherwise, I would decline. It's a great opportunity to expand your horizons with a more experienced buddy if you think he has all his bases covered but not at any cost, of course.

R..

 

[TMHeimer]

All good advice. One of the most important things I learned early on about boat diving is to try to always remember where the anchor line is. Surfacing without a reference usually isn't difficult, but the line makes it way easier. It's unlikely your buddy would allow you to become separated, but just in case.

 

[E8ArmyDiver]

A friendly word of advise.If this is your first boat diving experience,take plenty of drinking water & eat a hearty breakfast BUT watch what you eat(NO greasy food & take it easy on the dairy products).If your unused to being on a boat & conditions aren't perfect,seasickness can kill a boat dive before you even have a chance to get wet!
Enjoy!

 

[Bhtmec2]

Keep to your guns and have someone on the boat. Now saying that I dive off my boat 4-6 times a month with it anchored and usually it is where I leave it but...... It has on 2 occasions moved it self and it really sucks coming back to where I departed and have to go looking for that Darn anchor ....... Sometimes you can follow the trench it made skipping along the bottom ad once we had to surface and swim and swim and swim after we sighted it ........ Thank god we are good surface swimmers........ I do it and know the risk and have to make a decision each time depending the conditions as to dive or not. I have been able to get a young thing that does not dive to stay up top to get sun and she can drive it if needed......Good luck