Gulf Shores dive attempt and lessons learned

[GregGrimes]

Did you guys go to Perdido Cut for the bridge dive? We did some of our AOW dives there a few weeks ago. To anchor the dive flag, our instructor brought along a dog leash stake. A couple of quick turns into the bottom and you have a solid attachment.

Greg

 

[Ghetto Diver]

OP....been there with my daughter. She got her OW last year at 14yo, now is much better at dealing with her equipment, and a better overall diver.
Like you, we had a 'family dive meeting' more than once though lol.

good work...

 

[TMHeimer]

I hold the dive flag spool way out to the side and switch hands depending on current (which way will the line be pulled away).

 

[Mike]

Ok....today, my boys and I decided to dive the Whiskey wreck. The seas were calm, weather was good, and I had already snorkeled out the day before to check the distance and how far down the wreck was. This would be one of our first dives without a DM, but I felt it would be a simple dive and good dive for us. Wow...I was wrong. My boys are 13 and 14, and I realized that I or a DM have done most of the work for them in previous dives. We decided to suit up at the parking lot and walk about 80 yards to the beach. By the time we got there, I had done all the work and was dead tired. My youngest son's tank had come out of the bc strap, my other son lost a fin b/c he didnt tighten it, everyone was upset, so I called off the dive. There was no way we were getting in the water. I realized, certification doesnt mean much. We went back to the condo and had a little dive family meeting. I informed my boys, from now on, they pack their equipment, help each other and me get everything together. I also made sure they knew had to loosen and tighten their fins and mask. Its amazing as you are going through training all the little things that are taken for granted. It was an incredible lesson to learn. Later that afternoon, my youngest son and I decided we would go down to a local bridge and try a 16 foot dive to see if we learned anything from the morning fiasco. The dive was successful, no mishaps, much better organized and mentally prepared.

As mentioned above, the second dive went well. However, I also found that towing a flag/buoy was a PITA. It seemed to get caught in my snorkle more than once. I have seen other divers anchor their reel and make sure they stay in the vicinty. I am not sure what they were using for an anchor as most of the area we were in was sand. Any help here is appreciated.

Your description sounds like the description of the results of planning your dives prior to diving them. The 2nd one was a lot better because unlike the first one you had a 'dive plan' the second time. Sometimes I think of dive plan as only describing what is going to go on after you get under the water, your description reveals that a dive plan can be all encompassing and the results prove the worth of it.

 

[dwhthediver]

When I teach, I meet with any CAs I have helping that I believe people learn by doing, so don't jump in when you see a problem. Mention that maybe something isn't right, and should recheck what they have done. I think your boys learned a valuable lesson about diving and life. Good job!!

 

[NeoByzantine]

Hey Jason,

When you snorkeled out there to check it out, how did the wreck look? How was the vis?

NeoByz

---------- Post Merged at 06:48 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:45 PM ----------

By the way, sounds like you did a great job with the family 'dive meeting.' When I first started diving (about 12 y/o), my father held several of those meetings with me and set some similar rules/guidelines. It was a necessary step to make our diving together safer and more enjoyable. Good work; your children will be glad of it one day.

 

[jasoncolorado]

on the contrary, I think your judgement in this situation demonstrates excellent qualities of both a diver and as a parent, rather than inadequacies.

Thanks!

---------- Post Merged at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 07:08 PM ----------

Did you guys go to Perdido Cut for the bridge dive? We did some of our AOW dives there a few weeks ago. To anchor the dive flag, our instructor brought along a dog leash stake. A couple of quick turns into the bottom and you have a solid attachment.

Greg

Seems like a very logical solution. Thanks for the info.

---------- Post Merged at 07:12 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 07:08 PM ----------

Hey Jason,

When you snorkeled out there to check it out, how did the wreck look? How was the vis?

NeoByz

---------- Post Merged at 06:48 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:45 PM ----------

By the way, sounds like you did a great job with the family 'dive meeting.' When I first started diving (about 12 y/o), my father held several of those meetings with me and set some similar rules/guidelines. It was a necessary step to make our diving together safer and more enjoyable. Good work; your children will be glad of it one day.

The vis was 8 to 10 feet. Not bad. We snorkeled only to the buoy so I saw only a fraction of the wreck. Apparently, there is a larger section of the wreck to the west, but with there are signs on the beach that says you cant approach the west of the buoy due to the jet skis.

 

[Quero]

Really interesting to read your experience! Thanks for posting.

As a scuba instructor in a part of the world where the boat crews bend over backwards to make life pleasant for divers, I have given the question of how much to help students a great deal of thought.

When I've got a Discover Scuba student, I tend to do more/most things and leave as little as possible (ideally nothing) for the student to get frustrated about. I put together all the gear, I help the student gear up, I gather up their scattered items post-dive and quietly stow them....

But when it's full-fledged OW students, I tend not to do as much. I let them fumble with putting gear together wrong and then having to work out what the problem is (yes, putting the regs on backwards is common; putting the BCD on the tank with the valve pointing to the side or the back is another common one). On the boat, I don't let the deck crew change out tanks for students--I make them do their own; I don't pick up fins left on the dive platform or collect masks that're just left lying around. I will tuck them away so they won't get washed off the deck or stepped on and broken, but I won't gather them up; I'll just wait for the student to go "Where's my mask?" and figure out that putting things away properly is a key procedure. I might help students gear up, though, just as any person will help another for no reason other than to be nice.

For certified divers I do something in-between. I'll watch and step in if there's an issue, and maybe I'll pick up fins and explicitly hand them to the divers rather than just putting the fins away in their place, to make a point, or I might hold up the mask and say "Is this yours? I found it on the floor," but I don't make them change out tanks on their own if everybody else is getting help from the crew.

It's definitely important for student divers to develop some degree of self-sufficiency in terms of equipment handling when getting ready for a dive and when the dive is over so that it's not the designated adult male in the family group who has the entire burden of it.

 

[easy]

I think you set a great example for your kids. You showed them that it's ok to not dive, even if you've got your tank on your back and are almost to the water. That's a great lesson.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I am not sure how the OP did all the work. If the kids carried their own tanks, then what did you do for them to get so tired before the dive?

If your boys are somewhat weak and have trouble carrying the gear, you might try this. The tanks and reg and BC is assembled and then everyone carries the scuba unit to near the water, then everyone walks back and then don's their suits and weightbelts and carries the remainder of the gear. Two trips is sometimes easier and carrying heavy gear in a full wetsuit can be very stressful and just too hot sometimes.

Another thing i used to do was to get the student or new divers dressed, before me. I would rather have them wait 2.5 minutes while I get dressed than for me to wait 12 minutes for them.. You are also a lot more mobile and effective if you provide assistance before donning the tank.