dry heat diver
Contributor
Any time you don't feel entirely comfortable with your ability to handle the conditions. There is nothing you need to prove. Live to dive another day.
How Much is Too Much?
- Thread starter FloridaRanger
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I was out of WPB with a dive op when they cancelled the 2nd dive because of waves. I dunno, I didn't think it was that bad. I was wearing doubles and didn't have any trouble getting up the ladder. WHen they cancelled the 2nd dive, my response was "YGBSM."
I think it's one of things where the "least common denomenator" determines the course of action.
Too bad.
Instead of cancelling the dive for everyone, the dive operators should single out specific divers and not permit them to dive anymore that day. The rest of the divers should be allowed to jump overboard.
I think it's one of things where the "least common denomenator" determines the course of action.
Too bad.
Instead of cancelling the dive for everyone, the dive operators should single out specific divers and not permit them to dive anymore that day. The rest of the divers should be allowed to jump overboard.
I've been in the keys with 3-5 foot seas that were considered very marginal. Every once in a while a 7 foot roller would come along. I did not think that was too bad as the waves had some distance between them and were not too close together. In Monterey 4-6 with a 9 or 10 was considered good on the way out and in. They found us some sheltered areas to dive in but the trip out and back would have been scrubbed in other places. So what is ok one place might not be in another depending on the divers, the boat, the captain, and the usual conditions.
That was one of the hardest adjustments I had to make when I moved to Hawaii 10 years ago from Monterey. Conditions that normally cancel a charter in Hawaii are considered normal diving in Monterey.
In a way its good, some people are nothing but warm water divers and expect and only want to dive in "perfect" conditions. Whereas people who dive in places like Monterey are "usually" prepared for more adverse conditions.
As long as my Dramamine is working, bring it on! Some of my most fun-filled days at sea were in brutally rough conditions. Diving with Olympus in NC, the seas were so rough that the windshield was shattered on the Olympus. We were on the Midnight Express close by headed to the Caribsea because the wreck lies in 90 feet of water protected by a shoal. Despite the washing machine on the surface, the conditions on the wreck were excellent. I was teaching a wreck diving course and filming sand tiger sharks. For 2 days I had been trying to get a shark to swim right up to the lens head first with no success. As a backward kicked out of the bow section while filming my two students exiting the wreck, something told me to look to my right. A sand tiger was swimming toward me along the hull. I moved the camera from the students to the shark and he came right up to the camera before veering off. I finally got the shot!
During the dive, sharks were sticking unusually close to us. The boat captain told me that he was first worried they would try to eat me, then he became worried that they were going to try to mate with me. As we discussed their behavior, we theorized that maybe the fact that we were horizontal and using finesse kicks made us seem more a part of the environment than divers hanging vertically and they were more curious and less cautious about us.
On the surface, there were so many seasick divers. I had taken Dramamine the night before, upon waking and just prior to departure. My students did the same and we were chowing down on Italian hoagies and Go-GURT and having a blast. We ended up with a few war wounds getting pounded around. I was very thankful for my wetsuit and knee pad when I took a shot climbing an onboard ladder to get some chow. It has torn ligaments and it was swollen and I was limping, but without the suit it could have been worse. I dropped my guard for a second when it happened. That's all it takes. You need to stay on your toes. It's part of the adventure of diving and being at sea. You just need to be hearty and tough it out.
The captain and I came up the twin ladders side by side after the second dive. I nearly fell off the rungs at one point when my foot slipped. When I reached the top, the captain complimented me on my ladder climbing prowess. I laughed and told him that I was 1 inch from ending up back in the drink as my foot slid. He laughed and told me he had nearly fallen too. Good times!
When conditions are rough, the boat is as challenging as the dive, if not more challenging, at times. Divers need to show both the boat and the crew a lot of respect. When you are new to boat diving, especially when it is rough, do your best to hang on tight, stay away from places and objects that can hurt you, and pay close attention to how the crew is moving about the boat. Look at what they use as hand holds, how they stand, walk, and do battle with the sea. Copy, ask questions, be observant.
From the moment you sign the waiver and pay your charter fee, you are personally responsible for yourself. You need to decide what is too dangerous for you. The crew will get the dive boat to the dive site if it is at all possible to tackle the conditions.
The captain and crews are not your baby-sitters. They are professionals who will do their best to make sure that the boat gets to and from the dive site safely. Staying safe while on board is your job. They'll be glad to help you and help you stay safe, but stay sharp, stay out of their way, be ready to comply with orders, and be ready to help. While on board, you are part of the solution or part of the problem. Ask permission to board. Follow directions. Stow your stuff in as small an area as possible. Secure all your gear and belongings. Realize you are going to sea the same way the Phoenicians did and anything can happen out there. Bring a jump/survival bag and mentally prepare yourself for needing to survive since boats and ships still sink.
Be prepared for daring adventure above and below the waves and accept the risks, doing your best to minimize them. Life is risk. Risk often yields rewards.
During the dive, sharks were sticking unusually close to us. The boat captain told me that he was first worried they would try to eat me, then he became worried that they were going to try to mate with me. As we discussed their behavior, we theorized that maybe the fact that we were horizontal and using finesse kicks made us seem more a part of the environment than divers hanging vertically and they were more curious and less cautious about us.
On the surface, there were so many seasick divers. I had taken Dramamine the night before, upon waking and just prior to departure. My students did the same and we were chowing down on Italian hoagies and Go-GURT and having a blast. We ended up with a few war wounds getting pounded around. I was very thankful for my wetsuit and knee pad when I took a shot climbing an onboard ladder to get some chow. It has torn ligaments and it was swollen and I was limping, but without the suit it could have been worse. I dropped my guard for a second when it happened. That's all it takes. You need to stay on your toes. It's part of the adventure of diving and being at sea. You just need to be hearty and tough it out.
The captain and I came up the twin ladders side by side after the second dive. I nearly fell off the rungs at one point when my foot slipped. When I reached the top, the captain complimented me on my ladder climbing prowess. I laughed and told him that I was 1 inch from ending up back in the drink as my foot slid. He laughed and told me he had nearly fallen too. Good times!
When conditions are rough, the boat is as challenging as the dive, if not more challenging, at times. Divers need to show both the boat and the crew a lot of respect. When you are new to boat diving, especially when it is rough, do your best to hang on tight, stay away from places and objects that can hurt you, and pay close attention to how the crew is moving about the boat. Look at what they use as hand holds, how they stand, walk, and do battle with the sea. Copy, ask questions, be observant.
From the moment you sign the waiver and pay your charter fee, you are personally responsible for yourself. You need to decide what is too dangerous for you. The crew will get the dive boat to the dive site if it is at all possible to tackle the conditions.
The captain and crews are not your baby-sitters. They are professionals who will do their best to make sure that the boat gets to and from the dive site safely. Staying safe while on board is your job. They'll be glad to help you and help you stay safe, but stay sharp, stay out of their way, be ready to comply with orders, and be ready to help. While on board, you are part of the solution or part of the problem. Ask permission to board. Follow directions. Stow your stuff in as small an area as possible. Secure all your gear and belongings. Realize you are going to sea the same way the Phoenicians did and anything can happen out there. Bring a jump/survival bag and mentally prepare yourself for needing to survive since boats and ships still sink.
Be prepared for daring adventure above and below the waves and accept the risks, doing your best to minimize them. Life is risk. Risk often yields rewards.
OP
FloridaRanger
Contributor
Must have been a different boat or a different captain then.
As for the rest, how would they determine who goes and who stays? Level of training? Number of dives? Physical fitness? Age? ... I wouldn't want to be the one doing the sorting.
OP
FloridaRanger
Contributor
Trace, I did have fun on the boat and on the dives. I was just afraid I'd rip my arm off trying to get back on the boat in 6-10 foot seas the next day. I've crushed my heel in a rock climbing accident, broken my humerus in two in a motocross accident (which required cutting through my rotator cuff to put a titanium rod in my arm), and banged, bruised or broken most of my other parts at one time or another during an active life in which I put a premium on adventure. I used to fly airplanes a lot and had some pretty harrowing experiences, although I never flew for a living like pfflyer. But now I am older, fatter and more fragile. And trying harder to know my limits. When I was younger and had good shoulders, I probably would have found battling to get aboard a thrill and an absolute blast ... but then that attitude got me the injuries that now give me a great deal of pain every day.
Blazinator
Contributor
Trace nailed it well - Be prepared for an adventure.
I have never been seasick to the point of hurling, HOWEVER, I found my limitations when a dive buddy invited me on his friends boat to dive a Lake Erie site nine miles out and we left in 4 to 6 foot waves (consistant whitecaps) that built to 6 to 8 footers after a mile and we couldn't get the 23 foot boat up on a plane. Picture that roller coaster ride seeing walls of water when you look UP.
Half hour into that, I tried to call the dive and said that we don't HAVE to dive today, what do you two think? They said "we're cool so far" and we proceeded, so I (knowing we had another hour ride still @ 8mph) stood in the middle of the center of gravity holding onto the canopy to keep myself from following the lunges of the swells.
I came real close to hell then, and kept saying to myself "just get under when we arrive".
We barely were able to tie to the mooring ball, then drysuit buddy jumped in, and I followed slowly and forgot my fins, barely swam to the ladder to get them, but eventually got under and 70 feet later, blissfully peed in my wetsuit in perfect quiet calm in pitch black conditions (All lake Erie dives are night dives with 25 ft vis) while I held the light for drysuit guy to tie the wreck reel.
Had a nice dive on the Admiral, did the SS, and conditions were the same on the surface. Our non-diving boat owner couldn't help us in as he was too sick to get up from his chair. Feeling MUCH better, I commandeered the task of untying off the ball, and right at the last attempt while hearing them say "cut the line", I got us loose and we were off. One and a half hours til shore in same conditions.
Now I know when to call a dive, and never with that buddy again.
Good thread!
I have never been seasick to the point of hurling, HOWEVER, I found my limitations when a dive buddy invited me on his friends boat to dive a Lake Erie site nine miles out and we left in 4 to 6 foot waves (consistant whitecaps) that built to 6 to 8 footers after a mile and we couldn't get the 23 foot boat up on a plane. Picture that roller coaster ride seeing walls of water when you look UP.
Half hour into that, I tried to call the dive and said that we don't HAVE to dive today, what do you two think? They said "we're cool so far" and we proceeded, so I (knowing we had another hour ride still @ 8mph) stood in the middle of the center of gravity holding onto the canopy to keep myself from following the lunges of the swells.
I came real close to hell then, and kept saying to myself "just get under when we arrive".
We barely were able to tie to the mooring ball, then drysuit buddy jumped in, and I followed slowly and forgot my fins, barely swam to the ladder to get them, but eventually got under and 70 feet later, blissfully peed in my wetsuit in perfect quiet calm in pitch black conditions (All lake Erie dives are night dives with 25 ft vis) while I held the light for drysuit guy to tie the wreck reel.
Had a nice dive on the Admiral, did the SS, and conditions were the same on the surface. Our non-diving boat owner couldn't help us in as he was too sick to get up from his chair. Feeling MUCH better, I commandeered the task of untying off the ball, and right at the last attempt while hearing them say "cut the line", I got us loose and we were off. One and a half hours til shore in same conditions.
Now I know when to call a dive, and never with that buddy again.
- well after hearing THAT, of course you were right to call the dive!!!
Good thread!
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