Negative entry vs Using a downline

[DaleC]

103' on that dive. It has been awhile for me and the cloud sponges have grown a bit higher up. It used to be you had to drop a bit lower to get the bigger ones. We did another similar dive at Kelvin Grove yesterday and the surface soup is worse but still good below.

 

[jadairiii]

The first time we did it this way was on the RBJ, a wreck at about 270 feet to sand. Because it is so easy to miss it with a hot drop, especially with the screaming current we had that day, the skipper gave the DM one shot at hitting it with the line, and he succeeded. When the captain described the plan, I asked how the line was going to come back up after the dive. He said he would send the DM back down. I said that we would rather unhook it ourselves, and he agreed. It worked great, as I will describe later.....

I have only ever hot dropped the RBJ (with and without scooters). IMHO it would be worse and harder on the divers to make them hand over hand down a down line in a smoking currrent. But again, hot dropping is really tough on a capt. that lacks skills to do hot drops.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have only ever hot dropped the RBJ (with and without scooters). IMHO it would be worse and harder on the divers to make them hand over hand down a down line in a smoking currrent. But again, hot dropping is really tough on a capt. that lacks skills to do hot drops.

A hot drop on the RBJ is much easier physically, but a waste of hundreds of dollars in gas and boat fees if you miss.

I was on a dive in February with an experienced captain and an experienced DM who missed the Hydro Atlantic.

 

[LiteHedded]

A hot drop on the RBJ is much easier physically, but a waste of hundreds of dollars in gas and boat fees if you miss.

I was on a dive in February with an experienced captain and an experienced DM who missed the Hydro Atlantic.

tell me about it.
i'd prefer the rope.

 

[boulderjohn]

Think about it from the operator's point of view. Pro-hot droppers have said over and over again that hitting the wreck depends upon the skill of the captain. Let's say it does. You go to dive the RBJ, a very, very expensive dive because of all the helium you need to do it safely. You miss. Your entire group comes up and gets on the boat, with moods ranging from sullen to outright angry. The gear gets put away, and the boat heads for shore.

What do you think the crew tip is going to be like that day? What are the odds that they will ever see those divers using their operation again? What do you think the operation ownership is going to be thinking when everyone comes back early and angry?

 

[danvolker]

Think about it from the operator's point of view. Pro-hot droppers have said over and over again that hitting the wreck depends upon the skill of the captain. Let's say it does. You go to dive the RBJ, a very, very expensive dive because of all the helium you need to do it safely. You miss. Your entire group comes up and gets on the boat, with moods ranging from sullen to outright angry. The gear gets put away, and the boat heads for shore.

What do you think the crew tip is going to be like that day? What are the odds that they will ever see those divers using their operation again? What do you think the operation ownership is going to be thinking when everyone comes back early and angry?

Fine John.....You have done it what...once....3 times....? We did it so many times between 96 and 2003 I can't even begin to guess how many.....70 times....150 time--way more? , ??? We were doing tech dives every weekend. The RB was a fun one.
Never missed it.
But, there are captains that just don't miss wrecks.
The Hydro? I will wager Lynn Simmons could drop you and me on it any day, on any part of the wreck we want to be dropped on....as many days as we want to dive it....She IS the Rainman for drops. I don't need 10 boats or Captains....I need one Lynn for when we dive Boynto/Delray....
We used Mimms for the RB, and for Palm beach, Van of Narcosis is not far from Lynn is skill levels--whether dropping on the Ande at 190 or the deep hopper barges, I'd count on Van 100% of the time.

Abernethy himself, while he does not usually captain his own boat, can give awesome drops.....I don't know all of his Captains, but I have NEVER had a missed drop from any of them.

I pick my charter boats and Captains like they are dive buddies.... I won't just go do a tech dive on "any" boat willing to run a tech trip.
My way is not the only way.....but when you guys start making pronouncements that the Hot drop method is going to be expensive and often a bust...that is like saying DIR won't work because buddies are so often running off the first instant you look away from them.....Sure, if you break Rule number one. Same with boats

 

[jadairiii]

.....

I was on a dive in February with an experienced captain and an experienced DM who missed the Hydro Atlantic.

I question the experience of the captain to miss the Hydro. I will also guarantee that if he dropped a DM to tie in the DM was on air which would also explain a lot.

Lot of dive boats in S FL that claim "experienced" captains that would screw up a hot drop on the Copenhagen wreck.

 

[flots am]

tell me about it.
i'd prefer the rope.

Me too. I'm entirely unimpressed with all the macho BS about how you need a captain that's been blessed by God, and the skills of a SCUBA Ninja to hit some of these wrecks with a hot drop.

I'll take a line over a hot drop any day. And honestly if there's a ton of current and no line, I'll find somewhere else to dive. It's not like there's a shortage of wrecks.

In the St. Lawrence, if someone is a little slow or gets disoriented or the captain is a little off, suddenly the dive turns into a rescue and a game of "chicken" with the freighters in the channel.

 

[boulderjohn]

It's good to know that because I have done fewer dives on these wrecks than you, it must therefore follow logically that no one ever misses these wrecks on a hot drop. I am embarrassed at having missed logical connection.

By the way, diving with a tech instructor a couple of years ago and a highly experienced captain, that tech instructor and I missed the Hydro Atlantic.

 

[maniago]

The way some folks are beating their chests about hot-dropping, you'd think we were skydiving, not scuba diving...