Never leave a diver behind

[Steve_Dives]

I'll add an interesting scenario. Several very boats are operating close to each other, and divers board the wrong boat and are clueless to what boat they were on, where they boarded, names of the capt. or DM, etc.

The dive boat I was on most recently issued us SMB's, each one numbered, regardless of whether we had our own or not. There were only 7 of us, and they had plenty of time to learn faces.

I also count. Funny thing. When other divers see me counting, they start counting. I'd bet on a boat of 12, I'd get 4-5 people counting. Generally, that's 3 or more buddy pairs looking out for each other.

 

[The Kraken]

Good point, Steve . . . that particular anomaly would give the captain a heads up that someting is amiss.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

The individual's C-card is out. So many of them are encapsulated in dive logs, etc.

All the boat captain/LDS has to do is have some plastic dry-marker cards made up.

Have a number painted upon a 2"x3" piece of dry-marker piece with a hole in the top.

When the diver signs the waiver, s/he is given the little tag, that number is recorded on the waiver. The diver, when signing the waiver, PRINTS Her/His name on the tag on both sides.

When the diver board the boat, the DIVER places the tag on the "ON" board. When the diver gears up and heads to the entrance, the DIVER moves his/her tag to the "OFF" board.

The divemaster should ask the diver before s/he enters the water if s/he has moved the tag.

This could easily be incorporated throughout the industry.l

the K

Excellent!!!!

This suggestion is simple, cheap, and could be setup easily even on "smallish" dive boats. Make the divers move the cards themselves, have a DM, crew member, or captain assigned to double check that they did it properly... simple and elegant.

I'm primarily a shore-diver, but on the dive boats I've been on I've seen headcounts, roll-calls, etc., and they all work fine if the crew is alert and sharp, but the Kraken-Count should be the "base-line" standard, and all the other methods simply added to it for redundancy.

The Kraken for President, I say!

Safe Diving!

 

[Shawley]

good thread guys!
really brings up a lot of good points

 

[cgvmer]

How about everyone that gets on-board gets 2 buddy tags. 1 is left on the board. 1 is clipped to the diver when they go dive. When they get back on board the diver puts his tag on the board.

Any single tags ..diver in the water.... This way I can't answer for someone else.

The Boy Scouts use a process like this except there are 2 boards, where you move your tag from one board to another

 

[neil]

Rick, the most foolproof system I've ever seen employed (but I'm just a novice, of course) is aboard the M/V Fling (Gulf of Mexico). Everyone on board is checked in and assigned a number. Divers enter the water from a single gate and a DM stands there with clipboard in hand. He asks your name and number and checks you into the water. Upon return, that same DM is on the ONLY exit point with the same clipboard in hand.

That's how it's done on the boats here in Ventura Harbor. The numbers used are the divers' stations/seats which are numbered. The DM also logs time in/time out on the slate. When I've DM'd here I also counted tanks. Over and over......

 

[merxlin]

How about everyone that gets on-board gets 2 buddy tags. 1 is left on the board. 1 is clipped to the diver when they go dive. When they get back on board the diver puts his tag on the board.

Any single tags ..diver in the water.... This way I can't answer for someone else.

What is the purpose of the 2nd tag? Wouldn't numbered spots work and not have the potential for someone taking both tags (and someone will)?

 

[Wookie]

I agree that in my experience the Spree & Fling have the closest thing to an absolutely idiot-proof system I've ever seen for avoiding ever leaving anyone behind... but what a monumental royal PITA! No jumping in from the wheelhouse during SI, no casual dips to just float around the boat in the warm August Gulf... the rigidity of the system saps a good deal of the fun that a group can have if they are responsible for themselves.
In "our" part of the gulf (Gulf Shores to Panama City), especially in the late summer, on the boats we like, we have an absolute blast with SI fun - lots of snorkeling and swimming and colorful leaps off the boat & such. But then we have the luxury of dealing with a group where we know every group member, and it's small enough to actually keep constant track of every individual. Still, our system that allows for lots of freedom and fun depends on mutual support and if it were a group of strangers I'd never propose it.
Rick

Gee, Uncle Ricky, we haven't seen you in our part of the Gulf in a while. We still don't jump off the sundeck, but do allow snorkling and swimming during the SI. The Captain is responsible for any snorklers/swimmers in the water during the SI, and (on the Spree anyway), the captain is responsible for the welfare check. Folks will tell captains things they won't tell their DM's. I can't come up with a better system than the one that we use for counting bodies, or I would. I'm sure it will bite me in the a$$ someday, and I will be monday morning quarterbacked, but as a system, it sure works good for me.

Frank

 

[Geoff_H]

Ya do that, then all of a sudden you have the little Momma's saying and screaming, """Oooooh my Gaaaaawdd !!! They run that boat like a Marine boot camp!!!!"

Maybe! I guess it depends on the way it's done and the atmosphere on the boat. With a DM politely saying

"Hey guys, please hang tight for a moment while we do a headcount to check we don't leave anyone to the sharks"

instead of yelling

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT EEVVVERRRYONE HAAAAAAAALT! PRESENT TAAAAAANKS NOOOOW!!"

then I doubt people will over react. Maybe you guys dive with some really immature divers on your boats but I think this procedure wouldn't even get a second glance in most of the places I've dived.

 

[djanni]

I'm a fan of boat provided numbered tags that the DM assigns and clips to everybody's BC onboard. Tags are removed from your BC after each dive. Only when all of the tags are back on the board and a roll call, does the boat move. On the next dive, you pull your same number off the board if you plan on diving. Rinse & repeat. Simple, easy and accurate.

I like that plan.