solo dive from a boat?

[RYCO]

if you had your own boat and wanted to solo dive, would you take your boat out and tie it off and take a plunge?

i have a 19ft champion bass boat. i want to dive some spots at local lakes and want to take my boat. so here is the question. would you solo dive from your own boat and leave it unattended? or even a buddy dive for that matter. if so what percautions would you take? if you have done this what, if any thing, bad has happened cause of it? if gone out fishing and wanted to take a swin but im on the surface more often than not and could quiclky respond if the boat came loose. but if im in less than 50 ft and the weather was calm and i had tied on good, why shouldnt i go?

 

[DennisS]

Ask yourself, what happens if the boat drifts off. I solo dive from my boat on a regular basis and am aware that it might not be there when I come up. I have a large anchor and lots of chain. I stay close in to make sure I can make it back to shore under my own power. I've also considered that the current could change, making a return to the boat difficult. If I can't do it as a shore dive, I don't do it as a solo boat dive. The advantage of the boat dive is that I can bring extra tanks, lunch and hit different spots.

I'd recommend good ground tackle and a 100 ft trailing line with a buoy. Let someone know when you are going and when you will be back. Make sure you can get back in the boat, don't forget to put the ladder down

 

[redacted]

I have done it but it is not the best of ideas. SH top side that you won't know about. Set 2 anchors and go down and make sure at least one is not going to move. Even with that precaution, I loosened an anchor once before ascending and decided to spend a few minutes around the anchor before ascending. Wind had picked up and it took a bit of effort to catch that damn thing.

 

[Darnold9999]

I do, and will continue to solo dive from my boat. However - if anything feels wrong I will not dive.

Around here current is the big issue - it can be strong and while in general it is predictable it is not predictable at a particular spot at a particular time. I will not solo dive solo from my boat in high current dive locations. Missing a current shift can easily make it impossible to return - and send you on a long ride to nowhere.

Not so worried about the boat not being there, but it is a 37' old wooden boat (heavy)with a good anchor and lots of chain - if the anchor is set properly it's not going anywhere.

I check the anchor as the first thing I do on descending - if there is any doubt call the dive.

I have geared up for a dive and called it just before getting into the water. Something didn't feel right, the wind was coming up and I wasn't totally confident of the anchor set. I was trying to anchor on the top of a very small pinnacle. While getting out of my gear the anchor pulled free.

The lesson learned was follow your instincts.

 

[Kevrumbo]

The tragedy which befell Kawika Chetron (may he rest in peace). . .
His photo gallery of NoCal marine life: Cold Water Images, Photography by Kawika Chetron

If you must solo dive from your own unattended boat, for heaven's sake, purchase and use a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) stowed in a dive canister.

 

[DebbyDiver]

No, absolutely not. I would not dive from an unattended boat (other than my dive yak that I tow along with me rather than towing a dive flag). When I owned boats if only two of us went out, one stayed in the boat while the other dove and vice versa.

Hey Dennis don't dive alone neighbor-dude, invite me along, one of us can drift the boat while the other dives.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Make sure you check out local laws concerning unattended boats. I'm not sure what they are in Arizona, or anywhere else for that matter, but I have heard that of the coast of Florida, if the CG finds your boat unattended, you could be looking at a hefty fine.

 

[paddler3d]

My buddy and I often will dive and leave the boat unattended.

We do take some precautions. We do have a very long tag line off the boat. One of us jumps in and does a current check. We have a long chain to the anchor or hook. We have a Rocna anchor on a little boat. If the anchor is in sand, we visually inspect the anchor to make sure it is set. If we are hooked to the wreck, we also tie the hook to the wreck. If vis isn't that hot, we hook a dive reel to the anchor.

We're not doing the solo diving thing, but we do the boat thing. In my opinion it can be done safely, but use your head.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Make sure you check out local laws concerning unattended boats. I'm not sure what they are in Arizona, or anywhere else for that matter, but I have heard that of the coast of Florida, if the CG finds your boat unattended, you could be looking at a hefty fine.

Many places make a distinction between private boats and commercial boats. In areas with caverns and swim throughs most kayak divers tie it off, IMHO. The only kayak dive I've done attached to my yak was an 80 ft reg hose hookah set up in significant wind and I felt like a worm on the end of a bottom trolling rig!

 

[RYCO]

some of you said to use long tag line, whats that? also im talking about local lakes, not the ocean