My wife, daughter, and I are all relatively new divers. On a recent trip to a warm locale we signed up for a two-tank afternoon dive for the three of us. Our 12 year old daughter was just certified inland last summer, so these were to be her first ocean dives. We intentionally chose the easiest (no current, 30' deep) dives available, just to have some fun and a good first experience. We had DMs dive along with us.
That morning we saw that there was a storm front forecast to come through later that evening, and the diver operator said that the port would be closed the following day due to high winds. However, the afternoon we arrived at the dock the weather appeared fine. The weather shouldn't have been a problem until long after we were back.
I did not ask any questions about the safety items on the boat (I'll never make that mistake again). After a delay to find enough tanks, we headed out, albeit slowly. I thought perhaps the dive site was close, but was told that the engines (there were two) weren't running properly. It took awhile to get there. These two issues put us a bit behind schedule.
Both dives went fine. The DM appeared to have his act together and be quite experienced. When we finished the second dive, though, it was wasn't long before dark.
We got back on the boat, started toward shore, and was told it would take an hour to get to shore. The engines didn't sound good and the boat was barely moving. This was not a good sign with some storms building. Then both engines quit. They would not restart. We still had about four miles of open ocean to cross. I thought, well, no problem, put the lights on, call for help. Turns out there was no radio, and in fact, no lights. At this point we were solely dependent on the dive operator's cell phone for communications.
We eventually dropped anchor and spent two hours in choppy seas (the other couple of divers on board became seasick). After some thought we realized that we had left our dive flashlights packed in our dive gear bags just by luck. Those were the only lights on board to signal with. We were told several times that a boat was coming, but none ever did. The incoming storm front was on our minds. Not a good night to stay on the water overnight in such a small boat. Thunderstorms went to both sides of us in the dark, with lightning striking nearby. Eventually after a few hours floating in the dark, a friend of the dive operator showed up in another boat and towed us in.
What if the engines had died before we got back on the boat after the second dive? Would we have been left floating in the ocean unable to reach the boat? What if the cell phone had been dropped, or the battery had died, and we were left out in the ocean as the storm front arrived? There were a lot of issues that could've become very serious very quickly.
Speaking with my LDS back home after this, they suggested that prior to heading out on any boat dive that we ask to see the radio, ask what frequency they use, lights, what their egress plan is in case of emergency, and also not only see the emergency kit but verify that a bottle of oxygen is inside.
I would appreciate hearing what others typically do before boarding a dive boat in a new location. I realize that both engines failing is a rare event, but eventually mechanical failures can happen to anyone. I do not wish to repeat this experience, particularly with my family. At this point I'm just relieved that we're safe and that everyone is still up for more diving.
