Diving situation - the fine line between safe and trouble.

[Puffer Fish]

In my few years of diving (more than 40), I have had a fairly significant number of "events" that involved rescues, saving someone and/or situations that were scary. So far, everyone came out ok.

From all of that, I have developed one great fear in diving.... what if, the next time something happens, I guess wrong, make a mistake or the situation has no right answer. What if, this next time...it does not save someone? After one really bad year, it kept me awake at night for years afterwards...and it still haunts me.

So, a little story from last month. I was doing a live aboard to the Dry Tortuga's with 20 good diving buddies. I was diving with a new diver.. good skills, but this was his first real dive trip.

The first two days were nice, and we got 10 dives in. Other than having to slow down for him, we had a great time. The last day was to be a wreck.

In the morning, the seas were 6 - 8 ft, with a 20 knot wind. but the water looked clear. We pulled up on the wreck, one of the crew went down with a one inch line and tied off to the wreck...

We did a side entry, swam to the anchor line and down to the wreck. Big waves, but almost no current.

We went in in groups... and when it came time for us, I jumped in.. followed by my buddy.

I started swimming to the anchor line, got there and started to decend (was not nice on the surface). He was about a minute of so behind me, with the plan being to meet about 15 down on the line and go down together.

Water was clear, and while I could not see the wreck, there was a big barricuda about 30 ft below me.

As my buddy got to the line, with me 15 ft below and looking at him, a big wave hit the boat and snapped the anchor line.

I could see the look on his face (he, like me, was holding on to it at the time).. so I surfaced.

On the surface, the boat was now sideways to the wind and moving away at a very rapid rate.

Those on the boat (including the three "captains" were at the railing, wavying their arms and yelling for us to swim to the boat.

The boat is now going away from us at around 10 knots... and we can no longer hear them.

My buddy starts swimming madly towards the waving people, I swim over and grab him and tell him to stop.

The look in his eyes was scary, and very panicked, until I said "relax, they have to come back to get the divers already down, and we are never going to catch them (they were now, almost out of sight).

Oddly, I could still see the barricuda, so we could have just gone down to the wreck, but I thought the boat people would really panic if we did that.

I knew they had to get the engines started and all those yelling people were the only ones that could do that, so it was going to be a while.

So, there we floated, while I told stories until the boat showed up again and we started the dive all over again.

But what happens if we had tried to reach the boat? Worn out... tired... they would have watched us, until it was really,really obvious we could not make it and then go start the engines.

When we got back on the boat, the helper and I got hit by a wave that completely covered us, standing on the platform... would I have been strong enough to hold on if worn out?

Nothing happened.. we all had a great time, but that look on his face still bothers me... it is one I have seen too many times in the past.

Just venting... sorry.

[DivingsInMyBlood]

It seems he was pretty new from what you said and we are all allowed one or two of those moments when were new. He had a good dive buddy/mentor with him to help him out. It takes a while to get comfortable diving and I'm sure those waves didnt help the poor fellow too much.

[rox@ucf11]

sounds like he did get some good expierience though, I have yet to go on my 1st ocean boat dive, seas have been too bad 6-8 ft in west palm and boynton beach wish it would calm down a bit

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by rox@ucf11

sounds like he did get some good expierience though, I have yet to go on my 1st ocean boat dive, seas have been too bad 6-8 ft in west palm and boynton beach wish it would calm down a bit

I dive out of Boyington a lot.. love the area...

Interestingly, I don't think he remembers that one small moment.. did the dive fine...

[Kokomo]

I can't believe "the captains" on the boat wanted you to swim for it. That doesn't make sense at all.

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by Kokomo

I can't believe "the captains" on the boat wanted you to swim for it. That doesn't make sense at all.

That was such an odd part of it, looking up, and seeing the yelling and arm waving... they were all very young... I think it was what effected by buddy the most... their look of panic...

Me, I would have just gone and gotten the engines started...or eventually they would have been in Mexico

[Splitlip]

Originally Posted by Kokomo

I can't believe "the captains" on the boat wanted you to swim for it. That doesn't make sense at all.

I am gonna venture a guess, that it took them a while to realize that a 20kt wind was pushing the boat and not the current.

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by Splitlip

I am gonna venture a guess, that it took them a while to realize that a 20kt wind was pushing the boat and not the current.

That would be my thought... and the waves seemed to always turn that ship sideways to the wind (I guess that makes sense). It was surprizing how fast it was going away from us.

[Scuba Steve]

Good info. Newbies like myself can learn from this example. Thanks for posting it!

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by Scuba Steve

Good info. Newbies like myself can learn from this example. Thanks for posting it!

Steve, hard as it is to explain, that momentary look on his face was the scary part for me..Him trying to do the impossible, by people he trusted... without regard for what would happen next..

25 minutes later, he did not even remember it happened.. me, I'm still scared.

If you learn anything from it, it is to make sure you don't do anything that puts yourself in a position like that. Get pulled off a line to a wreck and try to swim back to it... get in conditions where you will need all your strength later.. sometimes it is better to relax and let other do their thing.