Almost died today--Any captains out there???

[ONESPEED]

Use a spinnaker shackle instead of a dog clip ... releases just fine, even under heavy load.

You want to clip yourself off to somebody go right ahead, I'll pass. Bad advice to be handing out though, really, really bad advice.

 

[Doc]

Not sure I like the idea of being tethered to another diver in heavy seas.

I guess it depends on how much you want to stay together drifting on the surface? A 10" line dives lots of room.

Also gives an entanglement risk and I don't love the idea of getting slammed in the head w/ someone elses tank I can't get out of the way of when a big wave hits.

Why not? You can always unclip if they do something really stupid.

And you're assuming it's clipped on both ends, tethering is really, really bad advice, especially for new divers in a potential panic situation.

Mine has hand loops and either diver can turn lose easily. Each to his own, but I want to make sure I stay with my buddy.

Use a spinnaker shackle instead of a dog clip ... releases just fine, even under heavy load.

Having, myself, been ass deep in Alligators, I speak from intimate experience.

The 30' of 2.5mm Perlon line that I preach constantly: you must have it rigged to your SMB to make it useful (versus it hanging off of you BC as a display ornament).

You must learn to shoot it from depth and hang at 15', nice and safe, waiting for your boat.

IF you must then surface in rough seas, that same 30' of line will became an excellent tool for staying close, but not too close that you are a collision hazard to each other. The risk of entanglement is low on the scale of danger versus being separated which is very bad.

Argue about attachment methods as you like and may postulate, but I have used it to keep three divers (on a relatively calm sea) bound together for warmth for several hours into the darkness.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Everything else is pure speculation until then. This works.

 

[Teamcasa]

You want to clip yourself off to somebody go right ahead, I'll pass. Bad advice to be handing out though, really, really bad advice.

I don't think it is bad advice for every situation.

While I'd never have myself clipped of in our SoCal surf zone, I would certainly consider it safe should my buddy and I get separated from the dive boat for reasons beyond our control and we were faced with a several hour long bobbing around on the surface interval.

 

[ONESPEED]

I don't think it is bad advice for every situation.

While I'd never have myself clipped of in our SoCal surf zone, I would certainly consider it safe should my buddy and I get separated from the dive boat for reasons beyond our control and we were faced with a several hour long bobbing around on the surface interval.

Well I'm adverse to clipping myself off to anyone or anything else on the surface. My point is and has been DD was advising new divers to clip off to eachother in rough seas using improper terminology and equipment recommendations....recipe for trouble and quite frankly irresponsible, especially for new divers in a panicked state. Are there some situations where it could work? sure, but to advise a new diver to clip off to anyone or anything in heavy seas is just plain bad advice.

 

[ONESPEED]

Argue about attachment methods as you like and may postulate, but I have used it to keep three divers (on a relatively calm sea) bound together for warmth for several hours into the darkness.

Understood, but calm seas are NOT what we are talking about here.

 

[Doc]

Understood, but calm seas are NOT what we are talking about here.

But reader's minds will wander and not understand a specific versus a general situation. There is no set rule, but to counsel disregarding the usefulness of such a line is a poorly based stance.

It's a general area of discussion and the all-encompassing statements that were being made contradict my specific personal experience.

Read my entire post:

If you must then surface in rough seas, that same 30' of line will became an excellent tool for staying close, but not too close that you are a collision hazard to each other. The risk of entanglement is low on the scale of danger versus being separated which is very bad.

Different situations, different needs. Not to have the option of the gear or knowledge based on prior training is ill advised.

 

[ONESPEED]

But reader's minds will wander. It's a general area of discussion and the all encompassing statements being made contradict my specific personal experience.

Perhaps, but I believe better to say nothing at all than make potentially harmful blanket statements. Calm water I see no real problem, rough water I see huge potential problems. You did specify your incident was in calm seas but this thread involves stormy seas.

 

[Doc]

Perhaps, but I believe better to say nothing at all than make potentially harmful blanket statements.

oky doke

 

[vladimir]

Hey, I have been a long time reader of the forum but this is my first post. Blue anchor was my dive buddy yesterday, and is also my girlfriend who I am trying to get into diving. We went out on a charter yesterday, I usually run my own boat, so that she would feel more comfortable and it would be an all around easier experience.
What happened was on dive # 2 she was pointing to her ears and signalling me to go up as soon as we were down on the bottom, so we went up next to the float and the boat was pretty far off. I immediatly got the saftey sausage out and started waving figuring eventually he would see us but he didn't and we road out a nasty lightening storm on the surface. It was whiteout conditions, and on one attempt during a clearing in the weather we got on our backs with saftery sausages in the air and triend to swim towards the boat, but it took off in the opposite direction shortly after our attempt, and we also lost sight of the float. Eventually, the other divers came up and also did not see the boat, and had to ride out some of the storm at 15 feet for an additional 15-20 minutes before they were picked up. We were up on the surface, (The GF got rid of her weight belt and couldnt get down) for the entire storm, at least 45 minutes, mostly out of sight of the boat with crazy lightning overhead.
I guess the captain was trying to avoid the storm also, and went away for a bit and planned on returning after the storm passed to pick us up. I got a couple problems with that. 1) of course what if divers had to come to the surface, especially for a medical emergency. and 2) I was spearfishing with another one of my buddies down there, and during a dive I expect the people on the boat to be overhead waiting for my bags which are pretty expensive and usually have good fish on them.
The whole experience was a pretty good scare. It got pretty rough with almost no surface vis at times and lightning was right overhead. I know afternoon storms come up really fast but when I go out with my buddies this type of thing never happens, and we always keep an eye out on the radar to see what is coming. We would never leave out divers down there. When I go out on a charter I leave that responibility to the captain which I guess I shouldnt. I understand his pressure though to get us down a second time on a 2 tank dive trip but you really got to put saftey first. Crew was great, and if they are reading Im sorry hell is getting raised, and I love your store and operation besides this occasion.

My partner couldn't his head remained in the water for the majority of our panic protecting us with his spear gun (poor guy).

Did you really have your head underwater to protect yourself and the OP with your speargun? Were sharks actually circling, or were you anticipating a little?

 

[trigfunctions]

You must learn to shoot it from depth and hang at 15', nice and safe, waiting for your boat.

I'm a little confused by this. On the drift dives that I've done in South Florida, the boat won't necessarily come over to pick you up until you surface. They will watch from a distance, and they may be watching more than one flag or SMB at the same time. So, you may not know if the boat is close until you come up. Therefore, in the conditions described by the OP, it may be preferable to wait on the surface so that you can try to spot the boat (or another boat, or a mouring bouy) and wave to get their attention instead of waiting underwater and hoping that the boat doesn't lose you.

Thoughts?