Ascending on a line?

[peterbj7]

The recent "fad" of suggesting "every" diver "always" carry an SMB is great for rentals and sales

I thought you were a fairly experienced diver. Was I wrong?

 

[peterbj7]

Acending on a line/DSMB....

Kirsty MacColl Dies on Diving Holiday - Hit by Speedboat

IIRC she was decapitated directly in front of her children, in a "no boat" area close in to shore. An SMB wouldn't have helped her. The boat driver was identified immediately as a well known and wealthy local man, but as is normal in Mexico and as is becoming all too common here in Belize, he used his influence to avoid prosecution and any form of recrimination. AFAIK nothing happened to him and no compensation was ever paid.

I often wonder why sane people go to Mexico. A diver turned up here last week, having flown into Cancun and travelled down to Belize overland. On the way he was stopped by police on virtually no pretext at all and certainly without any cause, and robbed of everything he had on him. As he was backpacking that was quite a lot.

None of which is much to do with ascending on a line. Interesting how these threads diversify.

 

[DevonDiver]

IIRC she was decapitated directly in front of her children, in a "no boat" area close in to shore. An SMB wouldn't have helped her.

I'm not familiar with the specifics of the accident, but surely a big inflatable orange tube, rising 4' out of the water...'may' have helped prevent the collision?

 

[peterbj7]

It was a shallow area close in to shore, where boats were prohibited. The boat was driven through the area at high speed and IIRC she was struck by the lower engine unit and propeller. Even if she had had an SMB I doubt whether the boat driver would have seen it, because she would have been dead ahead and shielded from his view by the bow. In any case, he was driving so recklessly I doubt whether he was looking anyway.

 

[drdaddy]

I thought you were a fairly experienced diver. Was I wrong?

I always carry a SMB and line. I want to be seen/found/picked up if I'm drifting out to sea in current.

I once was practicing shooting a sausage on a jetty dive. The US Coast Guard showed up and checked to see if I was alright. I wasn't at all embarrassed as I didn't know why they had showed up. Later it dawned on my - when they saw my sausage from the tower (over a mile away) they sent a boat. Boy, am I careful now when I pee before/after dives.

Here's a short story to emphasize the stupidity of boaters and how you can never be safe with them around. My buddy and I were doing a crab dive in the Alsea/Waldport,Oregon Bay (not the Crab Hole). I had 2 dive flags out and we were right between them. I had come up when a boat started coming towards us. I tried to scream and wave him off. When he got close he said, "Hi, I am a diver too - just wanted to see what you were doing." I screamed at him to get out of here because my buddy was still down and reminded him of the law to stay away from dive flags. Stupid!!! I always put out a dive flag when diving jetties. But the only ones who really notice are the jetty fishermen who stay away because they assume that I'm down there scaring the fish away. Of course I appreciate this because I don't want a hook in me. But the stupid boaters (I own an ocean/offshore sport fishing boat) seem to be attracted by the flag. I'm afraid that a SMB would attract them as well - but hopefully would slow them down. I have been "yelled at" by the Coast Guard for surfacing mid-channel and then being seeing by a 100 foot tourist whale watching boat. I'm sure they called the Coast Guard, not because they thought I was in distress, but because I was in the channel/shipping line. I was being careful and very watchful, but they were right - I should have marked myself. But I knew if they saw my sausage, they would have come - well, they came anyway and rightly yelled at me. This was years ago and I have learned. But I am very sure that I would not want anything floating (dive flag or SMB) attached to me.

I write the above to caution anyone ascending on a SMB line to be very careful. And also to remind diver/boaters when in a boat - stay clear of divers. If you want to check on them - give them the OK? sign from the boat and watch for their response.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I thought you were a fairly experienced diver. Was I wrong?

I have made hundreds of dives in lakes and rivers in Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. I have made hundreds of dives off Key Largo and 8 in cave country. I have made thousands of dives in Hawaii, most of them as a working Instructor/Guide. The only times I have carried an SMB was when leading most guided drift dives. The boat has provided the SMB on every occasion.

How many of you have been to Molasses Reef, French Reef or the Benwood wreck? Those areas are where I think the OP should do his Key Largo diving. I do not recommend Christ of the Abyss.

Florida Keys NMS Mooring Buoy System

Molasses Reef (SPA)

French Reef (SPA)

Could some lurker from Florida please give us a link to any surfacing accident involving a moving boat in those recreation areas? Or even an old rumor?

 

[Blackwood]

I seriously question whether anyone who EVER runs out of gas (excepting, as I said, catastrophic failure) should even be diving without significant re-training.

At the risk of drawing this thread well beyond the lines of reason (given the OP), I'll respond.

I have been taught and wholly believe that I should, on every dive, plan an monitor my gas consumption. I don't look at my SPG without having an expectation of what it will read, and if that expectation is off by more than about 100PSI, I'll re-evaluate the plan.

This particular site was one that I regularly dive, and therefore have a good idea how much gas I use diving it. I made two mistakes: 1) I didn't consider how drastically different this profile was than normal - we made repeated, 6 IIRC correctly, ascents and descents, and therefore I put gas in my wing and suit 6 times more than normal. 2) I didn't check. "2" is the obvious big one. "1" I would have caught were it not for "2".

Regarding significant re-training, I disagree. Rather, I feel that the immediate feedback of actually committing the unforgivable sin left a much stronger impression on me than would being conceptually/intellectually re-instructed to check my gas.

I was at one time trained to check my gas every 5 minutes. I was later trained in a rather more 'advanced' course to not check as often because it's a backup measure to the gas plan and doing it so much is superfluous. Since running out, I've resumed checking every 5 minutes, and as mentioned above always with an expectation.

 

[peterbj7]

I don't check every 5 minutes or anywhere close. On a typical reef dive here, down to say 100 ft and lasting say 45 minutes, I check the pressure (immediately) before I get in, when I reach the bottom after my initial descent, and then again maybe 20 minutes later or whenever I go deep, whichever comes first. I then check it again after my main ascent into shallow water, and again when I commence my safety/final deco stop. That's 4 or 5 times per dive. Like you I have an expectation of what it will read. I also check my gear occasionally almost automatically, rolling over and checking for any bubbles. I obviously check it far more often if I have someone else breathing off it.

 

[manni-yunk]

It was a shallow area close in to shore, where boats were prohibited. The boat was driven through the area at high speed and IIRC she was struck by the lower engine unit and propeller. Even if she had had an SMB I doubt whether the boat driver would have seen it, because she would have been dead ahead and shielded from his view by the bow. In any case, he was driving so recklessly I doubt whether he was looking anyway.

I agree with a previous poster. I dont see how with any reason or logic - you cannot conclude that a large bright orange buoy sticking out of the water might have avoided this accident????????
The buoy would have been seen while still far enough away - there is a blind spot from the bow, but at a certain distance you are outside of that spot.

 

[knowone]

Any motorised stuff when you're under there is very very loud even at distance.
The direction issue can be a bit bothersome and it's a pity that the frivolous use
of buoys and floats tends to attract the naughty silly people, and in the wrong boats.

Good luck with your gauges wherever they are.