Diving West Palm Beach, FL

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Hi.. my name is Victoria Ann Bryant-Yarbrough (for those needing names for credibility), and Randy Jordan damn near cost me my life back in 2003. Search it! Everything is well documented. I wonder if this group was also thrown on Nitrox while being uncertified. Or perhaps they were left drifting in the abyss, narced out of their minds while Randy was shooting a cobia, it's a funny thing what water, depth, inexperience and no air will do for a person…(it isn’t pretty folks).

For the record Randy… I was the diver you “took under your wing” and left at the Hole in the Wall. You promised me I would be safe with you after I told you I thought the dive was too advanced for me being a brand new diver. I’m the diver you put on Nitrox , knowing I had NO experience with it what-so-ever. I’m the diver that was left at 138 feet alone, narced, and with less then 500psi while you speared a Cobia (thank God someone picked up your slack and came back for me). I’m also the diver that became an Instructor after all that crap happened in order to help educate other divers so this sort of thing never happens to someone else. I teach new divers how to stand up to people like you who commonly shut them down and try to charm them into believing you really care. Just in case none of this is jogging your memory yet, Im also the diver who worked for your buddy Mike in PB, remember…. I was told to pull my post about the accident I had or speak to your attorney… Im the diver that chose to speak to your attorney (I never did get a call from one). And… Im also the diver (at the time I was DM’ing) who refused to lie to a full boat of trusting, self reliant, trusting,well educated , paying , and trusting divers about having O2 on board your buddy Mike‘s vessel (A-1 Dive Charters ,currently out of business), ya know… I walked off the dock that day with Mike screaming every profane word you can imagine at me for leaving him DM-less, but to this day, I feel good knowing that 15 divers understood there was NO O2 onboard should one of them be injured and need it.

Some may find Randy’s practices…. What was the word…. Oh yeah, entertaining….

Me, I find him a disgrace to the diving community. Some may say I’m being to harsh….. The bottom line is… I ALMOST DIED…….! My opinion counts too!!!!

If anyone can figure out how to retrieve this lost archive, the full story is in there, through the eyes of a scared new diver looking for advice…

http://www.scubaboard.com/t53312-.html
 
Glad you learned to dive. Don't know you and have never been associated with a Mike in Wpb. Don't know about an accident you had with him and am very confusd by your ranting. Hope verything turns out peachy for you. PS I don't have an attorney. I am what you call pro se.
 
The accident was with you.... (try to pay attention...)
I can give you exact dates, times, depth, location along with the entire dive profile.. I believe this was right after you trained Les to be a DM.


*Divers beware*
 
I am a frequent reader here and only comment when I have something to say, so please don't bash me, too, for having only a few posts! I must say it is very disappointing to see adults so quickly bash each other. I, for one, appreciate having opinions from others available when making my decisions on who to dive with (among other things).

I'm not sure how one can be expected to know the difference between WPB and Jupiter diving unless you live here. Many people have no way of really understanding how diving changes just a matter of miles from in this area. I used to live and dive in Broward and had no idea how different diving here in Palm Beach was until I moved up here and began diving here. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the dive charter to make sure the divers are experienced enough for the dives. You can't blame an out of town diver for not realizing the diving a few miles north would be different or deeper than WPB. That attack is just ridiculous.

Additionally, not mentioning to a diver that spearfishing will be taking place at the same time AND same location is unprofessional and disrespectful. I refuse to dive with or around any spearfisher......even my friends, but especially some random joe who just happened to be on the same boat as me. Why on earth would I automatically assume he/she knows what they are doing, or are experienced enough to take proper precautions. What is wrong with someone not wanting to dive with spearing? I would say that the only fault of the divers is that they didn't express their concerns about diving with the spearfishers before getting in the water. It has been my experience that if you let the diver master know you are uncomfortable diving in the same vicinity as spearing they will make sure to stay away from the dive site. How can anyone blame someone for not being comfortable diving with spearsfishing??? Especially someone from out of town where that sport is likely not nearly as common?!!

I, personally, appreciate ALL opinions and experiences and would like for people to be able to post here without getting attacked by those with differing opinions. Is it really impossible for one person to have a great experience with a dive charter while someone else had a horrible experience with that same charter?? I think not.

Peaceful diving!
 
I am a bit confused by the OP's original post and title of the thread. Were you diving W. Palm or Jupiter? I have dived both sites and found that the W Palm sites with Abernathy's outfit were shallower dives of no more than 60' to the sand. I also dived Boynton Beach with Underwater Explorers, again dives no deeper than 60'. When I dived with Jupiter Dive Center, I was told straight up that these were dives of up to 100' to the sand. All were drift dives and I was all good with that. With Jupiter, I was told in advance that there were spearfishermen onboard and I had no trouble with that. They were dropped off on a diff part of the reef away from us photographers. On board, there were no gutting of the catch and I was impressed with how they took care of their catches with the operator providing a large cooler to keep things clean. I have not dived with Emerald so I cannot comment on their operation. But I would recommend in the future to ask a few more questions before booking trips, especially if you are not from the area. The same thing goes travelling abroad. That is why Scubaboard is a great resource.

A few good questions to ask:

What are the max depths of the dive sites we will be diving?
What are the currents in this region?
If a drift dive, who carries the flag/buoy?
What certifications AND experience do you recommend to do this dive safely?
What is the current water temp?
What conditions do you call a dive trip? As in how high do the waves have to be to not go out?
How big is your vessel and what do you have to accomadate divers? Benches, large dive platform, T-Ladders, etc?
What is the safety equipment you have available for dive accidents?
What safety equipment is required for me to carry?
How many personel do you have on these dives and in the water during the dives?
Do you mix rec divers and spearfishing divers? How do accomadate them?

Most of these questions I can find on most Dive OP websites. If not, I call the shop. Don't get me wrong, I have had a bad experience (not with any of the Dive OP's that I stated here) and have been happy to post the accounts on the board. I did try my best to keep my opinions neutral and keep to the facts. When you have a bad experience, it is easy to go off the handle and maybe that is what some people feel happened in the beginning of this thread.

We all learn from our experiences, sometimes they are good and sometimes they are bad. I do hope you come back down to Florida again, there are so many beautiful places to dive. Just make sure you truly make an operator understand what your skill level is and what you do and do not feel comfortable doing during your dive. If they seem to have a blase attitude about it, this might not be the operator for you.

Best wishes and Happy diving!
Carolyn:sharks:

Ps: BAITEDSTORM, ty for sharing your experience. It is a lesson we all can learn from.
 
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Ultimately it is the responsibility of the dive charter to make sure the divers are experienced enough for the dives.

You won't find a single dive operator ever agree with that. No way can a captain stand on the dock and judge a diver's experience. Log books, c-cards, and equipment selection can not be used to determine if a diver can handle the conditions.

Neither diver did enough advance research on the dive sites and area and are now trying to shift blame to the Op saying they should have been warned. Pompano diving is very different from West Palm, but just because they are both in Florida doesn't mean I should assume they are the same conditions. A quick internet search in advance would have told them Jupiter is deep, sharky, no pretty corals, and probably the most popular spearfishing site in Florida.

If the divers did their research in advance, they would never have signed up for diving in Jupiter, but they did sign up. They also could have sat on the boat, but neither did that either. The boat didn't lose them, it didn't run over them, it dropped them off and picked them up. Trying to blame a Capt/Op/DM is shifting personal diver responsibilty. When you are in the water, you are responsible to check your own air, check your own depth, check your own bottom time. It's also each diver's responsibility to sit out a dive, abort a dive, or not dive at all.



P.S. jbdivechic, my apologies to you for quoting your post and getting it off tangent other than the 1st paragraph.
 
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Jupiter has been my favorite place to drift dive. All 4 of my dives gave me gorgeous fish, turtles, and beautiful coral. :wink: In the afternoon we had sharks. (Some of the spearfishermen in the morning had that electric shark repellent cable that really kept the sharks away.) However, Jupiter is not for everyone at the beginner level. I agree with Johnoly that it is definitely the diver's repsonsiblity to be prepared, experienced, and honest about their skills pre-dive. The Dive OP is there to put you in the water safely and bring you back safely and that is what they are responsible for. The diver is ultimately responsible to either do the dive or not.

I have been seasick on many dives and all the Dive Ops I have used have been very understanding and accomadating in helping me get my gear on/off. They have also been helpful to get me through the dives if I needed it. I think communicating with the DM's and crew makes a huge difference. If no one understands you are having trouble, then how can they help you?

Happy diving!
Carolyn:sharks:
 
What I meant in saying that, to make it more clear, was that if you are not a spearfisher or VERY advanced diver that this is NOT the charter for you and that you shouldn't dive with them...PERIOD! I am sorry that I wasn't more clear before.

I am just curious...what was so "very advanced" about this dive besides the depth? The current is a little stronger than that of WP, but the dive was pretty much the same. In, down, float, up, then picked up. Or was there some different type of dive that I didn't read in your original post? What was your ocean experience as a group on offshore diving and drift diving? That can make all the difference in the world in comfort levels.

Taken from the EMERALD DIVE CHARTER SITE
"Before attempting an advanced dive, a good diver has dived in the last year in the conditions he is about to dive or "warms up" with a dive or two in easier conditions. We don't go from Quarry to 110' deep ledge without doing a couple of ocean dives first. "

Carolyn:sharks:
 
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Welcome Good divers! Jupiter is advanced waters. Not the PADI AOW patch, but you MUST be a good diver. Drift diving, nothing under 60 fsw and encounters with large animals is a regular feature. Hope to see you all soon. Thank you for your support.
 
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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