Boat Captains -- Key Largo, Responsibilities and Professionalism

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

This thread is started in response to a thread in the A&I Forum regarding a fatality on the wreck of the Benwood earlier this month.

I have observed and participated as a passenger and as a captain in dive boat operations at several dive operations here in Key Largo over the past 18 months or so and see a common thread a amognst the captains. I have also captained dive boats in Hawaii and Grand Cayman in my career and have observed operations in those places too, so I think I have a good base of reference.

In Key Largo I was impressed and continue to be proud of the way I see Captains operate their boats and care for their passengers. Foremost I see the Captains taking their responsibilities to their passengers as the most important part of their day. I see Captains exhibiting professionalism every single day I am out on the reefs and wrecks. Captains continually evaluate conditions throughout the dive day and discuss conditions with each other over VHF channel 18 and over cell phones. They evaluate changing conditions such as current, sea state and visibility.

Every Captain knows that conditions can and do change in a period of a few minutes. Captains know that when they put divers into the water and there is no discernible current at the surface, there can be current at depth, or at 10 feet.

Captains also know that during the course of a dive surface currents can go from zero to swift, creating a hazard for divers. Every Captain trails a tag line off the back of their boats before divers are put into the water. Every boat has a rescue buoy attached to a line that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 feet long and is easily and quickly deploy-able.

The Captains I know at Rainbow Reef, Conch Republic, Florida Keys Dive Center, Horizon Divers, Ocean Divers, Amy Slates', Silent World, and Quiesennce are quintessential professionals and work all day each day they are deployed to care for their passengers and their boats.

Divers also need to be cognizant of the fact that diving in the ocean is not a pool or Disney World dive. Divers need to be in relatively good shape, they need to be aware of their surroundings and continually monitor conditions and their own location relative to the exit point (boat in this case) during their time underwater.

Divers also need to be aware that things happen beyond the control of the Captain and be as prepared as possible to care for themselves. Things such as a safety marker buoy, a signalling mirror, possibly a nautilus lifeline transceiver, and of course AWARENESS.

 

[Superlyte27]

^^^ What he said ^^^

 

[dumpsterDiver]

If a (Key Largo) Capt is tied into a mooring and he sees divers drifting off behind the boat and he has reason to believe the diver(s) who can not make it back to the boat are having an emergency, is it reasonable to allow them to drift off, "on their own" while he sits on the mooring for an extended period of time waiting for all his divers to complete a normal dive and to ascend and board the vessel before he attempts recovery of the drifting divers?

Is it unreasonable to expect him to, say be prepared to put a large float on the mooring and untie and drift off and then seek to retrieve the divers who have signed that they are having an emergency? And then come back for his other divers who are not having a problem?

I know locally (in Palm Beach) I remember reading about a boat capt who was conducting a drift dive and recovered a diver in a medical emergency and took the diver to shore. He left like a dozen or more divers drifting off in the current as he made his way to shore - as he sought emergency medical services. I believe in this situation the captain called other local dive boats and requested that they pick up all his divers.

As I recall, the captain's response in the later situation received general support from the forum members.

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

I am not associated with the dive industry in Key Largo or any other region. I am just an ordinary recreational diver who has enjoyed the sport for some 20+ years. Having dove the Key Largo area numerous times per year over the past 15 years I concur with the observations above made by Capt. Jim. While none of us can claim to be perfect all the time and never make errors in judgment, I find those Captains to take their responsibilities very seriously and to be caring, concerned, dedicated and consummate professionals.

 

[Steve_C]

Just noting that in a keys reef dive. The water is fairly shallow, divers are spread out, and are returning at all different times and depths. There can easily be a number of folks in and under the water close to the boat. Now if it is a night dive things are even dicier. This also presupposes that one knows that there is an emergency as opposed to separated divers.

 

[Capt Gary]

Divers also need to be cognizant of the fact that diving in the ocean is not a pool or Disney World dive. Divers need to be in relatively good shape, they need to be aware of their surroundings and continually monitor conditions and their own location relative to the exit point (boat in this case) during their time underwater.

Divers also need to be aware that things happen beyond the control of the Captain and be as prepared as possible to care for themselves. Things such as a safety marker buoy, a signalling mirror, possibly a nautilus lifeline transceiver, and of course AWARENESS.

All very valid points by Capt Wyattt. I'd like to add one more important thing a diver should do before they get off the dive boat. Listen to the dive boat captains briefing. That briefing could in fact save your life. Here is a case in point.

We were out diving the Spiegel Grove one day and as mentioned the currents indeed got stronger. During my briefing I told the divers that if for some reason they could not hang on the down line and got sweeped away by strong currents to first and foremost complete their safety stop. That we could figure out which way you'd be going so once the stop is completed come to the surface and inflate your SMB. We'll then come get you.

Well this exact scenario played out on my boat that day. After getting all the divers but one on the boat. We started scanning the horizon down stream and sure enough could see a diver floating with their SMB inflated. BTW that diver was a little over a mile from the wreck.

So my point is to listen to what the captain tells you before you get off the boat. Knowing what the crew will do in the event something occurs could in fact save your life.

Good Diving,
Capt Gary

 

[scubadada]

If a (Key Largo) Capt is tied into a mooring and he sees divers drifting off behind the boat and he has reason to believe the diver(s) who can not make it back to the boat are having an emergency, is it reasonable to allow them to drift off, "on their own" while he sits on the mooring for an extended period of time waiting for all his divers to complete a normal dive and to ascend and board the vessel before he attempts recovery of the drifting divers?

Is it unreasonable to expect him to, say be prepared to put a large float on the mooring and untie and drift off and then seek to retrieve the divers who have signed that they are having an emergency? And then come back for his other divers who are not having a problem?

I know locally (in Palm Beach) I remember reading about a boat capt who was conducting a drift dive and recovered a diver in a medical emergency and took the diver to shore. He left like a dozen or more divers drifting off in the current as he made his way to shore - as he sought emergency medical services. I believe in this situation the captain called other local dive boats and requested that they pick up all his divers.

As I recall, the captain's response in the later situation received general support from the forum members.

I believe the briefing is that the boat will first pick up all the divers from the site and then come get those who are drifting (with their SMBs deployed). This only happened to me one in Key Largo on the Duane. We all boarded the boat the then went and retrieved the one diver who missed the tag line. It worked out fine.

 

[Johnoly]

Just to add humor but effectiveness to the thread,,,,,,

There's one gulf side boat that makes every diver blow up their SMB before they leave the dock during the briefing. Whoops, you're not holding one? You're in luck, we sell them on the boat. Before deflation it usually ends in an SMB smack-down with your buddy, but it is extremely effective {and fun / mine's bigger comments }

 

[dumpsterDiver]

All very valid points by Capt Wyattt. I'd like to add one more important thing a diver should do before they get off the dive boat. Listen to the dive boat captains briefing. That briefing could in fact save your life. Here is a case in point.

We were out diving the Spiegel Grove one day and as mentioned the currents indeed got stronger. During my briefing I told the divers that if for some reason they could not hang on the down line and got sweeped away by strong currents to first and foremost complete their safety stop. That we could figure out which way you'd be going so once the stop is completed come to the surface and inflate your SMB. We'll then come get you.

Well this exact scenario played out on my boat that day. After getting all the divers but one on the boat. We started scanning the horizon down stream and sure enough could see a diver floating with their SMB inflated. BTW that diver was a little over a mile from the wreck.

So my point is to listen to what the captain tells you before you get off the boat. Knowing what the crew will do in the event something occurs could in fact save your life.

Good Diving,
Capt Gary

Why in the world would your dive briefing specifically tell people to come to the surface with no protection or means to signal to other boats that they will be ascending hundreds of yards (or more) from your dive boat?

Aren't you worried that they will get killed like this?

 

[OceanEyes]

Why in the world would your dive briefing specifically tell people to come to the surface with no protection or means to signal to other boats that they will be ascending hundreds of yards (or more) from your dive boat?

Aren't you worried that they will get killed like this?

While there are several operators in various locations who specify that all divers must carry SMBs that can be deployed from depth, (along with a reel or finger spool, and the skills to use these tools properly,) I surmise that there are many more divers who own SMB’s that cannot be so deployed, and thus their usage dictates that the diver must surface prior to inflating the marker.


While I agree that the ideal procedure for a drifting diver is to deploy a SMB at the earliest opportunity, to expect all recreational divers to have the tools and necessary skills to safely deploy one is not realistic at this time.


This is not to imply that such procedures/tools/skills cannot become more widely instituted as an integral part of standard recreational diving practices. (Like the gradual integration of SPG’s, BCD’s, safe seconds, and etc.)


For the present though, the key point of this thread boils down to Capt. Wyatt’s initial observation: Situational Awareness by all is of the utmost importance. (Though it is a leap of faith to expect such behavior or practices by many of the people operating boats in South Florida.)