jjardin
Contributor
I had a very bad day yesterday. I’ve been out on an island for the past week and a half to help someone out and have been going out diving in my spare time. Unfortunately I haven’t taken any full days off—which means I am working remotely in a different time-zone: get up 2am, work, go diving, crash. Over the past week I’ve been to this wreck at least 2 other times, almost always in decent current. I’ve dove here before at least 2-3 other times on prior trips, so nothing really new for me.
Yesterday the current was up pretty strong at the surface and there was some decent chop—nothing super crazy in the wave department. (One dive last week we deployed 6’ SMB and the waves were towering over them when we were in the trough…nothing like that).
Plan was to jump in, grab the current tow line, pull up to the line on the side of the boat, then to the bow, then make a jump to the mooring line, then descend along the line. Perhaps it was a week and a half of working odd hours and diving/hiking in the afternoons, or perhaps I am not in the greatest shape of my life (my girth tends to present a spinnaker to current), but pulling myself along the side of the boat I was winded. Chop was crashing over me so I had my reg in my mouth, but I could not seem to catch my breath though it—pulling while laying on my back was nearly impossible to breathe, pulling face down was only slightly better.
Got to the bow. For some reason there was no line attached to the mooring—the granny line on the side of the boat went to a cleat on the bow and there was a good 6 foot gap to the anchor line. I tried to collect my breath for a second or two—however I was being beaten up by the chop and was holding up the line so I went for the line.
Got within about 5 inches of the line, but couldn’t grab it. I looked up and on of the sponsons of the cat boat we were diving off crashed down about 6 inches from me. I put my hand on the boat and pushed off to avoid being hit, but that put me off the line in the current on the other side of the boat. I was now flying down the other side of the boat—I tried to grab the stanchion but it was too high, then I couldn’t grab the fender that was dangling—then I was being pulled out.
I was winded and done and what seemed like half the time under water. I was diving a AL80, Halcyon SS BP, Halcyon STA, 18lb oxycheq wing, old compressed 3mm, Apex ATX 200 reg w/ Yoke adaptor, 6lbs and had 2 spools, a 3’ sausage, a 6’ sausage, dive light, notebook, some whistles/dive alert/mirror in my wetsuit & backplate pocket. (I am a large guy—255lbs—and in shorts I am swimming to stay down at 500psi with this getup and 2lbs—so my weight isn’t outrageously heavy for me-perhaps 2-4lbs heavy considering the weight of the light and yoke adaptor ). This did not keep my head out of the water at all—I was smashed by waves constantly. For the first time I was winded and in trouble—luckily there was a strapping young lad who helped me to the tag line.
Issues…1. I knew I was tired before the boat left and considered taking the beginner dive just to get wet and float around (which I enjoy). I should have. 2. When I got onto the line to pull myself to the bow I was getting much more tired than normal. I thought about aborting but was holding up the line so I didn’t. I should have. 3. I asked the kid behind me to go around and he didn’t so I felt obliged to keep going forwards—I should have held my ground or aborted. 4. When I missed the line I knew I was overweighted for the surface swim in that chop (last week when I attached my free lead to the 6’smb it was SO MUCH EASIER to do the surface swim)—a few things here—I thought about dropping my lead and should have. I could also probably have gone straight to the wetsuit and made the swim in my fins and mask alone..but I didn’t. I could also have brought my bigger wing rather than my tiny tropical wing. I could have relaxed and thought a bit—regardless of the current—when I knew that I wasn’t going to hit the line. At that point I could have inflated a smb, attached my weight to it or dropped it, and tried to swim to the boat when I was in better shape or ensured the boat saw me and could do a drift dive style pickup. 5. Better fins??? Using 20 year old Oceanic V-Drives which I haven't had an issue with in 20 years 6. I definitely need to get in better shape.
Had a good dive for the 2nd tank that afternoon, so in the end nothing was hurt except pride Anyway—just a bit of cathartic web-posting.
Yesterday the current was up pretty strong at the surface and there was some decent chop—nothing super crazy in the wave department. (One dive last week we deployed 6’ SMB and the waves were towering over them when we were in the trough…nothing like that).
Plan was to jump in, grab the current tow line, pull up to the line on the side of the boat, then to the bow, then make a jump to the mooring line, then descend along the line. Perhaps it was a week and a half of working odd hours and diving/hiking in the afternoons, or perhaps I am not in the greatest shape of my life (my girth tends to present a spinnaker to current), but pulling myself along the side of the boat I was winded. Chop was crashing over me so I had my reg in my mouth, but I could not seem to catch my breath though it—pulling while laying on my back was nearly impossible to breathe, pulling face down was only slightly better.
Got to the bow. For some reason there was no line attached to the mooring—the granny line on the side of the boat went to a cleat on the bow and there was a good 6 foot gap to the anchor line. I tried to collect my breath for a second or two—however I was being beaten up by the chop and was holding up the line so I went for the line.
Got within about 5 inches of the line, but couldn’t grab it. I looked up and on of the sponsons of the cat boat we were diving off crashed down about 6 inches from me. I put my hand on the boat and pushed off to avoid being hit, but that put me off the line in the current on the other side of the boat. I was now flying down the other side of the boat—I tried to grab the stanchion but it was too high, then I couldn’t grab the fender that was dangling—then I was being pulled out.
I was winded and done and what seemed like half the time under water. I was diving a AL80, Halcyon SS BP, Halcyon STA, 18lb oxycheq wing, old compressed 3mm, Apex ATX 200 reg w/ Yoke adaptor, 6lbs and had 2 spools, a 3’ sausage, a 6’ sausage, dive light, notebook, some whistles/dive alert/mirror in my wetsuit & backplate pocket. (I am a large guy—255lbs—and in shorts I am swimming to stay down at 500psi with this getup and 2lbs—so my weight isn’t outrageously heavy for me-perhaps 2-4lbs heavy considering the weight of the light and yoke adaptor ). This did not keep my head out of the water at all—I was smashed by waves constantly. For the first time I was winded and in trouble—luckily there was a strapping young lad who helped me to the tag line.
Issues…1. I knew I was tired before the boat left and considered taking the beginner dive just to get wet and float around (which I enjoy). I should have. 2. When I got onto the line to pull myself to the bow I was getting much more tired than normal. I thought about aborting but was holding up the line so I didn’t. I should have. 3. I asked the kid behind me to go around and he didn’t so I felt obliged to keep going forwards—I should have held my ground or aborted. 4. When I missed the line I knew I was overweighted for the surface swim in that chop (last week when I attached my free lead to the 6’smb it was SO MUCH EASIER to do the surface swim)—a few things here—I thought about dropping my lead and should have. I could also probably have gone straight to the wetsuit and made the swim in my fins and mask alone..but I didn’t. I could also have brought my bigger wing rather than my tiny tropical wing. I could have relaxed and thought a bit—regardless of the current—when I knew that I wasn’t going to hit the line. At that point I could have inflated a smb, attached my weight to it or dropped it, and tried to swim to the boat when I was in better shape or ensured the boat saw me and could do a drift dive style pickup. 5. Better fins??? Using 20 year old Oceanic V-Drives which I haven't had an issue with in 20 years 6. I definitely need to get in better shape.
Had a good dive for the 2nd tank that afternoon, so in the end nothing was hurt except pride Anyway—just a bit of cathartic web-posting.
