(5/01/05) Diver missing in Florida

[my1ocean]

Dive captains required to be dive masters is a new one on me; any mandated emergency equipment is common to all uninspected vessels; an underwriter might require additional equipment - typically an O2 kit. AED's will probably get added at some point - anything else come to mind?; a USCG license requires a whole barrel of hoops to jump through. My 100-ton Master's exam in 1989 took 8 solid hours to complete. With the other stuff now and the unreal jams in the Regional Exam Centers, it seems like most people use a captain's licensing course center to get their license. Appointments in the Miami office have taken as long as 6 months. That part of being a captain - dealing with the licensing bureaucracy - is sheer hell.

Just want to be clear. Dive captains operating six pac vessels are required to be DM's or higher by insurance carriers, not the Coast Guard. Yes, this implies rescue ability. This is the case in the upper Keys. Other places, I'm not sure.

Aslo see Island Dog's last refering to larger (more than six passanger) vessels.

 

[PRL]

Just finished reading the whole thread (I'm at work) The catapulting float got me to think. It would have to be somewhat heavy and streamlined to go a respectable distance with accuracy. Problem is if a diver gets hit with a projectile like that he will get knocked out or killed, and will sink upon impact. I was wondering if a speargun could be modified to replace the catapulting float. All you have to do is put a small float at the end of the spear and a reel. If you do happen to hit the diver, at least you can retreave him real fast. Or better yet, instead of a line use a bungee cord and yank the diver out of the water on recoil. Might put a suction cup at the tip incase the tank gets hit.
Anyone knows if there was a speargun on board the boat?

I did learn alot from this thread. I realized that there are many divers that have a problem with accepting responsibility for them selves and maby wish that "trust me dives" should be standard practice.

This was not intended as a joke towards the accident, But in my eyes this thread did become a joke.

And while at it, blame every PD for not jumping into a moving car to avoid an accident.
Do any of you realize how many lives could be saved if a cop would jump into a moving car and take control of it?

This reminds me of an aviation accident a while back. Where the cabin was depresurized of a private jet, everyone passed out, and the USAF jets just flew by and watched it crash. Why couldn't they use a C130 and a line to descend to the plane and take control? Or use a big rope and a helicopter to catch it by the tail like I saw on one of the James Bond movies? Or use a speargun with a reel or a bungee cord?
Maby, just maby they did everything they could in that situation

 

[baitedstorm]

Just finished reading the whole thread (I'm at work)

dang man.... want a beer? (that's a ton of reading)

 

[DennisS]

There is a cool line throwing device. We used to drill with it quarterly on the ship I was on. It's charged with a scuba tank and is a lot of fun to use. I don't think I'd put one in my airline baggage.

http://www.restech.no/

 

[pt40fathoms]

This reminds me of an aviation accident a while back. Where the cabin was depresurized of a private jet, everyone passed out, and the USAF jets just flew by and watched it crash.

That was a private jet, that was carrying the PGA Pro Paine Stewart. A sad day when that happened. Took off from Florida and ran out of fuel just before crossing the Canadian border.


Back on track to this way off track thread, and onto to matter of dive boat captains also being DM's or higher. The simple reasons for this are two fold. The first is for insurance purposes, and if anyone cannot understand this one, too bad for you, I'm not wasting time explaining it. The second is also very simple; in order to get a job in the dive industry, you need as many tools in your tool bag as possible. Being a DM, or better yet an instructor, as well as holding a boat captains license just means you will be considered more favorably when applying for the job. If you have a mechanics license and can repair engines and compressors, even better! Have experience in sales and marketing on top of all of the previous skills, then you'll be a shoe in for the job.

Does that explain the DM/Boat Captain thing a little better?! I hope so.

For those who understood this before I posted this, please accept my apologies for the condescending tone. The post was intended for a very small few individuals who seem to be trying to find fault and laying blame wherever they can. They know who they are.

 

[PRL]

dang man.... want a beer? (that's a ton of reading)

Not really, not even sure we used the whole alphabet. It's the samething over and over again.

A beer would be nice.

 

[mempilot]

This reminds me of an aviation accident a while back. Where the cabin was depresurized of a private jet, everyone passed out, and the USAF jets just flew by and watched it crash. Why couldn't they use a C130 and a line to descend to the plane and take control? Or use a big rope and a helicopter to catch it by the tail like I saw on one of the James Bond movies? Or use a speargun with a reel or a bungee cord?
Maby, just maby they did everything they could in that situation

ROTFLMAO!!!

 

[baitedstorm]

Not really, not even sure we used the whole alphabet. It's the samething over and over again.

A beer would be nice.

a margarita after a great day of diving would be better, frozen, no salt... yumm-o






*hey, just adding something new, don't think that's been said yet

 

[Tom Winters]

There is a cool line throwing device. We used to drill with it quarterly on the ship I was on. It's charged with a scuba tank and is a lot of fun to use. I don't think I'd put one in my airline baggage.
http://www.restech.no/

Dennis - these restech guys make some way awesome gear. In the Navy, we had M-14's with line shooters. I used to love firing lines across while we were still 300 yards from the pier. Then I caught my guys trying to hit specific officer's cars, and that was not so cool, so I backed off that stuff.
I never heard of this restech stuff - any documented dive vessel (licensed for more than 6 pax) would do well to consider a purchase from these people.
I bet there would be a pretty bodacious demand for firing pneumatic water ballooons too - purely as rescue marking devices, especially filled with water-soluble paint.

 

[marydiver]

wouldn't that have been just the thing for that guy hanging on the bouy that the boat couldn't go to since the rest of the divers hadn't returned up the line.
of course we don't know yet if he had a physiological attack, panic attack, or what.....
shooting him a line surely would have been a fine thing to do.........
bless us all.
safe diving,
Mary