Accident in Belize

[Errol Kalayci]

Just another illustration of why boats should always be off whenever anyone is exiting or entering the water. There is never a reason why the engines should be on other than laziness of the operator. Sometimes I hear the captain say they are afraid the engine won't start again, if so, why the heck would you be taking people on your boat in the first place. Avoid any boats that do not have sense to turn off the engines or that are too lazy to do a roll call with names rather than count in their heads.

 

[jadairiii]

...... Avoid any boats that do not have sense to turn off the engines or that are too lazy to do a roll call with names rather than count in their heads.

In south Florida that pretty much rules out all but one dive boat.

 

[vincent54]

Reading the initial report, it didn't say the boat was in gear only running. The diver may have been pounded by prop bouncing up and down, in which case it is hard to blame anyone. A huge boat crashing down could do significant damage. I assume the O2 was given because of shock? If it's available, use it. The best thing is assume a prop is engaged and stay away from it.

 

[Errol Kalayci]

Read the thread, it clearly states that the boat was in gear and the bcd was cut nearly into two. There is simply no reason for a boat to have its engines on while anyone entering or exiting. In commercial diving, it would be locked out and tagged out as well.

 

[Saltyhawg]

It isnot clear that the boat was in gear. One eye witness says it was another said it wasn't. The gentleman that we talked to was very shook up. I thought he was going to refuse to enter the water when our DM explained why he left the engines on and the boat out of gear.

The person that was in the same group with the victim told me the neurosurgeon said the injury was absolutely not related to a spinning prop though I'm not sure how he could say that for certain.

The seas were pretty rough that day. I'm guessing almost 10 feet at times. I could see the damage described occurring that way.

 

[danvolker]

It isnot clear that the boat was in gear. One eye witness says it was another said it wasn't. The gentleman that we talked to was very shook up. I thought he was going to refuse to enter the water when our DM explained why he left the engines on and the boat out of gear.

The person that was in the same group with the victim told me the neurosurgeon said the injury was absolutely not related to a spinning prop though I'm not sure how he could say that for certain.

The seas were pretty rough that day. I'm guessing almost 10 feet at times. I could see the damage described occurring that way.

I have had to pull a rope off a prop that was fouled in 6 to 8 foot seas.....it feels alot like an upside down version of one of those bucking brama bull machines like in the Movie Urban Cowboy....you get thrown violently, you have to hold tight to the bottom of the boat and prop....and make no mistake, I am not saying that you could not be hurt in 10 foot seas doing this.....on the other hand....if you are a DM, you ought to have the situational awareness to know how to orient yourself next to a huge bucking boat and prop near you....and the DM "should" have propelled himself away from the prop, and away from under the boat...this is a very bad place to be, and it does not take a DM cert to know this.
On the other hand, if he jumped in and the boat was in reverse....I could easily imagine it catching him, despite his best efforts...and I doubt he would have been expecting the need to swim for his life, the moment he hit the water.....

I GUESS I just have a hard time believing that with the boat engine off, that the prop hit the guy hard enough to cut his bc almost in half...it is just not that kind of impact.

 

[vincent54]

I can imagine it would be chaotic if the seas were that big. Leaving a boat turned off would leave you at the mercy of the winds and waves. Maybe not do the dive? If you are not use to those sea conditions, isn't it up the the diver to call the dive and not the boat? As a diver, wouldn't a running engine be a clear and obvious danger? Hard to place blame on diver or boat with no solid info.

 

[tomfcrist]

Call me a wuss, but I'm not going diving in 10' seas unless I'm getting paid....a lot of money.

 

[danvolker]

I can imagine it would be chaotic if the seas were that big. Leaving a boat turned off would leave you at the mercy of the winds and waves. Maybe not do the dive? If you are not use to those sea conditions, isn't it up the the diver to call the dive and not the boat? As a diver, wouldn't a running engine be a clear and obvious danger? Hard to place blame on diver or boat with no solid info.

I have done lots of stupid dives in my life....diving since 1972 , and exploring all the deep 200 to 300 foot stuff off of Fort Pierce to North Miami from 1993 to 2000....
In the 80's it was mostly 100 to 145 foot stuff in big currents off Juno/Jupiter , and no weather was too rough to spearfish, and I did a great deal of diving in 10 foot seas and bigger, off of Palm Beach with Frank Hammet..winds were often big as well. Frank was pretty much the craziest dive operator Palm Beach ever had.


So yes..if conditions are crazy, I can imagine the boat a bit concerned about totally losing power...though most could imagine doing it for the 5 seconds it takes for a buddy team to go off the platform....
For the sake of argument, say this boat was terrified of getting out of gear......if that was all it was, someone at DM level, that has done at least some drops in rough seas, would want to swim away from the boat rapidly...and certainly, not just lay there right by the back of the boat--I see only an OW student doing that, and then only a bad one....

If the boat was motoring forward, and you jump off, you are rapidly far behind the boat...You jump back and away from it as well...the inertia, and the prop, keeps the boat moving away from you. There really is no other way this can work....
But...if the boat was dropping you on a "place" or structure like a wreck or specific reef...and marked the structure.....you could be waiting on the platform....the boat might then reverse engines because the boat had continued forward over the mark, and the captain wanted to get the divers back over the mark....and then..if the engine throttled down, but the prop was still engaged in reverse...all bets are off....even at low throttle, the boat is coming after the DM, every second getting closer. Unless he KNEW the boat was in reverse and after him, it would be too late before he was impacted, and realized what was happening....Just my take, but it makes sense this way.

 

[Saltyhawg]

Can't disagree with any of the last 4 posts.