Big wave throws dive boat captain overboard - Florida

[Schwob]

It’s well known in the business that if the boat leaves the dock, the trip is fully earned if it turned around for weather. Some boat owners will send their boats to the jetties to say “whelp, it’s too rough to dive, but you can’t say we didn’t try”. I’m not saying that’s the case here. But I’ve heard of it happening. A dirty little secret.

So it is. Albeit, my (irrelevant here, just mentioning them as „honorable“ in that respect) experience wit Rainbow Reef so far (small sample size of 3 or 4 scrapped second dives) was that they gave (partial) credit i.e. when the second dive got scrapped due to weather. Don‘t recall if they promoted that on the boat (May have, don‘t recall), but all it took was nicely asking in the office. No argument at all.

 

[tekkydiver]

As an experienced boater and someone who frequently uses the Boynton Inlet, I can tell you there are not enough negatives to describe the actions of the Captain.

 

[Soloist]

The majority of our South Florida dive trips have departed from the Lake Worth Inlet, but we have been through the Boynton Beach Inlet as well. It’s been a few years, but numerous times we witnessed all of the dive ops simultaneously cancel trips due to “sporty” conditions. However, one certain op was typically willing to take us out, so it would be us and maybe one or two other brave souls refusing to yield to the high seas. Honestly, this video is a bit of a reality check.

 

[kelemvor]

The majority of our South Florida dive trips have departed from the Lake Worth Inlet, but we have been through the Boynton Beach Inlet as well. It’s been a few years, but numerous times we witnessed all of the dive ops simultaneously cancel trips due to “sporty” conditions. However, one was willing to take us out, so it would be us and maybe one or two other brave souls refusing to yield to the high seas. Honestly, this video is a bit of a reality check.

A few guys in my area will brag about finding that one captain who will go out in crazy seas. Personally, that stuff isn't for me. I did a trip on 4-6' waves out of Jupiter once. Never again. I'll never forget the boat rocking forward and the ladder swinging up and slamming back down about 2 inches from my nose.

I don't think that was the case here, as I see 9 or 10 bcd's on tanks. Everyone must have thought it was pretty divable.

 

[Soloist]

I'll never forget the boat rocking forward and the ladder swinging up and slamming back down about 2 inches from my nose.

It’s certainly a gut check the first time you see a dive ladder directly in front of you suddenly disappear eight feet over your head!

 

[Mo2vation]

It’s certainly a gut check the first time you see a dive ladder directly in front of you then suddenly disappear eight feet over your head!

Werd.

The first several dives out here with several different Dive Ops - each one asked me (as I was coming in) 'are you going to keep your fins or hand them up....'

For the life of me, I'll never understand people who toss their fins onto a swim step or hand them to a deck hand before boarding.

Am I keeping my fins with me? That's not a yes. That's an 'of course....'

When things are rocking, and I miss, get bounced from or am waiting on the ladder to descend from the sky, I will always have my fins either clipped off to my BP or on my wrists.

Never, never give up your fins.

- K

 

[Manatee Diver]

For whatever reason, the second captain who boarded also went straight for the flybridge because he said he didn't notice the DM who was already at the controls on the regular deck. Apparently that was a very appealing location for both captains.

More likely it is because most dive boats don't have any controls on the lower deck.

 

[Norrm]

Never, never give up your fins.

I mostly agree, at least to your point- if conditions are rough you need to be prepared for the possibility that you might make an unexpected trip back into the water and you don't want to be finless.

That much being said, if it's a calm day, and the seas are like glass, and the sun is shining, and the boat is gently rocking if it's even rocking at all, and I'm hanging onto the stern next to the ladder, and a helpful crewmember is right there with an outstretched hand I'm more than happy to hand up my fins, or toss them onto the boat if there's nobody there to grab them. It's more trouble to slip my (sometimes) gloved hands through them and have them sticking out on each side, and clipping them off is (to me) more effort than it's worth.

 

[rjack321]

I wonder if Starfish was a little quicker if they would have been able to transit the inlet better?

As a general rule, being patient and waiting for an lull that you can then dash though quick is how inlet's like this get run outbound. Returning, being powerful enough and maintaining enough speed so that following waves don't overtake you is key.

 

[The Chairman]

Trying to come through a sloppy inlet in stormy weather will make you kick yourself for not investing in a second lower station.

I didn't read it was stormy. Did anyone say it was stormy? Asking for a friend.