Blue Heron-caught by the tide

[ScoobaDood]

I've never laid eyes on the bridge and that is exactly how I read that statement (see previous post). If the OP researched this dive like they claimed, I'm a bit surprised that this wasn't evident to them as well.

Lessons learned:

• 
  Ask as many questions as you can when diving an unfamiliar site.
• Do a site survey and talk to other divers about conditions when you arrive.
• When in doubt, sit it out.

CD,

I couldn't agree more about asking as many questions, and doing more research. What got me fired up about this thread is that after having this bad experience, the reaction was like a feeding frenzy kicking the OP while she was down. Most of the active posters here, in my experience, take a better approach of sharing their years of experience and advising the person on where they went wrong, but in a constructive and considerate manner. I'm not saying to sugar coat the comments, but have some consideration.

Instead of the 'You shouldn't be diving', 'this is all your fault' mentality, one just as easily could have said something like ... I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. This particular dive is generally considered to be easy. Remember that you are responsible for yourself out there, so don't be so quick to rely on the LDS telling you what the conditions are. Always research your dives, especially if you are new to the area, and make sure you are clear on what to expect at the site.

Now, I think the way CoolTech responded in the end was not only constructive, but going above by offering to guide a dive for the OP. I'm just not sure that after the way the conversation started that I would take the offer either. Its like getting a punch in the nose from someone and then going inside and having a beer with them. Well ok, maybe not just like that, but you get the idea.

Most of the time this is how I find that people here respond...with consideration and a desire to support the sport and fellow divers. DandyDon comes to mind quite often. I'm not saying he doesn't tell it like it is, but he is most always considerate and you can tell by his posts that he is trying to help, not add insult to injury.

Another $.02 in the jar from me.

 

[DennisS]

Would a rip current be possible at BHB? I have never dove there so I am not familiar with its location.

Rip currents are a source of danger for people in ocean and lake surf.[3] They can be extremely dangerous, dragging swimmers away from the beach. Death by drowning comes following exhaustion while fighting the river or ocean current.
Although a rare event, rip currents can be deadly for non-swimmers as well[citation needed]: a person standing waist deep in water can be dragged into deeper waters, where they can drown if they are unable to swim and are not wearing a floatation device. Varying topography makes some beaches more likely to have rip currents; a few are notorious.
Rip currents cause approximately 120 deaths annually in the United States.[4] Rip currents cause 80% of rescues by beach lifeguards.

BHB has tidal currents, the tide comes in, there is slack tide and it reverses direction and flows out. If you stay too long, slack high tide becomes an outgoing current.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

CD,

I couldn't agree more about asking as many questions, and doing more research. What got me fired up about this thread is that after having this bad experience, the reaction was like a feeding frenzy kicking the OP while she was down. Most of the active posters here, in my experience, take a better approach of sharing their years of experience and advising the person on where they went wrong, but in a constructive and considerate manner. I'm not saying to sugar coat the comments, but have some consideration.

Instead of the 'You shouldn't be diving', 'this is all your fault' mentality, one just as easily could have said something like ... I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. This particular dive is generally considered to be easy. Remember that you are responsible for yourself out there, so don't be so quick to rely on the LDS telling you what the conditions are. Always research your dives, especially if you are new to the area, and make sure you are clear on what to expect at the site.

Now, I think the way CoolTech responded in the end was not only constructive, but going above by offering to guide a dive for the OP. I'm just not sure that after the way the conversation started that I would take the offer either. Its like getting a punch in the nose from someone and then going inside and having a beer with them. Well ok, maybe not just like that, but you get the idea.

Most of the time this is how I find that people here respond...with consideration and a desire to support the sport and fellow divers. DandyDon comes to mind quite often. I'm not saying he doesn't tell it like it is, but he is most always considerate and you can tell by his posts that he is trying to help, not add insult to injury.

Another $.02 in the jar from me.

You obviously did not read my first, second or third posts in this thread... Or, the post asking others to back off while the OP answered some inconsistent statements... which answers really never came from the OP.

 

[Firefyter]

Would a rip current be possible at BHB? I have never dove there so I am not familiar with its location.

Rip currents are a source of danger for people in ocean and lake surf.[3] They can be extremely dangerous, dragging swimmers away from the beach. Death by drowning comes following exhaustion while fighting the river or ocean current.
Although a rare event, rip currents can be deadly for non-swimmers as well[citation needed]: a person standing waist deep in water can be dragged into deeper waters, where they can drown if they are unable to swim and are not wearing a floatation device. Varying topography makes some beaches more likely to have rip currents; a few are notorious.
Rip currents cause approximately 120 deaths annually in the United States.[4] Rip currents cause 80% of rescues by beach lifeguards.

You really need to use a better source than Wiki to make a point. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE can edit those pages to say anything they want, accurate or not. Take a look at the page now, it says "Rip currents cause approximately 200 deaths annually in the United States." instead of the 120.

Your point may be perfectly valid, but as soon as I see Wiki quoted, it loses all credibility with me.

 

[jhayes75]

I love to beach dive and dive high tide along the Florida Panhandle when ever time allows me. In my experience high tide charts are a ball park figure and sometimes could be off an hour or so either way. For this reason we try to get on site two to three hours before high tide. I also look at the tidal swing in which on some days the swing is so small that you could dive all day.


Tide amplitude varies with the moon phase. While there is a lot involved in predicting tidal ranges, for the layman it's easiest to remember that the closer the high tide time is to 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. (EST), the higher the tide will be. This means:

• clearer water will be under the bridges
• swifter current when slack tide ends
• a narrower time window to do the dive.

My advice to you is to take this as a learning experience and not a deterrent to stop diving.

 

[jhayes75]

You really need to use a better source than Wiki to make a point. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE can edit those pages to say anything they want, accurate or not. Take a look at the page now, it says "Rip currents cause approximately 200 deaths annually in the United States." instead of the 120.

Your point may be perfectly valid, but as soon as I see Wiki quoted, it loses all credibility with me.

True, minus the statistics, the rest is a valid explanation of a rip current.

 

[ScoobaDood]

You obviously did not read my first, second or third posts in this thread... Or, the post asking others to back off while the OP answered some inconsistent statements... which answers really never came from the OP.

CT, Ok I have gone back and re-read the posts...I think there is a lot of misunderstanding in this thread, on my own part as well. I felt like I understood what she was saying from the get go. They told her to "go" at 9:45 and be "in" by 10:15. You then made the comment that she was contradicting herself. When she said they told her "Originally Posted by mandy987
The dive shop told us that high tide was at 10:15 not 11:00 and to be back in from diving and on shore at 10:30." It seems like from there, because of the confusion, suddenly her credibility was in question.

Where I think the misunderstanding comes into play is that she was told to start her dive at 9:45am and be out by 10:30, and though she used the words "go" and "in" to express that, she clarified later that they told her to be done with the dive and on the shore by 10:30am.

This is the problem with "text" as a whole I saw where Ana told the OP "I think it is a good idea to reconsider your future in diving." Now I took this as "You are considering never diving again, and I think you should rethink that" but clearly the OP took it as the opposite all together. So the OP fires back offended at Ana who in turn fires back with a bit of irritation and so goes the thread.

As you began the thread understanding and asking questions, you, in my opinion began to be engaging in an interrogation, as you said "Which is it? They told you to be there at 9:45AM and be in the water by 10:30AM, or be in the water at 9:45AM and out by 10:30AM? Your original account seems very plausible... Your new account seems very unlikely...".

I mean she is the one that talked to the LDS, she was at the site, don't you think she deserves a little credibility for atleast knowing what she was told and what she experienced?

I guess I would have liked to have seen the OP given the benefit of the doubt as to what she was told, and what she experienced. Yes, she could have checked out the site more, and been more familiar. Yes, checking more than one reference as to the conditions would be a good suggestion, as were many of the other suggestions, but there was a fair amount of insults and attacks against the OP's credibility.

Oh and the other issue with this type of communications.....the likelihood that many other comments will have been made while I am typing this, and this will be out of date/sync/time etc.

Such is the online world

 

[DebbyDiver]

While they were illegally spear fishing, the ONLY way they could assist these divers was by jabbing their spears into the sand in order to get to the screaming divers.

This makes no sense to me. Screaming would be at the surface, no? Head out of the water, and too deep to stand and walk to safety? One would assume that the spearos would have to be at the bottom in order to be pulling themselves along with the spears in the sand. Which also assumes it is too deep for them to stand and walk over to the divers in distress. So, OP is saying that the spearos heard the screaming, then descended to approach the distressed divers? If you are at the surface screaming, how can you clearly see spearos approaching at the bottom, sticking guns in the sand to work their way over?

I wonder why someone didn't just scream back "relax, inflate your BC, you are in no danger, relax, inflate, relax, someone will get you"? If you are drifting at the surface, which the screaming would indicate, just inflate and drift and attract the attention of a boater to come and get you and tow you back to safety.

I am also very disturbed to learn that there were spearos at the bridge.

 

[Dsix36]

The dive shop told us that high tide was at 10:15 not 11:00 and to be back in from diving and on shore at 10:30.

Then you need to post more accurately.

...........

Before we went, I researched the bridge and even asked the dive shop about the conditions. They told us to go at 9:45 am and be in by 10:30, they also told us that the conditions were good and that it was an easy dive.


.............

What they told you was to go there and be there at 9:45 and to be in the water by 10:30. You should have made sure that the instructions were clear to you before trying this dive.

 

[DennisS]

Then you need to post more accurately.



What they told you was to go there and be there at 9:45 and to be in the water by 10:30. You should have made sure that the instructions were clear to you before trying this dive.

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant"

Happens all the time