Blue Heron-caught by the tide

[BHB ScubaTroll]

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likelihood that many other comments will have been made while I am typing this, and this will be out of date/sync/time etc.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

I can agree with you. There has been a lot of misunderstanding on this thread.

This is the "Near Misses and Lessons Learned" area. Questions and explanations are how everyone learns from incidents in this area.

My desire in all of this was to discern what the misunderstandings I have read are, and have the OP explain them better so we can all learn.

Someone PM'd me with a topside version of this incident where divers who were waiting for the proper time to enter the water were ready on the north side of the fishing pier with rope to toss to the ladies, but the ladies were stopped by two divers who were carrying short poles (not spearguns... from the PM I received) and standing waist deep in the water between the bridge and fishing pier... in the first lane west from the beach (NOTE: That area is 4-5' deep and many divers can stand in the sand there).

I was trying not to post this so as not to have it appear that the OP was in a panic situation. I would, instead, liked to have had some answers from her that would have helped everyone understand the situation better and learn from it.

It also saddens me that she did not take me up on my offer as guide for a dive there today. It's a beautiful day for the dive!

 

[DebbyDiver]

two divers who were carrying short poles (not spearguns...

Just curious, what do you mean by short poles...short fishing poles (why would they dive with them?) or short wooden or metal poles (and why...to pull themselves along against the current?)

It also saddens me that she did not take me up on my offer as guide for a dive there today. It's a beautiful day for the dive!

Heck, I would have been up there myself if I didn't have somewhere to be down this way too early to make the dive and return and get ready.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

My buddy was driving his boat by there last weekend and came upon divers pulling a float within the channel. (It was the part of the channel that goes East/west, right before it turns to the north go under the bridge, they were south of the bridge). The divers were totally lost, diving 2.5 hours after high tide in a screaming outgoing tide and the people were having trouble with bouyancy control with fins splashing at surface, but the divers were submerged.

He stopped his vessel, had someone snorkel down to the group in near zero visibility and got them to come to the surface while he used his boat to block other traffic. They pulled 6 totally confused and lost scuba divers from chicago or something onto the boat and dropped them off near shore. Sounds like they were only moments away from being chopped up by the boat traffic.

Maybe they should ban diving there or do something that would make it a little safer for the divers. There are not many places that are promoted as safe beginning diver spots, with high currents, quick changes in visibility and significant boat traffic comming within a close distance to where people dive. It would be very easy for ignorant people to swim or allow the current to carry them into a potentially life threatening location in only a minute or two.

 

[ScoobaDood]

I can agree with you. There has been a lot of misunderstanding on this thread.

This is the "Near Misses and Lessons Learned" area. Questions and explanations are how everyone learns from incidents in this area.

My desire in all of this was to discern what the misunderstandings I have read are, and have the OP explain them better so we can all learn.

Someone PM'd me with a topside version of this incident where divers who were waiting for the proper time to enter the water were ready on the north side of the fishing pier with rope to toss to the ladies, but the ladies were stopped by two divers who were carrying short poles (not spearguns... from the PM I received) and standing waist deep in the water between the bridge and fishing pier... in the first lane west from the beach (NOTE: That area is 4-5' deep and many divers can stand in the sand there).

I was trying not to post this so as not to have it appear that the OP was in a panic situation. I would, instead, liked to have had some answers from her that would have helped everyone understand the situation better and learn from it.

It also saddens me that she did not take me up on my offer as guide for a dive there today. It's a beautiful day for the dive!

I can fully understand you not wanting to expose what may have/or appears to be a panic situation brought out in all of this. The reality is that divers of all levels of skill and experience have had them, and I would hope that the OP could understand that it can and likley will happen to all of us at some point or another in our lives. What matters most is what you do when that moment comes. Be it handling the situation yourself, or being aware enough to summon help if you feel you cannot control the situation yourself.

I will say that it does indeed sound like there was a bit of a panic. Sometimes when we expect one thing and get another....we are thrown offguard and panic can ensue. In the end I am glad that injury was minimal, and nothing serious came of it.

It is unfortunate that they did not take the opportunity. I would think this would be a great opportunity to get to experience the dive, and learn how to be able to dive it in the future.

 

[sportxlh]

.....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.....

....We also found out that tide was at 11:00 am and that we should not have been in the water. This is not what the dive shop told us....

....Now I am shaken enough up that I don't know if I will even dive again. I am not sure if it's better to dive sooner or later?

Mandy: exactly what time did you get in the water?? I dove on Saturday solo. I got in at about 10:25 and exited 97 minutes later with no issues on any kind. I dove the west side, between the piling where you first enter from the beach and the channel wall. I spent time on the south side of the west span and some time north of the fishing pier.

 

[cdolphin]

My buddy was driving his boat by there last weekend and came upon divers pulling a float within the channel. (It was the part of the channel that goes East/west, right before it turns to the north go under the bridge, they were south of the bridge). The divers were totally lost, diving 2.5 hours after high tide in a screaming outgoing tide and the people were having trouble with bouyancy control with fins splashing at surface, but the divers were submerged.

He stopped his vessel, had someone snorkel down to the group in near zero visibility and got them to come to the surface while he used his boat to block other traffic. They pulled 6 totally confused and lost scuba divers from chicago or something onto the boat and dropped them off near shore. Sounds like they were only moments away from being chopped up by the boat traffic.

Maybe they should ban diving there or do something that would make it a little safer for the divers. There are not many places that are promoted as safe beginning diver spots, with high currents, quick changes in visibility and significant boat traffic comming within a close distance to where people dive. It would be very easy for ignorant people to swim or allow the current to carry them into a potentially life threatening location in only a minute or two.

I grew up not far from BHB and was there last summer. I didn't dive BHB. I now live in the Pacific NW. I have only 50 dives.

I've seen strong currents. I wouldn't be diving an unknown site without seriously considering the tide. Not to say this or something similar can't or won't happen to me, and I'm glad to have this incident reported as I'm sure I'll dive BHB when I'm there in a couple months.

I don't think closing the BHB to divers is the answer. There have been thousands of safe dives there. There have undoubtedly been many unintentional "Drift dives" there. The tide schedules are easily accessed, and if a diver is at all unsure, I think they could easily find a local experienced dive buddy or pay a DM to go along. Florida divers seem to like to dive! There has to be a plan "B" in any dive, right? In case of currents or tides or rips.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I have a clarification from PM:

I received an updated PM that corrected me. There were two fisherman with fishing poles wading in the water (supposedly fishing), but two divers were just at the drop off there and brought the ladies up

 

[ScoobaDood]

Mandy: exactly what time did you get in the water?? I dove on Saturday solo. I got in at about 10:25 and exited 97 minutes later with no issues on any kind. I dove the west side, between the piling where you first enter from the beach and the channel wall. I spent time on the south side of the west span and some time north of the fishing pier.

From what she had stated they got into the water about 9:45 am with the intention of being on the shore by 10:30am....this is apparently where the problem started. Wrong Time to be in

 

[sportxlh]

My buddy was driving his boat by there last weekend and came upon divers pulling a float within the channel. (It was the part of the channel that goes East/west, right before it turns to the north go under the bridge, they were south of the bridge). The divers were totally lost, diving 2.5 hours after high tide in a screaming outgoing tide .......

there were a couple of guys in phil foster parking lot suiting up to dive when I was leaving. I exited the water about 60 mintues after high tide, took a few minutes to clean my camera at the fish cleaning station and then a couple of minutes to get my gear off and into the back of the car. That's when I noticed these guys suiting up.... they were at least 1 hour and 15 minutes past high tide. Another diver tried to talk them out of diving, but they did not want to hear any of it. I know you can dive around some of the boat bouys south of the playground and beach long after high tide if you are really careful (though the viz would be pretty bad) so I assumed that these two must have been experienced and were planning on some really up close macro photography of critters at the base of the bouy lines. I wonder if these were some of folks your buddies had to rescue.

 

[DandyDon]

I mentioned this early in the thread, but was asked to shut up while he handled things here - and gave the guy the benefit of the doubt, deleting my post.

Mandy: exactly what time did you get in the water?? I dove on Saturday solo. I got in at about 10:25 and exited 97 minutes later with no issues on any kind. I dove the west side, between the piling where you first enter from the beach and the channel wall. I spent time on the south side of the west span and some time north of the fishing pier.

A great amount of confusion and subsequent friction occurred with the way she used the word "in", as most of us usually use it to mean in the water vs "out". But the confusion persists...

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.

She meant "in" as back on shore.

She also had incorrect information and/or incorrect understanding from some person not named. Now she knows to check the charts herself.

Then there's the bit about choosing to be on your own when you choose to shore dive.