Boat Diving rules/hints

[EastEndDiver]

Tip the Crew!!! They're keeping you safe, not keeping your drink full and bringing you ketchup.

If the crew doesn't bring me ketchup and keep my drink filled I don't tip !

Up here the briefing by the crew pretty much tells you the wreck you on how deep it is and that is about it they then tie in the anchor and open the pool you're on your own after that.

 

[Doc Harry]

The most important thing the learn about boat diving:

You are not the only diver on the boat.

-Do not spread your gear all over the place
-Do not spread your gear in the middle of the passageway and block all traffic
-Do not leave your gear spread all over the seats
-Do not stand in the middle of pasageways and block all traffic

 

[Landlocked123]

Make sure you get into your BC/ Wing efficiently. What I mean is ensure that before you put your BC on all the items that you will be brining with you are clipped where they need to be. Practice this at home using a deep chair as the "bench". Get your rig together. Get into it. Now make sure you did not forget anything. It really sucks when you you have your BC on and then realize you forgot your compass which is now back in your bag and you are on a rocking boat tring to get to it. Setup your rig the same way every time. I have a specific order (Just giving you an example - you will have your own way). Place Wing on Tank, latch bottom strap. Slide Pony to correct hieght and placment (marked off on tank), Latch upper strap. Put on Pony Primary Reg, Route to right Chest Dring, Mount primary tank first stage, clip to right chest D- ring, route caniser light, etc …. etc.. etc… etc.. The rig ends up in the same exact config every single time. You put it on the same way every time. The order in which you unclip stuff off and deploy is the same EVERY TIME. All this will reduce the amount of time it takes you to get ready and make entry into the water, set you at ease, and make the whole event more enjoyable.

 

[Phantom Menace]

Wow, All these posts are about boat diving from commercial charter boats. Most of the comments apply equally to private boats but you also need to adjust to suit the size of the boat you are on. E.g. I have a 18 ft runabout that we do a lot of diving off and there it is all about tidy stowage of gear, not bringing loads of stuff, and helping each other out. No dive crew to brief us on the dive site or to help us. Mostly we are free-diving these days but when SCUBA diving it is common to lower your rigged tank and BCD into the water (inflated and tied to a short line) and then to don it in the water (saves space on board.) We will often do the reverse when boarding i.e. inflate the BCD and remove the tank before boarding the boat (tie it off to line) and then retrieve all the gear once back onboard.



Keeping the tanks secured is also key when on-board

 

[jscan1]

I dive with FM1520 quite often, and I have to say I agree with RJP, but this is how I put in place. I surface, any chop, surface current etc. and mask stays on my face and reg stays in my mouth, until I'm climbing the ladder at a minimum. Now if I surface, and conditions are like a pond, and my wing is holding air , and I'm bobbing at the surface waiting my turn on the ladder, then I'm likely to have mask on neck and reg in my hand, talking about the dive, if I do fall off the ladder I'm inflated and not sinking. I think it's all about using good dive sense, and unfortunately that can be pretty hard to come by on a lot of dive boats!

 

[PantherDiver]

Thank you for the input and I had 2 great boat dives with no sea sickness and no incidents. I did keep my regulator in my mouth this time as I climbed the ladder something I hadn't done before. I think I'm going to put all this together for my future students.

 

[mrdre]

Why have regulator in the mouth while climbing the boat? If you fall back to the water, you will pop to the surface in few seconds - you just got back from the water, you were positive. If your BCD fails at the same time - you are still positive if properly weighted. Moreover you will have plenty of time to recover your regulator. If you can't find your regulator, you will have another reg (necklase, air 2, octopus - whatever the configuration). If you fall, hit your head, and pass out - the regulator will fall out of the mouth anyway.

In contrary, climbing the the boat with all the gear is a physical exercise and I'd prefer to breathe fresh air instead of trying to suck remaining air from the tank. I just keep my regulator either clipped (if it's a long hose) or just hanging infront of me (if short). If I fall, I'll grab it right away and I can breathe from the clipped regulator without unclipping it (in case of emergency).

 

[Mustard Dave]

Why have regulator in the mouth while climbing the boat? If you fall back to the water, you will pop to the surface in few seconds - you just got back from the water, you were positive. If your BCD fails at the same time - you are still positive if properly weighted. Moreover you will have plenty of time to recover your regulator. If you can't find your regulator, you will have another reg (necklase, air 2, octopus - whatever the configuration). If you fall, hit your head, and pass out - the regulator will fall out of the mouth anyway.

In contrary, climbing the the boat with all the gear is a physical exercise and I'd prefer to breathe fresh air instead of trying to suck remaining air from the tank. I just keep my regulator either clipped (if it's a long hose) or just hanging infront of me (if short). If I fall, I'll grab it right away and I can breathe from the clipped regulator without unclipping it (in case of emergency).

Because you might not fall cleanly. There are accounts of divers getting snagged when they fall and being held face down. When I am around water that is too deep for me to drink and there is a possibility of falling, there is always a reg in my mouth.

 

[industrious95]

Regarding removing fins: All boats are different. Pre dive briefing will usually explain dealing with fins, but if you're not sure, ask. I've never been on a NJ boat where you remove your fins before climbing the ladder, but they have all had "T ladders," where a center post has the rungs welded onto it.

Marine head: different boats have different types of heads. Ask the captain, "Can I flush when there's someone in the water?"

I can't imagine bouncing in 3 foot seas waiting for my turn to climb a ladder and taking a regulator out of my mouth. Anything you have to say can wait a few minutes. I got tossed off the ladder in rough seas last year and not having the reg in my mouth would have really sucked!

Listen and treat others with the same respect you want to be treated. And ask questions if you're not sure.

 

[PantherDiver]

My question is what does it hurt to simply keep a reg and mask on just for that one day something may not go right?