Dive Boat Sank???

[Carl_F]

Not sure what you're getting at.

Regardless, the dive sites of Cozumel are basically in a sheltered bathtub like waters on the leeward side of the island. The conditions typically are as far from challenging as you can get.

Overloading? Very poor captain skills? Poor maintenance? Unsafe boat? Something beyond the routine process of a dive boat using reverse is the catalyst for Cozumel's newest wreck dive.

I am contradicting your previous post.

The conditions were not as you are assuming. They were not typical conditions as previous posts have stated and from my experience the previous week or the two days following. I attribute the failure, based on the accounts told to me and supplemented by personal observation of the techniques used, to poor seamanship in maintaining stern way in higher than normal seas. Some mechanical failure could have contributed (issues with one or more scuppers? Bilge pump?) but those would be contributing only, not primary causal.

 

[Lilipucek7]

They separate the group (4 divers - 1 divemaster) to be able to do a part of the reef where the divers has to be behind each other (not enough large to pass two divers at a time).

The last divemaster was there for it's own pleasure because of the beauty of this dive site.

DandyDon: all of the divemasters were taken by other boats who were near them.

 

[Carl_F]

Was the first DM ever found???

Yes. What I was told by one of the divers was that there was miscommunication and he stayed down vs coming up to report that they were on the right spot.

 

[Lilipucek7]

We were suppose to do the Cathedral

 

[loudives]

We were suppose to do the Cathedral

How is it that you were looking for this dive site in 20 feet of water? Even I know that entry for that site is in about 75 feet of water.

I was also shocked at the time it took the Park boat to get there. I was doing surface interval at the closest beach club and we heard the radio calls. The injured sailor arrived on a Dive with Martin boat about 20 min. after the first radio report and the Park boat passed us 30 min later. So Park boat took at least an hour to get on site. Saw a navy Zodiac type drug chaser go by about 5 min after the park boat.

 

[Ron Lee]

I was also shocked at the time it took the Park boat to get there. I was doing surface interval at the closest beach club and we heard the radio calls. The injured sailor arrived on a Dive with Martin boat about 20 min. after the first radio report and the Park boat passed us 30 min later. So Park boat took at least an hour to get on site. Saw a navy Zodiac type drug chaser go by about 5 min after the park boat.

Maybe it took 15 minutes or so to mobilize. Then is 45 minutes unrealistic to that dive site?

 

[Lilipucek7]

How is it that you were looking for this dive site in 20 feet of water? Even I know that entry for that site is in about 75 feet of water.

We begin to have problems after a wave enter the boat by his back (we were over the dive site - 100 feet depth). Because we were turning around to found our divers, the captain turn at his right. He did not notice the water in the boat because, the crew and the captain was looking around on the flybridge. When he turn, the water in the boat begin to move all on the right. The weight of the water was then only on one side. Then the water begins to enter into the boat by the right side. At this time, we were three in the back of the boat. The crew came down and told us to move all to the front of the boat and the captain try to reach the shore. It was to late, all the water that enter the boat begin to fragilize the stability. At that point, all the back of the boat was under water. The motors were completely swamped and were making a lot of smoke.

When the captain try to stabilize the boat the water begin to move to the left of the boat. All this water movement was affecting his stability and it begin to swing left and right. All the divers was trying to help by going at the opposite side of the water. The crew was helping us by tolding us what to do. With all this movement, all the equipment begin to fall down and everything was now on the floor. Every swing the boat was making, the more we were in trouble. The amplitude of the swing was bigger and bigger until the boat fall on is right and sink. The captain was able to reach a 15-20 feet depth (less waves)

 

[Skittl1321]

Well, I don't wear a wet suit diving Coz for one, but they won't function as a life vest if you fail off of or exit a boat injured

and neither will a snorkel vest. Both just provide buoyancy . A approved PFD is designed to flip your body so your head is not submerged. You say you wear a snorkel vest, which does not do this.


thanks to the poster who is filling in more details of this accident.

 

[DandyDon]

and neither will a snorkel vest. Both just provide buoyancy . A approved PFD is designed to flip your body so your head is not submerged. You say you wear a snorkel vest, which does not do this.

True, I have to inflate it, but then it works. It's a lot more than I have seen anyone else wear on a boat.

 

[Christi]

Wait - it said eleven divers on the boat. The boat can take 20. How could it be over capacity? 3 DMs, 11 divers, perhaps one was a hired DM.

Read previous posts and you'll see where that came from - local authoritative reports claim that boat only has 10 permits, not 20 - regardless of what they paint on the inside or tell customers - I don't know for a fact, but that is what had been reported