Dive Boat Sinks in Pompano Beach

[seeker242]

The sea state looked pretty mild. There had to be a pretty considerable problem develop and it must have been ignored for some period of time if they sat, stern anchored, while people got ready to dive and water began submerging the deck....Perhaps the initial cause was a structural failure, a maintenance failure etc., but there seemed to have been no hint that a problem was recognized or responded to

Not necessarily. The sea state does not need to look crazy in order to be bad for tying in around here. Guy I know was diving that wreck an hour before them and reported a top to bottom 3 kt current and also a little bit of a ground swell in the water. Their mistake was tying in in those conditions, with that particular boat. If it was a bigger boat, it probably would have been fine. That particular boat, just the way that it was designed, there was always water washing across the deck. So much so that it was an annoying boat to dive. You often could not have any loose item on the deck under your seat or it would just get washed away lol. Most likely scenario was they took a wave to the stern that put just too much water on the deck swamping the boat. They were probably just ignoring the water on the deck because there was always water on the deck lol.

 

[RyanT]

Regarding the salvage (or lack thereof) I would think there would be liability from an environmental standpoint. The boat is going to be leaking fuel, oil, and sewage (if the holding tank wasn't empty).

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Since I’m diving in Palm Beach County almost exclusively these days I don’t recall the last time I dived off of a moored boat. In PBC it’s all live boating and hot drops. Even when diving the Castor they hook in a mooring ball but then drop divers so that they drift to the ball. The boats don’t typically moor directly to the wrecks in PBC.

 

[jadairiii]

I have stern tied 46 foot Newton boats countless times when the sea is flat calm......

This is the definition of "Normalization of deviance".

Performing actions "countless times" does not make the action safe. The Challenger was launched "countless times" with knowledge that the o-rings were failing during launches.......

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

This is the definition of "Normalization of deviance".

The thought that stern tying is a "deviant" practice is flawed.

The statement that the Challenger O-rings were failing during launches is not accurate. The guys at Morton-Thiokol warned that the o-rings may fail due to temperatures at or around 35 degrees F.

The Challenger was launched that day in temperatures 20 F lower than shuttles had ever been launched in before.

 

[jadairiii]

The thought that stern tying is a "deviant" practice is flawed.

The statement that the Challenger O-rings were failing during launches is not accurate. The guys at Morton-Thiokol warned that the o-rings may fail due to temperatures at or around 35 degrees F.

The Challenger was launched that day in temperatures 20 F lower than shuttles had ever been launched in before.

1. stern tie in's are "deviant"
2. after the very first launch of the Challenger they were experiencing burnt or failed O-rings. Morton-Thiokol warning was based not only on the temperature, but the knowledge that every Challenger launch they lost O-rings. The combination of both on that fateful day is what caused the disaster. NASA had explicitly stated in the original protocols that "any" O-ring damage would cause a shut-down/re-evaluation of the program.....but they never did because, "it worked"

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

1. stern tie in's are "deviant"

Opinions vary.

 

[jadairiii]

Opinions vary.

Opinions may vary, but it does not change facts.

If you haven't seen this, it is good. He discusses Challenger (and where I got my information)

 

[Soloist]

Since I’m diving in Palm Beach County almost exclusively these days I don’t recall the last time I dived off of a moored boat. In PBC it’s all live boating and hot drops. Even when diving the Castor they hook in a mooring ball but then drop divers so that they drift to the ball. The boats don’t typically moor directly to the wrecks in PBC.

Exactly! The (WPB) boat captains always set us up for a negative entry “hot drop” based on the current so we can drift into the wreck. We have also drifted into the Castor due to a ripping current.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Exactly! The (WPB) boat captains always set us up for a negative entry “hot drop” based on the current so we can drift into the wreck. We have also drifted into the Castor due to a ripping current.

That is my preferred method on the Castor. Unfortunately the Boynton boats typically don’t do it that way because they don’t put a guide in the water and because it’s just one wreck. If you’re blown off it the dive is over. But if it’s a small group of experienced divers they will let you hot drop it. @DavidFL and I were able to do that a couple of months back.