Dive Boat Sinks in Pompano Beach

[jadairiii]

Yes, SFDH had their boat Coral Princess capsize in the Hillsboro Inlet years ago.....and it was apparently hit from behind at an angle by a huge wave......

Another "classic" captain error, but unfortunately someone lost their life due to it.

 

[boulderjohn]

Some people may remember that in 2020, Pompano Dive Center suddenly and unexpectedly lost their lease and had to go out of business. They were the primary tech diving operation in the area, leaving SFDH to pick up that part of the business. Like many people, I was loathe to go with them anyway because of their role in PDC losing their lease (SFDH moved into the space immediately), but I was also loathe to go with them because they did their tech dives from the Safari Diver, and I did not like that boat at all. So I did not do any more tech diving during my annual snowbird stay in Florida. I contented myself with shallow reef dives for the rest of my stay.

 

[tbone1004]

Some people may remember that in 2020, Pompano Dive Center suddenly and unexpectedly lost their lease and had to go out of business. They were the primary tech diving operation in the area, leaving SFDH to pick up that part of the business. Like many people, I was loathe to go with them anyway because of their role in PDC losing their lease (SFDH moved into the space immediately), but I was also loathe to go with them because they did their tech dives from the Safari Diver, and I did not like that boat at all. So I did not do any more tech diving during my annual snowbird stay in Florida. I contented myself with shallow reef dives for the rest of my stay.

Scuba Diving | Scuba Diving Fort Lauderdale | Scubatyme Charters

 

[boulderjohn]

Scuba Diving | Scuba Diving Fort Lauderdale | Scubatyme Charters

That's the outfit I went with, but it was under different ownership then,. and it specialized in shallow reef dives. The new ownership does do tech diving.

 

[RyanT]

Scuba Diving | Scuba Diving Fort Lauderdale | Scubatyme Charters

Yes.

 

[jadairiii]

....Pompano Dive Center suddenly and unexpectedly lost their lease.....

Not really "sudden or unexpected"....

That said, pretty bad when PDC is held out as a good operation. They've left/forgot multiple divers over the years, backed over me and my buddies on one occasion and on another (and the last time I used them) they decided to leave me on the boarding ladder as the capt went to full throttle. (I smartly let go, rather quickly).

Fact is, generally speaking, the dive boat industry in South Florida is quite "sporty".

 

[coldwaterglutton]

I imagine the two threads will be merged at some point. Here is what I wrote in the other thread.

Yes, SFDH had their boat Coral Princess capsize in the Hillsboro Inlet years ago, with one of the divers being killed. It was a Corinthian (catamaran with a large flat deck, like a party boat), and it was apparently hit from behind at an angle by a huge wave. That raised a back corner enough to send everything loose on the deck to the opposite corner, and the whole thing pitch poled.

The Coral Princess was repaired, given a new color scheme, and renamed the Black Pearl. It is still a SFDH boat.

I hope there's no truth to the adage that "bad things come in threes".

 

[Biotech Diver]

My buddy and I went off that boat about 2 years ago.....last time I would ever dive with them. From the reports it sure sounds like a stern tie in, which would not surprise me, based on the stupidity I saw when we went out with them.

I've seen stern tie ins with a lot of south Florida dive operations, clearly the IQ requirements to be a dive boat operator in S Florida are very low.

That’s quite the broad generalization. How much time have you spent living in SF to be able to form that opinion? I’ve dove with SFDH many times and had zero complaints. I’m sure I’ve been on that same boat too.

 

[jadairiii]

...How much time have you spent living in SF to be able to form that opinion? .....

60 years......started diving in SF in 1975. So not that long....

 

[Biotech Diver]

Got

60 years......started diving in SF in 1975. So not that long....

Got it.

I think your broad generalizations are a little insulting to the good boat captains I’ve dove with in SF. But it is the kind of thing someone diving 60 years would say (see I can use broad insulting generalizations too).