Dive With Own Boat

[Nemrod]

We leave our boat unattended but if anchored we do not leave site of the anchor. But, really, it depends on when, where and how. In the Keys, most sites have balls and they make for a secure anchor and there are usually enough people around that it is not likely your boat will be stolen. However, anything is possible.

The best thing to do is to become a very good boatsman and also to be come very familiar with the waters you boat and dive in and also become a very good diver BEFORE undertaking this adventure.

There is much to be said for having a professional charter captain and crew but there is also much to be said for diving your schedule, your favorite places when you want to.

N

 

[socaljohn]

Dove off my buddy's unattended boat once and except for not being able to see the boat cause some fog dropped in on us, we did OK. but decided we would never do it again. Just dove Palos Verdes but left a non diver on board who came along for the ride.

 

[muzikbiz22]

If you can find a couple of buddies to take out with you... Have them pitch in on gas, then dive two up, two down. That's all you need.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

EXACTLY what I do on my boat. 2 in, 2 on. Rotate.

 

[Peter_C]

A cave reel will always get you back to the boat. Learn to run line, and navigate. A Nautilus Lifeline can call for help. A PLB aka EPIRB can summon help anywhere in the world reliably in seconds.

I dive off an unattended boat all the time. Choose your dive days and sites carefully. First you need to have a good understanding of boats, then an even better understanding of the sea.

 

[mmcdanie]

Dove off my buddy's unattended boat once and except for not being able to see the boat cause some fog dropped in on us, we did OK. but decided we would never do it again. Just dove Palos Verdes but left a non diver on board who came along for the ride.

As the owner of said boat. I feel 100% more relaxed when diving with someone aboard, and more relaxed means less air consumption. I'll only leave the boat unattended on a mooring now and there are plenty of them at Catalina.

Must haves:
Diver Down Flags - Bow, Stern and some where high on the boat
VHF Radio
Drift line for back of the boat
Good underwater navigation skills

 

[OldNSalty]

Surely you can find 2 more divers to go with you and do the 2 in, 2 out rotation.

 

[AfterDark]

The main issue is that the boat remains where it is. This requires the proper type anchor for the type bottom, the proper anchoring technique, a long enough and big enough anchor line and lead chain, a secure, permanent tie off point on the boat. The anchor line should be eye spliced on both ends and attached to the anchor chain on one end and to the boat on the other end with shackles safety wired to prevent any possibility of coming apart. At the beginning of the dive the anchor must be checked that it is securely embedded in the bottom and not dragging nor could possibly drag.
During the dive you need to keep mental or written note to be able to find the anchor at the end of the dive.
You should have a current line at least 100 feet long with afloat on the end tied to the back of the boat for in the event you cannot find the anchor at the end of the dive and have to surface without the anchor line.The current line adds to the length of the boat so you don’t have to swim directly back to the boat but can swim to the line if it is closer.
Also a permanent fixed ladder than allows unassisted boarding.
A diver down flag so others boaters hopefully don’t assume it is an abandoned boat.
A VHF radio to call for help, don’t depend on a cell phone.
A float plan that gives the number of divers, discription of the boat, location of the planned dive and estimated time of return given to someone on shore that can summon help if you don’t return on time
You also have to consider possible weather and water condition changes that could occur during the dive.
If you are new to boating I suggest you get the book Chapman’s on Piloting and Small Boat Handling and take a Coast Guard Auxiliary or US Power Squadron boating safety course.
This list is not all inclusive, just the basics.

Amazon.com: chapman on piloting: Books

Captain covers a lot right here. The only thing I would add is to disable the motor. Disconnect the coil wire and/or the battery cable (negitive side, reduces sparking) also install a hidden fuel shutoff. I dove using my fathers boat during my early diving years and did most of the above. VHF radios where for rich people back then but most everything else here I did. You might consider a sea anchor in addtion to your ground anchors, if the boat does become unmoored the sea anchor will slow the drift down. I always used 2 anchors a grappling and danforth.

 

[stano]

Same as the others we dive 2 in 2 up. Works great. Help each other get ready, help get out of the water. You need a surface interval between dives anyway so while you are on your SI your buddies are down.

Also we dive as buddies anyway so it not like 4 of us would ever dive as a group.

Make sure your buddies can start and drive the boat and know how to use the radio.

Stano

 

[fdarden]

As a boat owner and diver I will tell you - I posed these exact same questions about a year ago here. I got 20 "youll put your eye out kid" type of responses, and one PM. That PM was from a VERY experienced diver and boat captain, and its a great thing that he reached out to me, otherwise I would be still stuck on the cattleboats with everyone else, too petrified to dive off my own boat, based on advice from people that probably dont even own a boat! Long story short, we have dove together for over a year now, logged over 300 dives together from 30 feet, to 200 ft. Many with a dead boat. Is it preferable? No, of course not. But being able to PROPERLY dead dive a boat will keep you in the water a lot more often than not. If you just go out and try to do it with no help, and nobody with experience helping you are asking for a disaster. There are a lot of tricks to keep you out of trouble, and lots of things to know. A few things I will add, for anyone diving their own private boat

#1 Hire an attorney to draft a liability waiver - Nobody gets on the boat EVER until they sign it.
#2 Maintain without question the required safety gear on the boat. have more than what is required, it is your skin after all.
#3 Keep a large (at least 20cf) bottle of O2 with a demand valve and a bag mask on board. I would not dive without this on board period.
#4 Keep PLENTY of tools on the boat.
#5 Read Chapmans piloting and seamanship. Well worth the price of admission. Nobody should get behind the wheel of a boat without reading it. I review and reference it constantly.
#6 Take a first responder course, be sure you can provide CPR and other emergency medical attention
#7 Understand how to properly anchor and secure a boat. I saw something in OP's comments that led me to believe he needs to learn to tie a cleat properly for instance.
#8 Carry a Nautilus life line, or some other method of signalling immediate help if there is a problem.
#9 Be prepared for the worst to occur. Reality is that when you dive off a private boat, bad things can happen, just as when you dive off a cattle boat. If you are not prepared to deal with a life saving emergency situation, then dont dive off your boat.
#10 When anchoring, you can never have too much scope. Become REALLY knowledgeable about anchoring BEFORE you do this.
#11 practice underwater navigation and get good at it. One of the primary skills needed to get back to the boat. As someone pointed out, you can always tie a reel off to the anchor.

That should get you started. By no means is this a complete list, but its what came to the top of my head in the two minutes that I took to post this. You should not take my information to heart, rather use it as a rough guide, and a start to thinking in the right frame of mind. Safety of you and your divers should be your #1 concern at all times. There is an awful lot to think about. You may or may not be capable of doing this, and only you can truly know in your heart and mind if you are. Whatever you do, do not do this without someone with lots of experience, otherwise you probably will put your eye out, kid! There is a lot to know. Good luck, and I sure hope you learn to properly dive off your private vessel, as it is a ton of fun. There is nothing like anchoring next to a huge wreck, and having just you and your buddy in the water. Pure, peaceful bliss!

 

[DennisS]

Just to add my two cents, use either safety shackles, the ones with the bolt and pin or safety wire/tie wrap your pin shackle, on your chain and anchor. Bad things happen when shackles come undone and it's easy to prevent.