Diver collapses off Cape Hatteras

[DandyDon]

A few answered questions will help everyone see if conducting a scrap salvage operation while also conducting a charter service at the same time is a safe thing to do.

Does the business advise the divers that this will be going on at the time of booking, departure, and on site?
How many other operations are doing this there?
How many anywhere?
How many accidents has the charter service had this year?
How many for the same area for the other operations?
Is it possible that one of the lift bags could fail and the large pipes sink down on a diver below?
How is this metal stored and transported on the vessel?
Is it possible that the metal could shift during transportation (on the ocean)and injure someone?
Does this really seem right?

Good points to question.

I hope Chris and his niece have a rapid recovery. Kudos to the crew/responders for working quickly, and saving a life.

(thread hijack)
While it sounds like this has nothing to do with the incident, I'll say this: Mixing commercial/salvage diving with recreational diving is just plain stupid. I doubt very seriously than any insurance provider would knowingly cover such a scheme.
(/thread hijack)

If it happened on a dive charter I booked without fore notice, it'd only happen to me once and I'd be here as soon as I could find an internet connection to tell about it.

 

[JayJudge]

Not to beat a dead horse, but, the accident was not (in all likelihood) the boat/crew's fault. However, here is my very recent exploit with them...we had 5 divers not have enough back gas to complete their dives/ deco obligations. One was buddying with a guy on a rebreather, she was on a single tank, no stage, and as far as I could understand, no deco training. They proceeded to do a 75 minute runtime, with the crew sending down bottles. Then, all the divers were allowed to do a second dive with 2 going into a 22 minute deco hang- running out of backgas, being thrown back in the water to breath off a suspended bottle, all with no safety diver in. And the girl dove with the guy on a rebreather, pulling about the same profile. The boat picked up copper pipes, 2 of which were pulled with divers in the water. Now, before anyone says well, its legal, it may be, but eventually there will be no wreck to dive. AND THEY ARE THE ONLY FRIGGIN BOAT DOING IT!!!!!! NO ONE ELSE DOES THAT!!! AND THEY STILL HAVE THE AUDACITY TO CHARGE A FUEL SURCHARGE!!! Would I use them again or even suggest them, probably not. Do I think that in the time of an emergency the crew would do the right things? Yes, I also think both DMs were good people at heart. But I think profit can lead boats to very dangerous waters, where even the best DMs can be lost.
-J

 

[RAD Diver]

I agree Jay. I have dove with this op several times, & never saw them do any of this, last time was in April.
But the week before you were there I was on JTs boat & diving the British Splendour when their anchor almost hit me. We also noticed they had a huge lift bag attached to part of the wreck & a chain pull attached to pull part of the wreck out of the way. If anything snapped & a diver was in the wrong spot they could be in for some real problems.

 

[JayJudge]

The other issue that no one has brought up is stability. Some chunks weigh enough to change the balance of the boat. Honestly, the salvaging angered me more than anything else. Its sad too, I have used them before, though never my first choice, they used to run a nice op.
-J

 

[I Dive]

Not to beat a dead horse, but, the accident was not (in all likelihood) the boat/crew's fault. However, here is my very recent exploit with them...we had 5 divers not have enough back gas to complete their dives/ deco obligations. One was buddying with a guy on a rebreather, she was on a single tank, no stage, and as far as I could understand, no deco training. They proceeded to do a 75 minute runtime, with the crew sending down bottles. Then, all the divers were allowed to do a second dive with 2 going into a 22 minute deco hang- running out of backgas, being thrown back in the water to breath off a suspended bottle, all with no safety diver in. And the girl dove with the guy on a rebreather, pulling about the same profile. -J[/QUOTE

While it sounds like the crew is pretty incompetent, if not outright negligent, it is ALWAYS ultimately up to a diver to ensure they dive a safe profile within the scope of their training and experience, and have the required gear. This report from JayJudge sounds like the opening paragraph of the best "How NOT to dive" book ever written...

 

[fireflock]

So many NC dive ops do everything they can to maintain a good reputation for NC diving. It's sad when one op decides to do something so obviously short sighted.

Rich

 

[caseybird]

Who wants to dive with someone who is ripping up the wrecks you're paying to visit? Idiotic.

 

[mheaster]

Who wants to dive with someone who is ripping up the wrecks you're paying to visit? Idiotic.

Just for the principle mentioned here, I'd never dive with this operator or anyone else doing so!

 

[highlandfarmwv]

I have dived with the Flying Fish many times, and I have noted that they are very concerned with safety. Any salvaging they have done were done either in the 2-hour surface interval, after everyone was back on the boat, or at the end of the day when everybody was back on the boat. And there are always DM/captains on board.

I never felt that the salvaging lessened my dive experience at all. In fact, it was so discreet I didn't even notice it for several dives!

Please don't make judgments without being there.

 

[RAD Diver]

I agree that every time I have been on the Fish safety was never a concern for me either, but obviously something has changed. They never did any salvage work while I was on their boat even during the SI, but I saw with my own eyes them doing so with customer divers in the water.