Diver Drowned in Pompano

[Genesis]

until you're safely back on board.

Remove the fins if you have a ladder that requires it, but leave everything else in place.

If you lose your grip/step for any reason and go back in the water, you have the ability to breathe - the most important factor - while you sort it out.

 

[Padipro]

So, according to the story, neither the diver nor his brother-in-law/buddy removed the weight belt, the man sank to the bottom and drowned.

Unbelieveable!

Genesis,

Sometimes, when diving from small boats with no boarding ladder, you must remove your gear inorder to get out of the water. Of course one should always remove ones weight belt or intragrated weights prior to removing ones only means of floatation .

Scott

 

[Genesis]

sold it this spring.

Dove off it too. 22' LOL.

I wouldn't dive from a boat if the design required that I had to remove my gear before being back on board.

Mine didn't - its not impossible to make accomodations so you can reboard with everything except your fins on your person.

 

[TCDiver1]

Genesis once bubbled...

Mine didn't - its not impossible to make accomodations so you can reboard with everything except your fins on your person.

It's also not impossible to safely reboard by removing your scuba unit. The main thing is to get your weight system off first. If divers have trouble doing this .... its time for a new weight system IMO.

 

[BILLB]

I have completed many dives from my inflatable boat. I don and remove my gear in the water on the surface. I have been known to even take the gear to the bottom and don it.

My BC has intergrated weights and with the back inflatable bladder full, it floats quite nicely. There is no reason to remove the weights!

If a weight belt is used it should be the FIRST thing removed after fully inflating the BC.

It is obviuos that procdures like this were not used and I doubt they were even discussed before the dive.

 

[TCDiver1]

BILLB,
For your average experienced diver, i completely agree with you. However, for any diver, with any doubts of their comfort at the surface, i recommend removing the weights first. Not sure what the big deal is. Every diver should be very familiar with removing their weight system for emergency purposes anyway. So removing them is good practice IMO.

 

[BILLB]

Now, let see if anybody can remember what this term means.

 

[CBulla]

I wonder about the frequency of diving between the divers. Also, was there a line for the in the water diver to hold on to? Simple things..they are always the ones ignored. If its a tough boat to board, slip the weights off and hand up.. then slip out of your rig and tie it to a line thats wrapped to a cleat on the boat, this is even better if its all integrated like my wifes. .. no worries then, just haul it up when your onboard.

This tragedy can serve as a good reminder to us all to review basic procedures with our regular dive partners as well as to make it a point to go over them BEFORE entering the water with a new one.

I feel for the family. After last week and the ordeal of one of my LDS's guys drowing while spearfishing, I can understand how people around them must feel.

 

[Padipro]

There is a very good dive operation here in South Florida that runs a "6 Pack" (six passanger) boat with no boarding ladder. The captian requires the divers to remove their scuba unit prior to exiting the water by propelling themselves with their fins, minus their weighting system and scuba unit, up onto the swim platform. I've dove with them many times before, even DM'ed for him several times as well as tought several OW classes off his boat, and I never saw a single problem with any diver. Everyone onboard is told in the predive briefing exactly how they are to exit the water and told to make sure that they remove their weighting system FIRST and hand it up the the DM.

It may not be the easiest way to exit the water but he's been in business longer then I've been here in Florida and I've been here sense the early 90's so it must not be problematic for divers.

Scott

 

[Genesis]

A ladder is as basic a piece of equipment as is an EPIRB and O2 kit for a boat supporting divers.

How the hell do you board in 3-4' seas?

No thanks....