jchaplain:
Not directed at you Quaff, but at the posts on this in general...
Many people I know dive off empty boats here in the Boston area....it's done all the time and I do it all the time. You can have your opinions but they are just that. Same as the people who say solo diving is just plain stupid.
Precautions can be taken to minimize risk, and I do take those precautions. I chain my anchor to a rock and dive with a reel tied to the anchor. Also in these conditions I usually go pretty near land that I could swim to if need be.
My point is that many people here seem to be all panties in a twist over people diving an unattended boat... but all I can say if it bothers you that much, then don't do it, but really don't preach to everyone else anymore than I want to hear the preachers against solo diving. Don't solo dive if it bothers you either. In fact, to really be a safe and risk free diver.....don't dive at all! Then you can stand on the shore wagging your finger at the people in the water and yell at them about what fools they are taking such risks.....geesh....
Sorry for the mini rant....
John C.
I see people diving from unattended boats all the time and, yes, I have done it (will do it again) myself. The big difference in what you are talking about and what happened to these two gentelmen, to put it bluntly, is foolishness. As you mentioned above, you take precautions. These gentlemen threw caution to the wind and put more than themselves in harms way. And therein lies my gripe. Do what you want as long as you don't put others at risk.
The conditions the day these gentlemen went out diving were, in a word, crappy. The winds were onshore and about 20-25 kts. Seas were 6-8 ft reported by one of the local dive ops that tried to run a trip but turned around and cancled. If a person really wants to dive in such conditions to a depth of aprox. 25 ft with vis most likely around 5 ft, so be it. Yes, I do question the reasoning for this, but again, so be it. The real problem comes from mooring a 2200 lbs vessel with a 1/4 inch to 5/8 inch line in 5-7 ft choppy seas and expecting it to be there when you return.
I don't appologize for this rant. It makes me mad that these two have recieved press praising their survival of shark infested waters, cold, and their mental battle for survival. The most dangerous thing these two survived was their own stupidity. If these guys want press, they have to take the bad with the good and here's the bad. The ugly unembelished truth.
John, this isn't directed at you. Sorry you were offended by previous posts, but this really has nothing to do with the way you've described your diving. You sound like you give thought to what, when, and how you do things.
cheers
