Don't move the upline!

[Randy43068]

Hum.. narced at 50 feet? Ber, were you drinking again? LOL

 

[D_B]

Thank you TSandM
I always learn something from reading your posts, and even if I am not ready, or able to put into practice what I've learned because of skill level or dive site .. what I learn from your threads is always good to have in the back of my mind ... knowledge is power

 

[Cacia]

and then these techies in the UK have another method, they just throttle off

Steve shot the wreck using the classic 'Weymouth way' i.e. the lightweight grapnel was deployed in current and up-tide then simple left to find its way along the seabed into the wreck. Its prongs strong enough to hold the weight of the line into the wreck. After the operations have been completed the dive vessel simple pulls the grapnel free bending the prongs with it and snapping the weaker line used to lash into the wreck. The grapnel is then free to bend back into shape for the next dive.

 

[KMD]

four points of thoughts come to mind.

1) I think its indicative how different geographical areas of diving come up with different solutions. Case in point that in the NorthEast, a lot of people are familiar with the various protocols for setting and moving hooks on the wreck. In other areas this just doesn't come up at all. For example, in the Monterey area, it just isn't done. The boats with have a safety diver, that can go down and work on the anchor if needed. Secondly, there just aren't any wrecks or buoys to hook into around here.

2) I think this is where a good captain is worth his/her weight in gold. A good captain should be briefing both teams on what he expects to be done and the procedure to do it.

3) We should all be comfortable with a blue water ascents otherwise we shouldn't dive off of boats. There is no guarantee that one will make it back to the upline/anchor.

4) When in doubt shoot an smb. A "haircut" by a boat will really ruin someones day.

 

[TSandM]

4) When in doubt shoot an smb. A "haircut" by a boat will really ruin someones day.

Man, is that ever true. The week before, we shot a bag from 40 feet, and we were incredibly grateful, because when we surfaced, the boat was almost on top of us! (For you guys in Hawaii, our water's frequent so turbid that you wouldn't realize the boat was up there.)

 

[do it easy]

4) When in doubt shoot an smb. A "haircut" by a boat will really ruin someones day.

Yes, you never forget what it looks like when you see a boat from underwater and the props are moving!

 

[BarryNL]

I don't know how much the grapple weighs, but it just about maxed out the lift capacity of Peter's wing to carry it.

Actually, this sounds like one of the most worrying things. If he'd accidently dropped it he'd have been heading up very fast - quite possibly unable to dump air fast enough to stop his ascent. A lift bag is the safe way to move heavy objects.

 

[b1gcountry]

I know this is an old thread, but I have to ask whether you think a line tied from original upline to the anchor would have been found by the other dive team? I think Ber mentioned this in passing, but I wanted to state it again.

I went out with Diver Bob in PS last month, and I remember seeing some line down there. If I came back to where I thought the anchor was and noticed some line, I might have just tuned it out, and not noticed it.

Actually, I'm not sure there would have been anything you could have done at this point which would be guaranteed to be right.

Tom

 

[jim T.]

I don't have the diving experience that most posting here have, by a long shot, but I do have 25-30 yrs. of boating and anchoring experience and feel that leaving an untended, anchored boat that can even in the remotest possibility break out and drift away completely negates all and any of the careful dive prep and planning that was so meticulously done.

Granted I live in the PNW with lots of current but even in the Caribbean, I've seen untended anchored boats with appropriate scope break out of the bottom, chafe a rode and drift off.

I'm kind of amazed that this practice is accepted by so many.

True,I've anchored in a "protected" anchorage for days at a time while making all day shore excursions or hikes, etc. but my life isn't forfeit if the boat's not there upon my return.
I've so far, in thirty years of boating, never dragged anchor after being sure I'm in and doing an anchor watch for a reasonable amount of time before leaving the boat.

Sure, I've dragged a bit on a couple of initial sets over the years but never after proper conservative procedure was followed. (And of course can't say it'll NEVER happen...)

With a dive boat dive, if you have to try and catch a slack tide period for the dive, it isn't always practical to do a 1/2 hr. to an hr. anchor watch. So I'd want a crewperson on board before going in. I still see at least 50% of boaters not using proper anchor rode/chain scope, a suitable anchor for the bottom and not backing down on the anchor, etc.

Isn't it (almost) universally considered best practice/procedural for an anchored dive boat to be attended by a crewperson who knows how to start (and hopefully fix) an engine/motor and use the VHF radio properly?

Thanks Lynne and Peter for relaying your learning experience and being willing to acknowledge that it was
something you'd do differently in the future. There are certainly plenty of things I'm learning by doing even if the
concept was covered in a course or two. Experience makes
the course work/ book learnin' real.

 

[jim T.]

Wow, reading this the next day (too late for edits) that seems to come off way too egotistical sounding... Sorry

Yesterday I saw 3 RIB and other small boat divers, heading out to dive from anchored boats with no crew remaining on board and it just blew my mind that this is going on so commonly.

Didn't mean to side rail or highjack...