That ain't your number!! 
Ft Lauderdale / Pompano Beach Dive Thread
- Thread starter NothingClever
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Barnaby'sDad
Contributor
For LBTS shore divers…are there any hotels to avoid south of the pier?
Most of their websites mention shore diving as an attraction, but I’d be interested to know if any have accessibility issues (I.e. Parking sucks, so it’s a pain to load and unload), if people catch flak when bringing gear through the lobby, or if people are going to throw a fit if you put your wetsuit out on the balcony to dry.
Most of their websites mention shore diving as an attraction, but I’d be interested to know if any have accessibility issues (I.e. Parking sucks, so it’s a pain to load and unload), if people catch flak when bringing gear through the lobby, or if people are going to throw a fit if you put your wetsuit out on the balcony to dry.
OP
Big kudos to Captain John from Hydrotherapy.
He watched and communicated the conditions starting early Friday morning, woke up early today to check conditions, made the judgment call the sea state was going to complicate our pick up and contacted us before we got rolling.
Getting out through the inlet? No problem.
Doing the BT and executing our stops? No problem.
Pick up? Ughh…I’ll gladly pass on getting into a wrestling match with a ladder that has a multi-ton boat attached to it. I’m glad Captain John was in our corner.
Hydrotherapy put the charter fee back in my account before 07:00.
@VsubT and I went to breakfast and thought things were pretty calm. Then we went to check conditions at the beach for a shore dive. Big nope. The wind was already whipping up the surf.
It was still a great day since @VsubT and I got to catch up.
He watched and communicated the conditions starting early Friday morning, woke up early today to check conditions, made the judgment call the sea state was going to complicate our pick up and contacted us before we got rolling.
Getting out through the inlet? No problem.
Doing the BT and executing our stops? No problem.
Pick up? Ughh…I’ll gladly pass on getting into a wrestling match with a ladder that has a multi-ton boat attached to it. I’m glad Captain John was in our corner.
Hydrotherapy put the charter fee back in my account before 07:00.
@VsubT and I went to breakfast and thought things were pretty calm. Then we went to check conditions at the beach for a shore dive. Big nope. The wind was already whipping up the surf.
It was still a great day since @VsubT and I got to catch up.
A diver went missing today, diving with Dixie Divers. One of my dive buddies was diving with the charter when this occurred. For starters, it's 6-7ft seas today. I guess Dixie has a pretty large boat. He said there were two newly certified brothers. Possibly diving rental gear. The missing diver forgot to connect his inflator hose, panicked, and kept sinking. The other brother surfaced and yelled for help. They couldn't find the panicked diver. My buddy said the worst part was when they got to the dock and the mother was there screaming at everyone on the boat, especially the captain.
Coast Guard searching for diver reported missing off Pompano Beach - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting a search for a diver who was reported missing off the coast of South<a class="excerpt-read-more" href="https://wsvn.com/news/local/broward/coast-guard-searching-for-diver-reported-missing-off-pompano-beach/">Read More</a>
wsvn.com
johndiver999
Contributor
Oh my god that is terrible.
Some people will never concede that having some ditchable lead is a good idea. It was very windy all day today, I am surprised that they would take new divers out in those conditions.
Most people, way over exaggerate the sea state, but I can definitely believe it was 5-7 and probably white caps. I wouldn't dive in those conditions for recreation.
TMurrr
Contributor
Yikes. What qualified captain would willingly take new divers out in those conditions... What DM isn't running safety checks on EVERY diver that they allow to giant stride off the back. Check for air in BCD, regs on and hoses connected. Every.single.time... especially in bad weather. Even just checking for air in BCD would've prevented the diver from sinking...
I also question the instructor that taught them their open water. Do you really think you should've passed your students that are making basic mistakes as soon as they leave your class? Does anyone know where the divers got their OW?
Really hope the diver is found safely sitting at a beach bar, wetsuit still on, enjoying a mai thai and chatting with the regulars.
It really bothers me how some charter boats will dive in any weather and not offer the option for full refunds if the divers are uncomfortable with the conditions in any way shape or form, but the boat is going out anyway.
Yet another black mark on Dixies already stained record. I hope the incoming lawsuit decimates their operation for good.
OP
This is just heartbreaking.
I’m making an assumption this fatality was completely avoidable with better training for the diver and a crew attuned to checking the essentials yet here we are with his broken-hearted mother, his family and friends who will never get young Jack Levine back.
We have to be better than this.
I’m making an assumption this fatality was completely avoidable with better training for the diver and a crew attuned to checking the essentials yet here we are with his broken-hearted mother, his family and friends who will never get young Jack Levine back.
We have to be better than this.
Jollymon32
Registered
So let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water.
Since December 14, 2024 I have done 14 dives with DX Divers on the LadyGoDiver and I have found them to be superior in safety, professionalism, and operation than the other operators that I have dove with in Pompano and Fort Lauderdale.
Indeed, I am so satisfied with their professionalism and safety that when my son wanted to get certified, we went to DX Divers. I am extremely satisfied with what they taught him and the quality of their instructors. I have never observed anything other than an operation that is focused on safety.
It is easy to blame and cast culpability as one sits in one's couch, completely oblivious to any relevant information that may have actually influenced what actually transpired.
How often do you go on charter boat dives? I would say not often based on your thoughts that a DM is responsible for the safety check of everyone’s gear - I was taught to check and recheck my gear and that of my buddy, never was I taught that it was the DM’s responsibility to check my gear. Or that a Captain can effectively, on a real time basis, evaluate every diver’s experience and make a decision on whether they can dive or not.
Be careful what you wish for. If you wish the demise of every operator that has had accidents, there would be no one left. Other operators in Pompano have lost divers, left them behind, sunk their boats, and even capsized in the inlet. Should they be shut down? You would be surprised who these are; you probably dove with one of them recently.
Lastly, let us not lose track of personal accountability. No one forced these divers to go out on that day. No one forced them to jump off the transom. It is easy to cry foul and say that there should be more oversight and more control, but usually those advocating for more control are the very ones that then despise companies when they actually do enforce the regulations and requirements that do exist.
OP
@Jollymon32
I think you make some excellent points and I wholeheartedly agree about personal responsibility.
I’ve never dived with DD so I can’t share any legitimate observations about them.
I have dived with other charters from Jupiter down to PB and found the more professional charters conduct a focused but brief pre-dive safety check (led by the dry DM).
I’ve found this to be an effective control measure for catching problems before splashing. I haven’t found them to be an inconvenience or insult or think that this practice is a replacement for individual responsibility.
And I agree, the Captain, while underway, is not in a position to discern who needs individual attention. I think he IS responsible for making sure the crew is on top of this.
None of this is to imply that DD didn’t conduct a pre-dive safety check, just that I’ve found it to be a useful backstop to a wide range of skills, aptitude, attitude and commitment to safe diving.
I think you make some excellent points and I wholeheartedly agree about personal responsibility.
I’ve never dived with DD so I can’t share any legitimate observations about them.
I have dived with other charters from Jupiter down to PB and found the more professional charters conduct a focused but brief pre-dive safety check (led by the dry DM).
I’ve found this to be an effective control measure for catching problems before splashing. I haven’t found them to be an inconvenience or insult or think that this practice is a replacement for individual responsibility.
And I agree, the Captain, while underway, is not in a position to discern who needs individual attention. I think he IS responsible for making sure the crew is on top of this.
None of this is to imply that DD didn’t conduct a pre-dive safety check, just that I’ve found it to be a useful backstop to a wide range of skills, aptitude, attitude and commitment to safe diving.
Similar threads
