Miami Beach charter leaves divers in open waters off Key Biscayne

[danvolker]

2,000 yards? The original story says three miles off Key Biscayne?

2000 yards....I swim that far just during a normal dive

 

[redacted]

I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen divers show up late to a busy dive boat getting loaded up, crew running around taking care of last minute diver problems... "I can’t find my fins!" or whatever… 2 divers get on board and chat through the dive brief and the first role call and no one notices that they never even got on the list.

So this is really the divers' fault? I mean, you can only expect so much of the captain and boat crew (and other divers). Maybe they never even paid!!!!

 

[DandyDon]

So this is really the divers' fault? I mean, you can only expect so much of the captain and boat crew (and other divers). Maybe they never even paid!!!!

Divers might give crews headaches, but there is no excuse for the skipper not knowing who went in, who came back, and leaving them behind. What if one had surfaced in trouble?

The Texan is from Austin. You happen to know him?

 

[WetDawg]

Surprise, the media reports are wrong. Pretty much anywhere 3 miles off Miami and you are in over 700 feet of water. Second dives on local trips are ALWAYS shallow in (30 feet or less) that puts them within 2000 yards of the shore. Know the area, know the dive sites, then chime in. Rely on the media and you will wonder why their "oxygen" bottles didn't explode in the predator infested waters...

I am not defending the boat crew, nor the divers. Everyone asks, "How can this happen?" I gave an open and honest "plausible explanation" based on my professional experience here.

Of course the Capt and Crew are responsible here. No doubt. I'm just trying to make sense of a senseless situation.

 

[danvolker]

Untill we hear directly from people on the boat at the time, the idea of "blame" falls mostly on the Dive boat at this moment...but this is entirely without any real facts to go on beyond the divers being left behind.....We all know that the newspaper reporters are often worse about the facts in a story than 7 year old children.
[ Today a "Deep Sea Diver" ran out of oxygen. Some witnesses said he may have had rapture of the deep, others suggested maybe he was attacked by a devilfish or giant octopus ]

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Easy answer, all divers should count how many our on boat. Obviously the captain and DM make mistakes or distracted on something or another.

I have always counted the divers as i am usually last one on boat. This practice started when I left my wife on an island in a hurry for slack tide time to dive.

Of course I wonder how it would happen when everyone dives together, and from 25 divers, the time count of approx depth should start at last diver dropped, and boat should not leave any time before that. Not that when everyone is accounted for roll call and back to port. Large capacity divers is more work than one would think, so need for extra safety protocals is indeed needed.

For 2000 yds and a busy waterway, when I am flying across the water I look in front so not to hit anything, not much paying attention to whats either side. maybe somebody did see as a passenger and seen they were on a buoy, never thought twice.

A waterproof vhf radio is not that expensive and small enough to stow. put it in a ziplock bag for a bit more at ease is it gonna work.

 

[pygar]

This whole incident really brings home to me why I bought a tandem kayak. This way, Pixie and I are only responsible for ourselves. I do like that gps/radio idea tho.

 

[deepstops]

There was that one story about a diver in Key Largo that jumped off the boat as roll call began to buy a t-shirt..... On the second roll call (after the first dive), the captain admonished her because she wasn't on the list and wouldn't let her continue diving.

Charter's fault or diver's fault?


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[pygar]

BTW, why does everyone whine a bout bringing safety equipment? Diving should be fun! Yes, that's true, But let us not forget, altho it has become commonplace to us vets, Safety FIrst!!!! So you have a sausage connected to your bc....aaaw...Go ahead...whine...but be safe brothers and sisters.

 

[deepstops]

Untill we hear directly from people on the boat at the time, the idea of "blame" falls mostly on the Dive boat at this moment...but this is entirely without any real facts to go on beyond the divers being left behind.....We all know that the newspaper reporters are often worse about the facts in a story than 7 year old children.

Well stated Dan.




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