Miami Beach charter leaves divers in open waters off Key Biscayne

[joh]

I read this earlier in the newspaper and was shocked. I dived with that outfit a couple times, a few years back. It was a large and packed boat, as I recall. I am just incredulous that the captain could just up and leave two divers.

I feel bad for South Beach Divers, the shop that contracted with the charter boat. It's not their fault, and their business is probably going to suffer for it.

 

[danvolker]

Hmm, has the Coast Guard ever revoked a Captain's license for any other such incident? Thankfully, I create enough of a ruckus boarding a dive boat that I should not be forgotten so easily.

If they don't have a strict roll call practice, just memory alone can't always do the job.....I did a dive in the mid -90's on a boat off of Palm beach ( captain no longer works here ) where I was chatting with the captain up on the bridge the whole way there, I did a 60 minute 60 foot dive, and when I came up, the boat was gone. This was about 1 mile out, and I had always wanted to see how big a deal it was to swim to shore anyway, so I started swimming in. I got all the way to the 12 foot depth of the 1st reef 30 yards off the shore, when the boat showed back up and began profuse apologies......they had gotten all the way back to the Palm Beach inlet, before realizing I was not on board....
I was not upset, actually kind of jazzed that the swim back in had been so easy.
Had this been on Juno ledge, where you are 3 m,iles out, and the current is heading out to sea at a 40 degree angle to the coast line, I would NOT have been likely to get in for many hours, if at all...thus the life raft if you are on a boat that you don't absolutely trust to do a roll call !!!!

 

[fdarden]

The Cap.
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/300143_267937496552830_219373358075911_1133457_310191_n.jpg

 

[blackvans1234]

What are the opinions on having a cell phone in a watertight /waterproof case for things like this?
At least you can call (if you have a signal) for help, and have them triangulate your position.
Then again, cell phone signals are fairly touch and go.

 

[danvolker]

What are the opinions on having a cell phone in a watertight /waterproof case for things like this?
At least you can call (if you have a signal) for help, and have them triangulate your position.
Then again, cell phone signals are fairly touch and go.

There is a guy who dives on Jim Abernethy's boat, and on Narcosis I think, that likes to spearfish solo, and does not like to pay any attention whatsoever, to where he is going --relating to the current and where all the other divers have gone....to simplify his getting picked up by the boat, he bought a water proof radio/gps combo that is in a pressure safe container in his bc at depth, and on surfacing, he can pull it out ( still 100% waterproof) and call ditrectly to the radio of the boat he is on ( and 2 other boats he frquents) and also provide his exact gps location.... I believe his investment was about $500 for this.... His name is Mark, and he is an electronics guy for boats in Palm Beach ( he fixes electronics problems on boats).

 

[rednekscuba]

I have dove with this outfit many times over many years. They do take role after each dive. I cant say what happened but , I know they have a squeaky clean record and also that their boat is inspected by the Coast Guard passing with flying colors (friends in the Coast Guard). And, I will be back on the boat with them as soon as I can.....

I think believe that this happens more times than we know. This just happened to be in a major tourist area with high profile coverage.

 

[inventor]

Bad inventor.

 

[Beowulf]

I'd really like to get the new Nautilus Lifeline for this possibility but I'm not sure how much I trust them. Their customer service does not seem great from what I've read on here. This is one of the dangers we face if diving charters but it seem more manageable than many others. I keep adding to my self rescue gear in order to hopefully make an event like this survivable.

There is a guy who dives on Jim Abernethy's boat, and on Narcosis I think, that likes to spearfish solo, and does not like to pay any attention whatsoever, to where he is going --relating to the current and where all the other divers have gone....to simplify his getting picked up by the boat, he bought a water proof radio/gps combo that is in a pressure safe container in his bc at depth, and on surfacing, he can pull it out ( still 100% waterproof) and call ditrectly to the radio of the boat he is on ( and 2 other boats he frquents) and also provide his exact gps location.... I believe his investment was about $500 for this.... His name is Mark, and he is an electronics guy for boats in Palm Beach ( he fixes electronics problems on boats).

I dove with him off Abernathy's boat. I really liked that setup.

 

[rednekscuba]

Nope, wish I worked on the water......

 

[danvolker]

I'd really like to get the new Nautilus Lifeline for this possibility but I'm not sure how much I trust them. Their customer service does not seem great from what I've read on here. This is one of the dangers we face if diving charters but it seem more manageable than many others. I keep adding to my self rescue gear in order to hopefully make an event like this survivable.



I dove with him off Abernathy's boat. I really liked that setup.

The guy we are talking about is Mark Ogden you can find him on FaceBook to ask him about the radio/gps set up.