Near Panic in WPB @ 85FSW

[ffestpirate]

FWIW, I would have dropped the gun and kept the flag and the other divers.

You can always buy another gun, and it might even be covered by insurance, but if the float takes off down-current with the boat happily following it, while you're trying to get your spear unstuck, and a bunch of other people are drifting on by, things could have turned out a lot worse than just losing a speargun.

At the very least, I think the captain would just about have a heart-attack after following the float for who knows how many miles, only to find that there are no divers under it.

Terry

The group in question were all good friends and quite familiar diving together. EACH AND EVERY one of them would have shot Howard with their own guns if he would have dropped the Wong. The most important message that he was trying to send, is that it doesn't matter how competent you are or how often you dive, conditions or situations can change for anyone at anytime, and remembering the basics(stop, think, and act) can make the difference between life and death.

 

[Web Monkey]

The group in question were all good friends and quite familiar diving together. EACH AND EVERY one of them would have shot Howard with their own guns if he would have dropped the Wong. The most important message that he was trying to send, is that it doesn't matter how competent you are or how often you dive, conditions or situations can change for anyone at anytime, and remembering the basics(stop, think, and act) can make the difference between life and death.

I guess I'm just a wuss, but I'll take a sure boat pickup over a lost SCUBA toy any day. Stuff is just stuff. In exchange for $49/year my homeowners policy will buy me a new toy if I lose the old one.

Terry

 

[HowardE]

Terry - It is common for this operation to pick up people with SMB's rather than the flag. It is actually in the briefing. EVERYONE must have an SMB. Also - generally the DM dives with 1 flag, and the whole boat goes as a group - and people surface on their own - with an SMB. We went on our own group, since several in our posse were hunting (or at least armed). We were also all comfortable with people surfacing on their own. There were 5 of us at the beginning of the dive, and I surfaced with 3 of the 5. The other 2 surfaced on their own, with their own SMB.

Stuff is just stuff, and releasing the flag meant that I wouldn't lose anything. My reel would still be attached to the flag when retrieved (and it was).

I've dived in WPB before, and all up and down the coast from Jupiter to Key West, and the current was unusually strong. Rip your mask off strong.

 

[Missdirected]

What a great example to show Panic can and does happen - even to experienced divers - and it is fast and furious. It is what you do about it that can make the difference. Stop, think, breathe, act.

That said, if this were to happen again, I believe it has raised the bar on experiences for Howard and he will react much differently. With others reading this hopefully they will have this scenario logged in their head and know what to do should it happen to them.

Thank goodness nothing happened to Howard

 

[diversteve]

Plus once you let go of the reel/float, worse case you cut the line and still keep the gun.

Ever consider that it's God's little way of warning you he doesn't approve of one of his creatures shooting at another...

(I know - no sermonizing about spearfishing, just couldn't resist)

 

[ffestpirate]

Plus once you let go of the reel/float, worse case you cut the line and still keep the gun.

Ever consider that it's God's little way of warning you he doesn't approve of one of his creatures shooting at another...

(I know - no sermonizing about spearfishing, just couldn't resist)

Oh yeah.......that MUST have been the message! How did I ever miss it? BBL I'm on my way to church

 

[diversteve]

Not me, I'll be diving...

Good thing you didn't have to shoot Howard though...at least till I get my stickers...

 

[Missdirected]

Good thing you didn't have to shoot Howard though...at least till I get my stickers...

 

[ffestpirate]

Not me, I'll be diving...

Good thing you didn't have to shoot Howard though...at least till I get my stickers...

 

[HowardE]

Good thing you didn't have to shoot Howard though...at least till I get my stickers...

good one