No Boat - How Often Does This Happen?

[michaelp68]

I was away on a family beach vacation last week and went diving one day on a charter boat off the coast of southern New Jersey.

Boat crew instructions were for divers to enter the water by rolling sideways over the rail on the side of the boat. Divers swam to the front (along a line which was there if needed) and then descended using the anchor line. There was a line laid out about 150 feet along the bottom starting where the anchor was set. Divers were supposed to ascend on the same anchor line.

At the end of our dive, my buddy and I could not find the anchor. It was gone. We were in the right spot. It was just gone.

We ended up doing a controlled free ascent, a safety stop and then surfacing with no boat visible anywhere near us. Seas were about 2 1/2 feet and there was about a 2-3 knot current (according to estimates from more experienced divers on the boat). My buddy and I had a 3rd guy with us who had lost his buddy, so he ascended with us.

Our boat found us very quickly and everything turned out okay.

What we were told is that while we were down, the wind increased and shifted direction significantly, so the boat swung around and the anchor came loose. So, they pulled the anchor and just had to try to keep a lookout for divers surfacing.

The reason for my post is that I'm just wondering how often this happens, or if this is unusual. I'm a new diver and hadn't had this happen to me before this dive.

Thanks.

Michael

 

[DORSETBOY]

I think this is pretty unusual but I know of an instance (dive centre name witheld to stop their embaressment) where a diveboat left 4 divers and a dm on a buoy half a mile offshore after a night dive at 8pm at night. Ath the time, the dive boat didn't do any other roll call check, other than to shout out when everyone was ready if there was anoyone missing. the dive boat then went back to harbour, halfway there their mistake was noticed but they still went back to the harbour, dropped everyone off and then went back to pick the missing divers up.. this must have been 30 mins later!!

 

[SueMermaid]

I don't think this is an unusual thing, but it sounds like you got a scare. Captains can't control the weather and he had to do what he had to do.
You handled the situation well, and will remember the experience for next time!

 

[MikeFerrara]

It happens.

Mooring lines can break and anhors can pull loose in rough water.

That's why we always carry a lift bag or some other type of surface marker. We usually shoot the bag at our first stop. Diving off a moored baoat in a strong current and ascending off the line you might want to shoot it from the bottom so you're not half a mile away before your bag breaks the surface though.

You said it was a 150 ft dive and you just did a safety stop? Short dive? No lift bag and reel?

As far as I know all training that's meant to prepare you for 150 ft wreck dives covers this situation and includes lots of practice at deploying bags.

 

[cdiver2]

I was away on a family beach vacation last week and went diving one day on a charter boat off the coast of southern New Jersey.

Boat crew instructions were for divers to enter the water by rolling sideways over the rail on the side of the boat. Divers swam to the front (along a line which was there if needed) and then descended using the anchor line. There was a line laid out about 150 feet along the bottom starting where the anchor was set. Divers were supposed to ascend on the same anchor line.

At the end of our dive, my buddy and I could not find the anchor. It was gone. We were in the right spot. It was just gone.

It happened to my wife and I on a boat that we use all the time.
Gulf of Mexico, the site was 75' a sand stone ledge and the DM as usual went down and set the anchor. My wife and I were the first divers down, the plan was to go along the ledge and come back to the anchor to surface (this was the usual way to dive on a ledge). On returning we did not see the anchor, my mind was racing how could I have missed it as we started to run out of bottom time we ascended still keeping the ledge in sight and getting some time back. At about 40 feet we could no longer see the ledge so we did our 3 min stop at 15' still swimming in the same direction as the ledge using the compass.
On surfacing the boat was a small dot but a look out on top of the fly bridge roof spotted us, at this point I'm still kicking myself how could I be so far off.
Once back on the boat they explained the second set of divers had come up and told the Capt the ledge had collapsed and the anchor was dragging across the sand. They aborted the rest of the dives and started to do a search for us.

 

[michaelp68]

Mike, our dive was not to 150 feet. There was 150 feet of line from a reel laid out along the bottom with one end tied off next to where the anchor had been set. I'm sorry if I was unclear.

The dive was not a deep one. Maximum depth was 50 feet.

Our original plan had been to head out along the 150 feet of reel line and then explore off the end of that for a bit (where there had been some reports of big lobsters). When we descended, there was really no noticable current on either the surface, the descent or at the bottom.

By the time we reached the end of the reel line, there was a current. As I watched some fish and jellies get carried past us (very fun to watch), I amended our dive plan and we headed back to the anchor area and just explored around there.

I do not own a lift bag or reel. However, after this experience, they sure seem like good investments....

Even though I did not need to use them, I was quite glad I had a sausage, a dive alert signalling device and a whistle.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

I replyed, and by the time I got it posted, it was redundant, so hacked it.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Mike, our dive was not to 150 feet. There was 150 feet of line from a reel laid out along the bottom with one end tied off next to where the anchor had been set. I'm sorry if I was unclear.

After reading it again I'd say that you were clear enough but my eyes weren't. LOL

A surface marker that you can deploy from depth is still a good idea though.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

After reading it again I'd say that you were clear enough but my eyes weren't. LOL

A surface marker that you can deploy from depth is still a good idea though.

This may be off topic, but related. Is there a simple surface marker that's small enough to carry in a BC pocket or thigh pocket for such an emergency?

I assume a 'safety sausage' is not sufficient.

 

[FFMDiver]

Yikes...
Guess I'll have to get that MC storage pac to stow my lift bag.....

I was away on a family beach vacation last week and went diving one day on a charter boat off the coast of southern New Jersey.

Boat crew instructions were for divers to enter the water by rolling sideways over the rail on the side of the boat. Divers swam to the front (along a line which was there if needed) and then descended using the anchor line. There was a line laid out about 150 feet along the bottom starting where the anchor was set. Divers were supposed to ascend on the same anchor line.

At the end of our dive, my buddy and I could not find the anchor. It was gone. We were in the right spot. It was just gone.

It happened to my wife and I on a boat that we use all the time.
Gulf of Mexico, the site was 75' a sand stone ledge and the DM as usual went down and set the anchor. My wife and I were the first divers down, the plan was to go along the ledge and come back to the anchor to surface (this was the usual way to dive on a ledge). On returning we did not see the anchor, my mind was racing how could I have missed it as we started to run out of bottom time we ascended still keeping the ledge in sight and getting some time back. At about 40 feet we could no longer see the ledge so we did our 3 min stop at 15' still swimming in the same direction as the ledge using the compass.
On surfacing the boat was a small dot but a look out on top of the fly bridge roof spotted us, at this point I'm still kicking myself how could I be so far off.
Once back on the boat they explained the second set of divers had come up and told the Capt the ledge had collapsed and the anchor was dragging across the sand. They aborted the rest of the dives and started to do a search for us.