Scuba diver dies while exploring popular shipwreck, a third tragedy in the Florida Keys
- Thread starter cd95806
- 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
I do double dip 2.5 hour dives on the Spiegel with CCR and scooter all the time. It’s pretty great.
Your a bad influence
I don’t know who Debra Snow is
Mills instructor.
I don’t know who Debra Snow is
Oh! Yes I do!
Biotech Diver
Contributor
I did an afternoon dive on the Spiegle with Horizon a few years ago in the month of March. Conditions on the surface got really bad inbetween dives. It was marginal to even go out and by the time we got out there it had to be at least 5 foot swels with witecaps as far as you could see. We were the only boat out there that day as far as I could see. Skies were dark gray with low clouds. Current at the surface was very strong. Everyone holding the downline at their safety stop were parallel to the ocean floor. It was a bit of a challenge getting back onboard when climbing up the ladder.
Current on the wreck was not too bad. Visibility was about 40 feet I would guess, but I'm terrible at accurately estimating visibility unless I have a reference point such as a wreck, so I think maybe I'm not too far off. I didn't penetrate the wreck, and in fact almost never do cave or penetration dives, it's just not my thing. I'm fine with swim throughs and did some on that dive. I'd have to look at my dive log for that day, but I don't think I went below 115 feet. Whatever the main deck is at, you could add another 8-10 feet, and that's how deep I went when doing some of the swim throughs below the main deck.
Everyone got back onto the boat safe and I heard no complaints from any of the crew about people not coming back to the boat with too little air. I thougth Horizon did a good job that day but I do think they were too reluctant to call off the dives due to weather. Someone could have very easily become separated and drifted away at the surface and it would have been very challenging to find them, especially since the sun was going to be setting soon in addition to the rough seas.
My best friend dove it yesterday, he said conditions were pretty much as you described.
Have dived the SG in both heavy current and in calm water; in AL80 (+pony) and JJ-CCR. Many times.
It's refreshing to find a dive op that
1) has consistently great DM's and guides
2) regularly does double-double visits to the SG
(4 single-tank or two deco dives) in a day, and
3) leaves the "go/no-go" decision up to the diver unless there's a boat safety concern due to conditions.
It's a standing joke, how many of the cattle boat trips out to the SG via other shops get canceled on a perfectly divable day. (Usually, surface current is pretty minimal below 40', tho' not always.)
And yet, I was on board when Horizon canx the second dive in a heartbeat and firewalled the engines to get a "short-of-breath" diver back to the dock as they radioed for medical assistance. Turned out it was panic/hyperventilation/finger numbness. But their concern for diver safety was obvious.
myshadeofred
Contributor
I have dove this about 3 times, it's not difficult. We don't know the details of the person though it could have been medical for all we know. I took a friend who was just open water and at that time we had to pay extra to have a DM basically be her escort. IT was an amazing dive.
Similar threads
