Scuba diver dies while exploring popular shipwreck, a third tragedy in the Florida Keys

[SlugLife]

While it's true that you can hang out in one area at 80-90 ft, the Spiegel Grove is huge, and it's tempting to want to swim somewhere (and back). One really needs to have a plan. "Be back at the boat with 500 psi" is difficult to achieve on the fly on such a large, tempting wreck. I dove it a couple of times on a single (rental Al 80), and after the last one I decided that just doesn't give me enough gas. I use the Rock Bottom or Minimum Gas method, which is pretty conservative. For me, the Spiegel means I need a big tank (or tanks) and a real plan. Also, the unpredictable current can throw a wrench into a plan, so that should be taken into account.

If I were to dive it, I'd want doubles (probably sidemount) as well. Aside from dive-time, I'd also want the redundancy.

Diving solo in a wreck can be more lethal

I do a lot of solo-diving, but don't do any overheads or penetration diving. (I suppose I'm also not really trained for it either) If you get tangled on something, lose visibility, or get lost, especially at that depth, it's game-over.

 

[Manatee Diver]

(probably sidemount)

Speaking from experience, SM sucks on the SG. It is made for men to just barely to able to pass single file. Every hatch you have to stop, go sideways, and stablize on the other side. And then every equipment rack is just grabbing out at your hose retainers. Now do all that while dealing with a reel, or even worse following the line as a zero viz exit.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Any dives I have done down into the bowels of the ship were on back mounted double tanks ... as @Manatee Diver said sidemount thru those hatches & down trunks would be difficult.

 

[SlugLife]

Speaking from experience, SM sucks on the SG. It is made for men to just barely to able to pass single file. Every hatch you have to stop, go sideways, and stablize on the other side. And then every equipment rack is just grabbing out at your hose retainers. Now do all that while dealing with a reel, or even worse following the line as a zero viz exit.

I probably wouldn't be doing any penetration-diving aside from poking my head in, so all good!

 

[rsingler]

Surprised no one has brought up pony's yet! I've dived the SG dozens of times over the years in singles, doubles (and CCR for deep penetration laying line). When I'm single tank rec config and I'm doing swimthrus/short penetrations below the shallower decks, I'm always slinging an AL40 pony sidemount style under my armpit. Hatches are still manageable with that thin bottle, the crew has a whole separate pony rack up front for the ride out, and redundant gas is, well, obvious.

 

[Nemrod]

Surprised no one has brought up pony's yet! I've dived the SG dozens of times over the years in singles, doubles (and CCR for deep penetration laying line). When I'm single tank rec config and I'm doing swimthrus/short penetrations below the shallower decks, I'm always slinging an AL40 pony sidemount style under my armpit. Hatches are still manageable with that thin bottle, the crew has a whole separate pony rack up front for the ride out, and redundant gas is, well, obvious.

I too have dived the Spiegal several dozen times on a single 80. If solo I carry a 19 or 30 cf buddy bottle. Not everybody diving a wreck is interested in penetration and there are numerous daylight swim throughs that are NOT penetration. The Spiegal is well within reach of an Advanced Diver who is actually experienced with managing the current and keeping an eye on depth and not exceeding deco limits.



I can usually bump deco as my limiting factor and be back standing on the deck with 700 psi. If one has the sac of a Hoover vacuum or has not dived in current or without a bottom to act as a depth floor, then sure, one could get in trouble, or penetrate into the wreck without adequate prep, equipment or training.

 

[scubadada]

TRUE CONFESSIONS

In my 20 dives on the Spiegel Grove betweem 2004-9, I was allowed to dive solo much of the time. I dived an AL80 without redundant gas. I often swam the length of the main deck on the inside from the hatches on the port or starboard bow. I favored the starboard side as it had a direct access hatch to the well deck. After this time, most of my diving in Florida was solo drift diving in SE Florida. I began diving with a pony and got my SDI solo diver cert in 2013. I would not consider solo diving the Spiegel Grove today without redundant gas.

 

[SlugLife]

Surprised no one has brought up pony's yet! I've dived the SG dozens of times over the years in singles, doubles (and CCR for deep penetration laying line). When I'm single tank rec config and I'm doing swimthrus/short penetrations below the shallower decks, I'm always slinging an AL40 pony sidemount style under my armpit. Hatches are still manageable with that thin bottle, the crew has a whole separate pony rack up front for the ride out, and redundant gas is, well, obvious.

I think it has come up in one context or another. The only reason I didn't bring up pony's myself is the depth, and that I'm experienced with sidemount. I'll often dive "monkey-mount" AL 80 + AL 19, however anything deeper than about 90ft , it makes more sense to just dive 2 full sized tanks.

If I wasn't experienced with Sidemount or doubles, a slung AL40 or even AL80 probably be my choice, for redundancy and dive-time. An AL19 might be enough for emergency-air if staying in open-water but not penetration, or as a dive-extender.

edit: In hindsight, only AL80s double at that depth would I consider as a gas-extender.

 

[scubadada]

I think it has come up in one context or another. The only reason I didn't bring up pony's myself is the depth, and that I'm experienced with sidemount. I'll often dive "monkey-mount" AL 80 + AL 19, however anything deeper than about 90ft , it makes more sense to just dive 2 full sized tanks.

If I wasn't experienced with Sidemount or doubles, a slung AL40 or even AL80 probably be my choice, for redundancy and dive-time. An AL19 might be enough for emergency-air if staying in open-water but not penetration, or as a dive-extender.

A pony is not part of gas dive planning, backup only.

 

[Eric802]

One of the early posts mentioned that the still-missing diver on the SG was intending to do a penetration dive; what's the protocol if someone fails to surface after a planned penetration dive? Is there a recovery team that searches the ship?