SCUBA Odd Jobs

[Chad_Ordelheide]

Hmmmm, I've never heard of anyone getting electrocuted in a Marina. Does anybody have any stories on this. Are we talking about your normal 110/220 outlet? What about houseboat Marinas. If this was a common problem it seams you would see signs all around them...(I know plenty of government workers & lawyers would love more signs) Just Curious!!!

 

[CBulla]

I've never seen or heard of any of the problems stated in this thread and I've lived on/near the water and worked at marina's most of my life. I guess marina's here are kept in much better shape than they are allowed to exist in elsewhere in the US.

 

[cnctina]

I use to clean boat bottoms for $50 a pop. I also retreaved items that were dropped overboard at the marina like tools, boat parts, and even a hearing aid that fell out of the old mans ear.

 

[Gary D.]

Hmmmm, I've never heard of anyone getting electrocuted in a Marina. Does anybody have any stories on this. Are we talking about your normal 110/220 outlet? What about houseboat Marinas. If this was a common problem it seams you would see signs all around them...(I know plenty of government workers & lawyers would love more signs) Just Curious!!!

It doesn't matter what kind of marina it is Houseboat or other. What matters is that electrical systems are rarely kept in proper condition. All it takes a wire or two to not be doing what it was designed to do and you can get zapped. A killing zap maybe yes, maybe no but it isn't fun or worth the chance.

Several times I have come across what looks like a small campfire ring on the bottom. The closer I got the stronger the tingle. We secured the circuit and repaired the broken electrical circuit.

We deal with this a lot and it could be deadly. For those of you that think I may not spend enough time around the water or a marina, I'm a part owner in one as well as spending most of my life around one type or another. Plenty of fun as well as plenty of headaches and dangers.

You most likely won't see warning signs because the owners do not want to advertise they might have a problem. If there are signs they may say no swimming or diving.

Gary D.

 

[fishoutawater]

Fascinating!
I can relate!
Because sometimes I'll go on a fishing trip with my non diving buds, and we'll stay at some lake resort. I always take my snorkeling gear to scavenge the boat docks.
Well I was cruising the bottom of the marina with my hands out in front (dark water), and I felt a tingle first, then it grabbed me by the booboo and scared the &%$@ outta me. My mind said "ELECTRIC EEL!?!". I'd heard of people turning South American critters loose in the lakes around here, and at first that's what I was thinking. But at the surface I saw electrical lines everywhere and figured that's what it was.

I heard of a guy down at Lake of the Ozarks that dons his scuba stuff, hops on his jetski and scavenges "Party Cove". Heard he finds a lot of expensive sunglasses and resells them.

And last summer, a neighbor bought an afternoons worth of beer at the tavern, just for jumping off the end of his boat dock to retrieve his prescription glasses. 6ft deep, about thirty seconds. My first and only pro dive job.:crossbone

 

[vertaqua]

Doing small recoveries like keys, watches, replacing zincs, cleaning boat bottoms. and the like are fine(I once recovered a full bottle of vodka that a boat owner had dropped off the stern). Lets just say that if you would be sweating/ huffing and puffing having to do the job topside you shouldn't do it underwater unless youtr trained and equipped to do so. Oh as far as cleaning hulls it is pretty simple you just need the right pad( more abrasive vs. less abrasive) for how new the boats paint job is. Some race boats just require a terry washcloth while some older boats require a brillo pad and a paintscraper to get the crud off of it. Use a brass or steel wire brush for the prop and zinc. Thats about it.

 

[Spartacus20]

Thanks for the all the input and warnings, particularly regarding electricity. I even have a sailboat with shore power in a slip here in Dallas and still didn't really seriously consider the possibility of electrocution. Probably a bad bet to wager that the breakers work all the time.

The small recovery jobs are definitely more in the vein of what I was talking about as opposed to working on docks, etc... (still doesn't solve the electricity issue though).

 

[Gary D.]

Here are a few from just a quick search.

http://www.mikeholt.com/newsletters.php?action=display&letterID=47

http://www.jamsadr.com/Neutrals/ExpResumes.asp?id=2046

DAN 2005 Report on DCI, Diving Fatalities, and PDE

Gary D.

 

[spectrum]

Danger Will Robinson....

Diving in open water for a lost fishing pole or other dropped gear is one thing. Working under watercraft in or out of a marina setting brings many risks. Polution, electrocution, moving craft, starting craft, entanglement and other unseen crap. Get some traning before going there.

Pete

 

[SharkRider]

If you don't have any experience or knowledge in "Odd" Scuba Jobs... don't even think about it... the few dollars you make are not worth the risks you'll be taking. If you'd like to pay for professional training, let me know... I offer a course and run a respected business doing this type of work... and guess what... it's NOT PADI!