divinginn
Contributor
i think if you have your own boat it shouldnt be to hard to find a experienced diver to go out with you and show you the ropes,start a thread here.
So about my buddy...
- Thread starter TheAlphaMag
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Damselfish
Contributor
It hasn't been explicitly mentioned, but diving here is obviously a bit different than in the Keys, with the cold water and exposure protection needed, and low viz. Start with easy dives until you get everything nailed down. Whether you do it from your boat or otherwise I'd find some more experienced buddies or a DM to team up with for at least a few dives. Local knowledge is a good thing.
Leaving a boat unattended out there isn't a great idea, especially when you're not only a new diver but also dealing with a bunch of new stuff. And it sounds like you're lacking some confidence in your buddy. It's all just asking for something to go wrong.
Leaving a boat unattended out there isn't a great idea, especially when you're not only a new diver but also dealing with a bunch of new stuff. And it sounds like you're lacking some confidence in your buddy. It's all just asking for something to go wrong.
Build some experience first.
Both of you joining a club would be a good idea.
Don't underestimate your uncle.
Both of you joining a club would be a good idea.
Don't underestimate your uncle.
Storm
Contributor
As a relatively new diver, and a long time boat owner I would suggest that you think your way through this a bit more first. I asked the same question earlier this year of a few local dive proffessionals. As a result of thier advice, my boat is still under it's tarp where it stayed for thisseason, and my wife and I have made almost 30 dives this year.
Here's what they asked of me...(I'm paraphrasing of course)
Do you have the necessary diving AND boatng skills to make it out and back safely? If not, get them. Does your dive buddy have those same skills. If not have him/her get them. If you feel that you have them already, read on.
At the very least take along someone WHO KNOWS HOW TO OPPERATE THE BOAT, as boat support. If you and your buddy drift off the boat, and can't make it back (too strong current, injusry, etc), your boat support is kind of useless if they can't start the boat, pull the anchor and pick you up.
Now some basic diving issues before we get to the boat. Do you have all the safety and signalling equipment, and the skills to use them (DSMB, sound device, etc). If not get them first, and learn how to use them. See above re drifting off the boat for a fairly simplistic resason.
Now as to the boat...it should have the following as a minumim...radio, gps, chart of the area, first aid kit.
I am not familiar with the boating regulations down your way but I asume that you have some sort of ship to shore communications. If not get it. (if you're too far out to effectively get your injured/bent buddy to shore in time you'll need to call the USGS. Be up on the proper procedure on how to make a call for assistance, and know your location....one wave pretty looks the same as the other, and they have a tendency not to stay still long enough to be used as a location reference.
I would also suggest that you take an O2 provider course and get an O2 set up.
(some will say this is overkill...and perhaps it is, but I always was a boy scout type)
Stocking and taking a good first ais kit is also a must, but it is useless to have it without proper training.
Also make sure you have adequate safety equipment (throw lines, lights - for low light conditinons) etc. Like with your diving, make sure your don't exceed your boating skills or take on more weather and conditions that your boat can take.
Rememeber that your boat is more than just a means to get to and from a dive site. It's your dive platfrom, and rescue, first reponse vehicle, and in the case of an emergency, your on-water ambulance.
If you take your boat two hours out from shore and encounter a dive accident situation, not having any one of the above items and skills/training, could turn your boat into a hearse.
IMO, your best move would be to make sure you've developed both your diving skills, boating skills, and rescue skills before you try this or at the very least have someone with you who has these skills. Have the right gear for both the diving and boating, THEN perhaps you'll be ready.
Here's your worst case scenario (it's a nightmare and chances are rare that you would find yourself in those conditons, but it's something to consider....Murphy is watching ya know)
You and your buddy head out for a nice afternoon two tank dive, but the all the local and close to shore spots are blanketed in a sea of dive boats, so you head out just a little further to a slightly more remote shallow reef. The sun is out, the wind is up just a bit, there a slight current and very little chop in other words a great day to dive.
The two of you hit the water and life is great. You descend 40 feet to the reef, put your newly developed nav skills to the test, and head off down the reef.
Things are going great, when suddenly your buddy get sliced up badly by some sharp rock, coral or old rusted out wreck that he accidently drifted into. You get him back to the surface, but you've drifted a bit far off your anchorage and there's no one on the boat who can run it. You slog you,and your buddy, against the mild current, with him still bleeding, and your exhausting yourself. By shear feet of will, you make it back to the boat but now buddy is panicing, injured and heading into shock. You stuggle against fatique and his weight to get him into the boat and finally do so. Now as you do not have a radio to call for help, or first aid kit, you wrap up buddy as best you can with the limited cloth available, then head back to shore with buddy still bleeding out. You make it back to the dock/boat ramp and frantically run to pay phone, or your car for your cell phone to call for help. All the while your buddy has been steadily going down hill and is now out cold. The ambulance arrives after another 30 minutes...by the way, your buddy is probably going end up a dive accident statistic.
Now you don't need to be an uber rescue diver to go out a few hundred yards off-shore and hit a local shallow reef, and have a few great days diving. Chances are you'll never get into a situation like the one above. But until you're skills are developed, both boating and diving, you're tempting Mr. Murphy, and he can be a most unforgiving teacher.
So I ask you again, are there are a few more questions you should be asking yourself before you "hoot" on out there on your own.
Personally, I'm glad I left the boat beached this year. Diving with others has greatly improved my skills, and I've met some really great folks along the way.
Safe Dives.
Here's what they asked of me...(I'm paraphrasing of course)
Do you have the necessary diving AND boatng skills to make it out and back safely? If not, get them. Does your dive buddy have those same skills. If not have him/her get them. If you feel that you have them already, read on.
At the very least take along someone WHO KNOWS HOW TO OPPERATE THE BOAT, as boat support. If you and your buddy drift off the boat, and can't make it back (too strong current, injusry, etc), your boat support is kind of useless if they can't start the boat, pull the anchor and pick you up.
Now some basic diving issues before we get to the boat. Do you have all the safety and signalling equipment, and the skills to use them (DSMB, sound device, etc). If not get them first, and learn how to use them. See above re drifting off the boat for a fairly simplistic resason.
Now as to the boat...it should have the following as a minumim...radio, gps, chart of the area, first aid kit.
I am not familiar with the boating regulations down your way but I asume that you have some sort of ship to shore communications. If not get it. (if you're too far out to effectively get your injured/bent buddy to shore in time you'll need to call the USGS. Be up on the proper procedure on how to make a call for assistance, and know your location....one wave pretty looks the same as the other, and they have a tendency not to stay still long enough to be used as a location reference.
I would also suggest that you take an O2 provider course and get an O2 set up.
(some will say this is overkill...and perhaps it is, but I always was a boy scout type)
Stocking and taking a good first ais kit is also a must, but it is useless to have it without proper training.
Also make sure you have adequate safety equipment (throw lines, lights - for low light conditinons) etc. Like with your diving, make sure your don't exceed your boating skills or take on more weather and conditions that your boat can take.
Rememeber that your boat is more than just a means to get to and from a dive site. It's your dive platfrom, and rescue, first reponse vehicle, and in the case of an emergency, your on-water ambulance.
If you take your boat two hours out from shore and encounter a dive accident situation, not having any one of the above items and skills/training, could turn your boat into a hearse.
IMO, your best move would be to make sure you've developed both your diving skills, boating skills, and rescue skills before you try this or at the very least have someone with you who has these skills. Have the right gear for both the diving and boating, THEN perhaps you'll be ready.
Here's your worst case scenario (it's a nightmare and chances are rare that you would find yourself in those conditons, but it's something to consider....Murphy is watching ya know)
You and your buddy head out for a nice afternoon two tank dive, but the all the local and close to shore spots are blanketed in a sea of dive boats, so you head out just a little further to a slightly more remote shallow reef. The sun is out, the wind is up just a bit, there a slight current and very little chop in other words a great day to dive.
The two of you hit the water and life is great. You descend 40 feet to the reef, put your newly developed nav skills to the test, and head off down the reef.
Things are going great, when suddenly your buddy get sliced up badly by some sharp rock, coral or old rusted out wreck that he accidently drifted into. You get him back to the surface, but you've drifted a bit far off your anchorage and there's no one on the boat who can run it. You slog you,and your buddy, against the mild current, with him still bleeding, and your exhausting yourself. By shear feet of will, you make it back to the boat but now buddy is panicing, injured and heading into shock. You stuggle against fatique and his weight to get him into the boat and finally do so. Now as you do not have a radio to call for help, or first aid kit, you wrap up buddy as best you can with the limited cloth available, then head back to shore with buddy still bleeding out. You make it back to the dock/boat ramp and frantically run to pay phone, or your car for your cell phone to call for help. All the while your buddy has been steadily going down hill and is now out cold. The ambulance arrives after another 30 minutes...by the way, your buddy is probably going end up a dive accident statistic.
Now you don't need to be an uber rescue diver to go out a few hundred yards off-shore and hit a local shallow reef, and have a few great days diving. Chances are you'll never get into a situation like the one above. But until you're skills are developed, both boating and diving, you're tempting Mr. Murphy, and he can be a most unforgiving teacher.
So I ask you again, are there are a few more questions you should be asking yourself before you "hoot" on out there on your own.
Personally, I'm glad I left the boat beached this year. Diving with others has greatly improved my skills, and I've met some really great folks along the way.
Safe Dives.
The Kraken
He Who Glows in the Dark Waters (ADVISOR)
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Good post, Storm.
the K
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AlphaMag...
I'll tell you about my first experience, they say people learn from their mistakes. I sure did. Maybe you can learn from mine.
There were 3 of us in a small boat (2 new divers and 1 dedicated tender) in what was supposed to be 2 nice late afternoon dives in 40ft & 20ft.
At this point my buddy and I had about 20 dives (all with an instructor or DM) and I was confident in the water, no issues with bouyancy, etc - just an air hog!
My buddy on the other hand, still had some issues holding safety stops w/o a line and ascending too quickly!
I had fished the site many times and had a pretty good idea about what to expect as far as bottom composition and the orientation of the reef etc.
As we began the dive, my first mistake was to confuse what the wind is doing to the boat with what the current is going to do to us in the water.
Actually as I think of it, my first mistake was not knowing the boat-handling skills of the tender.
Third mistake was being over-confident on my navigation skills (or lack there of) and failing to set a bearing on my compass so I could return to the anchored boat.
The dive itself when w/o any problems until it came time to ascend, oh I forgot to mention that our nice afternoon dive had turned into an early evening dive when we had to pick up tanks, ready the boat etc...
As I signaled my buddy that we had reached our turning pressure and we begin our ascend he quickly begins to float up and away beyond my reach!
I tried to signal him to slow down, but it's of no use. I reach 15' and hold my stop while he's on the surface looking down at me. No we had lights, but I failed to see that while he was on the surface he got tangled with the dive flag line while he was above me. When I reached the surface he was already in a panic. I attempted to calm him down and told him to inflate his BC and relax.
Now as I said earlier, I had made quite a few mistakes before this point... As I looked around for our boat this became obvious to me. I expected the boat to be east of us as we had followed the reef in (west), but in reality we were over a different structure and we had drifted south of the boat. Not to mention it is now dark.
I look around while talking to my buddy making sure he wasn't freaked out about being tangled. I finally spot what I think is our boat and signal with the lights, but the boat isn't coming to us. Now I worry thinking it isn't our boat and they have no clue we're our here. I took out my whistle and sound off the boat responds with a flash light, but it's stil not coming.
I ask my buddy if he can cut the line, he says, "I have no knife" Agh! I opted to not go under and cut the line myself, but to tow him back to the boat. The boat finally meets us half way and we get in. We asked the tender, what took him so long and he said, I couldn't get the anchor off so I had to look around for a knife (my buddy's knife) to cut the rope. Doh!
Now I'm sure people will point out a lot more mistakes and I don't post this to scare you, but more to tell you that you can never be too safe. That experience thought me that I wasn't ready, fortunately we both lived to learn and scared me off enough to get more training and practice.
BTW, our most recent dive together was a joy and above all was safe!
Wys.
I'll tell you about my first experience, they say people learn from their mistakes. I sure did. Maybe you can learn from mine.
There were 3 of us in a small boat (2 new divers and 1 dedicated tender) in what was supposed to be 2 nice late afternoon dives in 40ft & 20ft.
At this point my buddy and I had about 20 dives (all with an instructor or DM) and I was confident in the water, no issues with bouyancy, etc - just an air hog!
My buddy on the other hand, still had some issues holding safety stops w/o a line and ascending too quickly!
I had fished the site many times and had a pretty good idea about what to expect as far as bottom composition and the orientation of the reef etc.
As we began the dive, my first mistake was to confuse what the wind is doing to the boat with what the current is going to do to us in the water.
Actually as I think of it, my first mistake was not knowing the boat-handling skills of the tender.
Third mistake was being over-confident on my navigation skills (or lack there of) and failing to set a bearing on my compass so I could return to the anchored boat.
The dive itself when w/o any problems until it came time to ascend, oh I forgot to mention that our nice afternoon dive had turned into an early evening dive when we had to pick up tanks, ready the boat etc...
As I signaled my buddy that we had reached our turning pressure and we begin our ascend he quickly begins to float up and away beyond my reach!
I tried to signal him to slow down, but it's of no use. I reach 15' and hold my stop while he's on the surface looking down at me. No we had lights, but I failed to see that while he was on the surface he got tangled with the dive flag line while he was above me. When I reached the surface he was already in a panic. I attempted to calm him down and told him to inflate his BC and relax.
Now as I said earlier, I had made quite a few mistakes before this point... As I looked around for our boat this became obvious to me. I expected the boat to be east of us as we had followed the reef in (west), but in reality we were over a different structure and we had drifted south of the boat. Not to mention it is now dark.
I look around while talking to my buddy making sure he wasn't freaked out about being tangled. I finally spot what I think is our boat and signal with the lights, but the boat isn't coming to us. Now I worry thinking it isn't our boat and they have no clue we're our here. I took out my whistle and sound off the boat responds with a flash light, but it's stil not coming.
I ask my buddy if he can cut the line, he says, "I have no knife" Agh! I opted to not go under and cut the line myself, but to tow him back to the boat. The boat finally meets us half way and we get in. We asked the tender, what took him so long and he said, I couldn't get the anchor off so I had to look around for a knife (my buddy's knife) to cut the rope. Doh!
Now I'm sure people will point out a lot more mistakes and I don't post this to scare you, but more to tell you that you can never be too safe. That experience thought me that I wasn't ready, fortunately we both lived to learn and scared me off enough to get more training and practice.
BTW, our most recent dive together was a joy and above all was safe!
Wys.
The main question I would ask is are you both capable of handling an emergency situation if one should arise? There are plenty of dive operations in the Keys, I would suggest diving with them a few times and getting more familiar with diving before venturing out on your own.
Trwmodela
Contributor
I built my experience after receiving my OW in the Keys. I went back to Marathon and dove on the same boat that my OW dives were done. We dove the same sites again but now I was certified.
On my next trip I went to Key Largo and dove with Blue Water Divers. I hired a instructor as a guide and dove the USCGC Duane. This was my first deep wreck dive. The currents were strong and this safe learning experience was excellent. Soon, I dove the Spiegel Grove another deep wreck dive with a guide. We also did a drift dive with a guide. Last month I did my first night dive and more deep wreck dives. This past weekend I completed my AOW Course but I had 38 dives in my log book first. Hire a guide and learn from the professionals it's your life. We should always be open to learning in this Sport.
I recommend getting 20-25 Logged dives under your belt before taking the AOW Course.
Tim
On my next trip I went to Key Largo and dove with Blue Water Divers. I hired a instructor as a guide and dove the USCGC Duane. This was my first deep wreck dive. The currents were strong and this safe learning experience was excellent. Soon, I dove the Spiegel Grove another deep wreck dive with a guide. We also did a drift dive with a guide. Last month I did my first night dive and more deep wreck dives. This past weekend I completed my AOW Course but I had 38 dives in my log book first. Hire a guide and learn from the professionals it's your life. We should always be open to learning in this Sport.
I recommend getting 20-25 Logged dives under your belt before taking the AOW Course.
Tim
No right answer? Sure, go ahead and do it. They have a thread on Scuba Board that talks only about accidents and deaths, you may be the start of one of those.
h2odragon1
Contributor
My wife,(9 dives) and I,(14dives) are diveing the local quaries, staying at 20-30ft to get use to diving together, and honing our skills. Diving familiar sites and/or diving with a club are a great way to get you both more comfortable.
You both did the right thing when neither of you panicked. A safety sausage and diver alert horns were some of our first purchases, even before our wetsuits.
Diving is a great place to reverse an old idiom about getting wet behind the ears as a sign of expierence.
You both did the right thing when neither of you panicked. A safety sausage and diver alert horns were some of our first purchases, even before our wetsuits.
Diving is a great place to reverse an old idiom about getting wet behind the ears as a sign of expierence.
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