Solo Diving in the ocean in your own boat?

[ozzydamo]

I have never seen serious rec divers using a yacht anywhere, professional or amateur.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I have never seen serious rec divers using a yacht anywhere, professional or amateur.

Tiger Woods.

 

[markmud]

I have never seen serious rec divers using a yacht anywhere, professional or amateur.

Hi ozzydamo,

In some professional mariner circles, the term yachtie is a pejorative term for any mariner who is operating a boat stupidly or dangerously. You could be operating a beat-up work boat, but if you are doing so in an un-seaman like manner, you might be called a yachtie by a member of the Merchant Marine.

A person who anchors a boat and leaves it without setting an anchor watch may be a yachtie. A mariner whose boat drags anchor without a competent operator onboard is a yachtie.

I apologize for failing to define jargon.

markm

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

As a Solo Diver - do you dive alone on your boat or bring a warm body to sit in your boat?

Assuming you are an experienced boater - what would you do - Sometimes, Never or Always dive alone on your boat?

I am curious - thanks.

Never.

Except in the situation dumpsterDiver describes:

I would only do it in a location where it would not endanger my safety if the boat was gone, stolen, sunk, caught fire, was run over by another boat, drifted off in a current or storm.

If you need the boat to get safely back to shore.... don't leave it unattended. There was an incident on Oahu a few years back where an underwater videographer and his buddy left their small boat anchored and unattended while they did some filming. As the were returning to the anchor line at the end of the dive, they heard a boat engine above, then moments later saw their anchor line go slack (it was cut)!

The diver who saw the line go slack surfaced as quickly as he safely could, ditched his tank/bc and swam as hard as he could. He was just barely able to catch and board his boat as it drifted away downwind. He motored back over to his buddy, and they were both fine.

Had they not been able to catch the boat, he and his buddy would have been in serious trouble because there was not easy shore exit where they were diving.

Never leave the boat alone unless you are darned sure it cannot "go missing", or unless you are diving so close to shore that if it does go missing you'll still be "ok".

Best wishes.

 

[ozzydamo]

Hi ozzydamo,

In some professional mariner circles, the term yachtie is a pejorative term for any mariner who is operating a boat stupidly or dangerously. You could be operating a beat-up work boat, but if you are doing so in an un-seaman like manner, you might be called a yachtie by a member of the Merchant Marine.

A person who anchors a boat and leaves it without setting an anchor watch may be a yachtie. A mariner whose boat drags anchor without a competent operator onboard is a yachtie.

I apologize for failing to define jargon.

markm

Some do things they aren't capable of, others never try anything remotely of risk, those that can are really better off keeping it under their wing........every man's got to know his OWN limitations! and in 80 years time they are all dead the same!!!!!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Never.

Except in the situation dumpsterDiver describes:



If you need the boat to get safely back to shore.... don't leave it unattended. There was an incident on Oahu a few years back where an underwater videographer and his buddy left their small boat anchored and unattended while they did some filming. As the were returning to the anchor line at the end of the dive, they heard a boat engine above, then moments later saw their anchor line go slack (it was cut)!

The diver who saw the line go slack surfaced as quickly as he safely could, ditched his tank/bc and swam as hard as he could. He was just barely able to catch and board his boat as it drifted away downwind. He motored back over to his buddy, and they were both fine.

Had they not been able to catch the boat, he and his buddy would have been in serious trouble because there was not easy shore exit where they were diving.

Never leave the boat alone unless you are darned sure it cannot "go missing", or unless you are diving so close to shore that if it does go missing you'll still be "ok".

Best wishes.

I generally won't go scuba diving from an unattended boat. I have a few good stories about the "hard way" I learned this lesson. In one instance, it placed me in a situation where I had to make a choice between trying to reach the anchored boat or completely abandoning my wife and allowing her to drift off alone in a current in 80 feet of water with no air in her tank..(I ditched the wife).

Last weekend, I was snorkeling off the beach with my 15 yr old son. We left the kayak anchored and swam a little ways up current and upwind. He had moved the reel that anchored the kayak and it chaffed through (possibly due to contact with a mooring).. but in any case the boat broke free as we were swimming back.

There was a 15 mph wind and my son just barely caught the boat. No way ANY adult could have made that fast of a swim with scuba gear on. If a boat gets away, it will be almost impossible to catch it again. And of course, there are worse things that can happen to the boat.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Thanks - some things to think about - closest artificial reef is 5 miles off shore at about 65 - 80 feet deep. I have my daughter who is willing and getting ready to get her boating license but I was curious if in calm seas if folks actually do leave boats unattended...

 

[ShootnStr8]

My ocean experience is confined to charters. When out in the ocean, the plague in JFK's Oval Office comes to mind: 'Oh God thy sea is so great and my boat is so small." Those words, it seems to me, apply to the OP's question.

In freshwater lakes, I often leave a boat unattended which may not be the wise thing to do. I try to anchor in shallow water coves using 2 over sized Danforth anchors. I check the anchors before venturing off. I guess my biggest concern is someone coming along side and stealing my stuff.


Blessings!

ShootnStr8

 

[ozzydamo]

My ocean experience is confined to charters. When out in the ocean, the plague in JFK's Oval Office comes to mind: 'Oh God thy sea is so great and my boat is so small." Those words, it seems to me, apply to the OP's question.

In freshwater lakes, I often leave a boat unattended which may not be the wise thing to do. I try to anchor in shallow water coves using 2 over sized Danforth anchors. I check the anchors before venturing off. I guess my biggest concern is someone coming along side and stealing my stuff.


Blessings!

ShootnStr8

You'd be the vast majority!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqgszN3bFtw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lsAnmnFPIo&feature=kp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkabN3LZUS8

Being a capable solo diver, then also a capable solo small boat master(open waters not lakes and dams). I think we aren't talking about a lot of people.

Get over 1500hrs on open waters solo master of a vessel, just driving the boat, bar crossings and sleeping out at sea; then see what you really would do, probably a dive also isn't such a big task to throw on top.

Australia has professional abalone divers that do this their whole working lives, its GWS they are really worried about and no buddy or boat master will help with that problem.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...s-abalone-divers/story-e6frg8h6-1226781593038

Ps- 2 anchors isn't better then 1, a heavier anchor with a bottom type design is a better choice, a danforth isn't better on a hard reef, its shaft bends pretty easy then it will drag. A plough anchor is the best all-rounder, but be prepared to have to dive down to retrieve it. One thing to mention also is having a floating rode and float on the top of the chain, so you don't get cut off on hard reef with too much rode out- so timing tide wise is critical and the right length of rode out at that time, to be able to do this with a confident, experienced degree of safety.

Here's the better reef pick design- a mooloolaba star! http://www.grabyourtackle.com.au/store/anchors/mooloolaba-pick-anchor-kit-9lb/
heavier is better, but hard to haul.

"Luck comes to those that prepare themselves properly."

 

[yardpro]

i have done quite a bit of unattended boat diving this year...

if you know what you are doing on the boat and in the water it is pretty darn safe...

chafe guards on oversized line and a large anchor of proper design for the bottom....

here we wreck dive so we tie into the wreck.