Spiegel Grove Lesson Learned

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Im still amazed delayed SMBs arent more commonly carried (by everyone!) over there.

The inflate a bag on the surface and wave it is all very well but if you think of ascent and stop times from that depth it could mean 6 or 7 minutes drifting before you have anything on the surface for the boat to see.

Ideal solution would be as soon as the abort decision is made, send up a delayed SMB from the bottom and then ascend and stop. That way the bag comes up much nearer the wreck/boat and has a much better chance of being seen and followed.

 

[fldivejunkie]

That, however, wasn't the choice. The choice was making a free ascent and getting blown far away from his boat or swimming to one of the many uplines on the Grove and making a safe ascent after which he would have been easily spotted on an empty line, or on a line to which another boat (safe haven) was attached or possibly (although unlikely) the correct line where his boat was attached. All three of those possibilities were preferable to drifting "about a mile away." The man had 1000 PSI, he had plenty of air to find a line and ascend safely.

From what I heard he looked for a line. Not knowing his air consumption rate, was 1000 psi "plenty"? I don't know, I am in no position to judge that. Apparently, he believed it wasn't. To him, that was the choice.

 

[RICHinNC]

Go here and that smb is only $30 http://www.piratescuba.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=2511001&Category_Code=FAF

 

[Web Monkey]

Since the colors are significant, I wouldn't want to be sending up a marker that's orange on one side and yellow on the other.

Depending on which side is being viewed, it could be "here I am", or "I'm going to die if someone doesn't come help me".

I'd prefer to have one of each, so I can decide which to use, instead of sending up the "I'm really confused" orange/yellow combination.

Terry

Go here and that smb is only $30 http://www.piratescuba.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=2511001&Category_Code=FAF

 

[Walter]

Since the colors are significant.....

Only as they relate to visibility. They do not mean "here I am", or "I'm going to die if someone doesn't come help me" depending on color.

 

[diverbrian]

Only as they relate to visibility. They do not mean "here I am", or "I'm going to die if someone doesn't come help me" depending on color.

Actually, only in the US do we not care. I was advised to get another color lift bag because in Europe my current one would get the chase boats running towards it immediately. Yellow means emergency (typically with a dive slate tied to the bottom of the marker to explain the emergency). Orange means that "I am here and safe. I am just doing my deco and chilling out ."

 

[pilot fish]

My $.02 . . . . . since I was one of the group that day



The current was going pretty good on the line for the first dive, but once we made it to the Grove, it wasn't bad. Yes, you needed to hang onto the line for the descent and ascent, but once we made it to the wreck, the current was manageable. The group discussed it after the first dive and everyone agreed that we wanted to do the second dive. The current wasn't much different on the second dive and once we made it to the superstructure it was manageable. I didn't stray more than a couple feet away from the wreck on the second dive, but I am sure that I would have felt the current more if I had.



It really wasn't that bad, you could see the sand coming in, but it wasn't so bad that you couldn't see anything. The sandstorm was because of an upwelling (I'm pretty sure that is the term the captain used), the current for the descent/ascent didn't seem to be much different than the first dive. Visibility went down quite a bit (15'-20'). Enough to be able see the wreck and explore some, but low enough to where you really had to keep track of where you were and where you left the mooring line. My buddy and I stayed very close for this dive.



It wasn't so bad that you had to hang on once you made it down. Like many wrecks, the structure was enough of a barrier to the current to allow us to move around without having to fight to stay with the structure. Would I have come more than a couple feet above the wreck - no way!

Can I say that the diver did everything perfect? -- nope. Should he have stayed on the line until he the got to the wreck? - yep. Was making a free ascent in current rather than run out of air looking for the mooring line a mistake? Hmmm . . . definitely dead or floating on the surface alive . . . . think I would have chosen alive. Not the best situation to be out in the ocean floating away from the boat, but given the alternative . . . . Once he was on the surface he did the right thing, signalling the boat, inflating his BC and dropping the weights. I can assure you though, he had a safety sausage for the next day's dives!

I have dove the Grove when the current was a bit strong but we were able to stay close to the wreck, shelter close to the hull, as you did, and avoided being pushed way off. Not sure what I would have done if I had gotten washed off the wreck. With a 1000 psi I might have tried to find the ascent line for a minute or two but if I was struggling against the current and running lower on air I would have done a safety stop and gone to the surface. Never dive the Grove without a dive sausage and whistle.

 

[pilot fish]

Go here and that smb is only $30 http://www.piratescuba.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=2511001&Category_Code=FAF

My dive sausage does not have a lift bag. Are there SMB's that have a lift bag as an integral part of the SMB?

 

[diverbrian]

I have dove the Grove when the current was a bit strong but we were able to stay close to the wreck, shelter close to the hull, as you did, and avoided being pushed way off. Not sure what I would have done if I had gotten washed off the wreck. With a 1000 psi I might have tried to find the ascent line for a minute or two but if I was struggling against the current and running lower on air I would have done a safety stop and gone to the surface. Never dive the Grove without a dive sausage and whistle.

Actually, I wouldn't dive most shipwrecks without a SMB and whistle. That advice doesn't apply to just the Spegiel Grove.

 

[pilot fish]

Actually, I wouldn't dive most shipwrecks without a SMB and whistle. That advice doesn't apply to just the Spegiel Grove.

You are a 100% correct. Actually, dive NO wreck without one.