Surface Support for Technical Diving

[Chidiver1]

I like the various inputs in this thread.

 

[MykaDives]

I like the various inputs in this thread.

Me too.

Thank you everyone for participating so far. Please keep it coming.

 

[jadairiii]

Multiple profiles on a cattle boat works fine. Just need a boat that knows what is going on. ....

I would respectfully disagree, especially in areas in which you have moderate to strong currents. Someone blows off the wreck, what should the boat do? Follow the team that is drifting down range or stay with the other team(s)? It is not uncommon here in Florida that one dive boat has to call other to pick up some of their divers when there is an emergency. "I hope someone will help us" is not a valid back up plan for a dive boat.

Biggest problem with multiple teams doing different profiles, the boat may only learn that someone is missing or in distress when they do a head count at the end of the dive.

 

[rjack321]

@broncobowsher I'm pretty sure @jadairiii is talking about serious hot drop wreck dives with scooters and multiple bottles and drifting decos in 2-4 knot currents for an hour+. There's no "rec divers" on his boat and having 2 teams drifting differently is what he's trying to avoid.

 

[broncobowsher]

I would respectfully disagree, especially in areas in which you have moderate to strong currents. Someone blows off the wreck, what should the boat do? Follow the team that is drifting down range or stay with the other team(s)? It is not uncommon here in Florida that one dive boat has to call other to pick up some of their divers when there is an emergency. "I hope someone will help us" is not a valid back up plan for a dive boat.

Biggest problem with multiple teams doing different profiles, the boat may only learn that someone is missing or in distress when they do a head count at the end of the dive.

I am not referring to conditions that severe. The lighter side of tech, where recreational divers can come and look around for a few minutes. When it gets as severe as you describe, that is a single group. The dive where you only go as far as the weakest member of the team. Hopefully not every dive is that severe.

 

[kensuf]

I am not referring to conditions that severe. The lighter side of tech, where recreational divers can come and look around for a few minutes. When it gets as severe as you describe, that is a single group. The dive where you only go as far as the weakest member of the team. Hopefully not every dive is that severe.

Every dive in SoFla can be that severe due to the gulf stream. I was down there two weekends ago for some fun on the Hydro and Lowrance. Day 1, we had a 4kt current surface current that went down below 30' -- when the crew tried to tie a ball into the wreck, the ball got sucked to 40'. We wound up hot dropping it and the boat had to chase a bunch of us on deco while we were drifting to the next county.

 

[jadairiii]

Every dive in SoFla can be that severe due to the gulf stream. I was down there two weekends ago for some fun on the Hydro and Lowrance. Day 1, we had a 4kt current surface current that went down below 30' -- when the crew tried to tie a ball into the wreck, the ball got sucked to 40'. We wound up hot dropping it and the boat had to chase a bunch of us on deco while we were drifting to the next county.

You really need to plan a dive on both of those wrecks to scooter them then turn west and scooter into shore hitting all the reefs and, depending on your navigation skills, some shallower wrecks. You can end up on the first reef, and beyond...the beach. Nothing like switching to your 70' bottle, in 70' on the 3rd reef.

Trouble is, you're not going to do that on a PDC boat.