Too much current and a negligent dive master??

[Winton]

What immediately comes to my mind is keeping the minimum number of divers at risk and it sounds to me like that is what your DM #1 did. I hope that it had been discussed or was mutually understood between DM #1 and DM #2 or the skipper; just what too do if a diver is swept off the ascent/descent line. Honestly, my experience tells me that in a very very strong current it is best to retrieve the diver with the boat, the whooops I missed the line going for a ride at sea diver should inflate his/her BC, possibly dump his/her weights and maintain the best sort of contact possible and just do his/her best to enjoy the ride (best, to remain calm), which may be possible only in varying degrees.

Try comming up after a drift dive and seeing your boat drifting away in a strong current because the engines are undergoing emergancy maintanence. I know that it is not an impossible seniro, and you do what you have to do.

The boat was running intermitentantly and would make a charge to pick up divers then quit, and then fire up and then quit... It was an un-easy moment, but eventually we were all retrieved, although, only after a surface ride not completely unlike river rafting. :10:

 

[captain]

Reading this post I keep seeing "missed the grannyline". I ran a charter to the Louisiana oil rigs where the current can be vicious at times. I always determined the strength of the current before allowing anyone in the water. Second I would deploy a 200 foot current line behind the boat and a granny line from the mooring line to the stern of the boat. I instructed everyone to be sure their gear was ready to go, no in water ajustments. And last everyone had to hold on to the granny line while doing a back roll off the boat. No chance of missing the line if you are holding it before you leave the boat.

Captain

 

[wreckchick]

As it turns out, I work on an identical boat to Amy Slate's so I can give you some insight into the entry procedures and how we handle similar dives. First of all, these boats are 42 feet long, can carry 45 passengers total and we carry up to 25 divers.

There are a total of 5 exit points on the boat, 2 mid-ship with ladders, 2 chain gates (one on each side) toward the front and a chain gate on the bow. The 2 entry points are the ladders, obviously. The stern is pretty well occupied with 2 outboard diesels.

Our normal dives, no current shallow reef, we send divers off over the ladders primarily although the forward exits are available. When we visit a popular wreck in the lower keys, the Adolphus Busch, we moor in from the bow, drop the ladders and deploy a tagline on both sides of the boat. The mooring is a bridle with a line running from the port and starboard forward corners to the mooring ball making a V. Our divers are instructed to jump when we say jump to avoid falling off a 10 story building, grab the line, pull up to the ball and descend down the line. If we have a diver that aborts on the surface they are directed to swim down the side of the boat to the ladder and get back on the boat. When the divers are finished with the dive, they come up the line to the ball and are directed to one of the ladders by a crew member. We watch each and every person every second he/she is on the surface. We are prepared to haul in the tag line and throw it to someone going past if needed or swim it to them, whatever is necessary. Anyone that comes up on the wrong ball or gets blown off the wreck is told that we will not be able to come get them until everyone else is on board. So far, so good; everyone has made it back.

The reason behind using the bow is that setting a granny line from the side ladders would be difficult and would give us LESS opportunity to recover a diver that missed the line because that diver would then be behind the boat instead of along side it.

To me, it sounds like the DM that performed this rescue was dealing with someone that didn't make it back to the tagline when she was blown off the ball. The DM did a great job and should be commended for getting the diver before she was in real trouble way off the wreck.

A note on the Spiegal Grove, then I'll shut up...

It's an awesome dive, the huge profile makes it a suitable dive for just about any experience level provided the sea state is nice. The most challenging aspect to all the Key Largo wrecks I've been on has been the current. The SG is a little harder because of the boat traffic and doing live drops just isn't feasible. The day I went there the current was moderate and our operator dropped us on the stern and we drifted for a pick-up on the bow. When we got to the ball on the bow, another boat was there and our boat was drifting off the ball so we drifted to meet it. Is that a newbie move? Nope. Is it possible? Sure, but unless you're real comfortable in the water and a strong swimmer, I don't think it's a good idea. Luckily everyone on our boat was reasonably seasoned so we could pull it off. Diving any of the wrecks there will require you, at some point, to deal with some ripping currents. It's a blast if you're comfy and can be downright dangerous if you're not up to the task.

I don't think that you need 150 dives, or 50 ocean dives to do the Grove safely, but you have to be prepared mentally and physically for the conditions you might find there. It's not a dive for timid.

That'll be enough out of me!

Rachel

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks Rachel!

Appreciate the explanation on the bow entry. You clarified a lot, and your asessment of the whole incedent seems pretty right-on!

 

[aquaoren]

I dont know protocols, but as there were two DM's aboard and she got picked up, there shouldnt be too much of a problem. Unfortunately on a site with lots of current hitting the line and staying on it are things you have to stay on top of.

If there wasnt another DM, wouldnt the boat have gone to pick her up after the rest of the divers had got off and started down the line - ie the capt could get the engines going again once the water was clear of divers. She got help a little quicker than this case. Although there is the safety concern of her drifting away the capt should be able to see her, i think the DM had a duty to stay with the divers actually going down and leave the capt (in this case another DM instead) deal with stragglers at the surface.

i think i have to agree completely with you. the first dm had his responsibility for the two other diver in water.
oren

 

[aquaoren]

Never dive beyond your training and experience. With or without a DM, the SG remains an advanced dive that you weren't prepared for. It sounds as though there wasn't any training going on - clearly you had no idea what the expectations and "what if's" were for this dive and that ALWAYS remains your responsibility. Hiring a DM was a good idea, but his job is to be a guide, not an instructor and never rely upon anyone to be your own personal rescue diver. Think ahead, ask questions, demand answers, be proactive. Otherwise it's just a trust me dive and those are always bad things.



Not that it matters much, but I'll bet that it wasn't the mooring line that she was trying to grab - more likely a drag line or a granny line. I also don't know how she could miss it, whatever line it is, but you should both understand that this is an important skill. If you can't jump in the water and grab the line on the way in, you shouldn't be diving where there is a current.

Next question is, if your friend has just been swept away, why did you jump in the water? Was there some kind of assistance that you could provide or were you just on autopilot, unthinkingly creating an additional liability that needed watching by the DM?



First, quotes around "rescue" aren't necessary - this was not a "sort of" rescue, it was the real thing. A diver was being carried away by the current and that is a clear and immediate danger, especially in a high traffic area like over the SG. Second, why does she care who rescued her? From my armchair, it sounds like the DM's were working as a team even if you divers weren't and that they responded quickly and aggressively to address the multiple problems they faced. They got the job done and that's what counts.



It's good that you're analyzing this experience - painful though the process often is, it's the best way to learn and improve. Anger, however, has no part in the process. Mistakes were made and, as is often the case in rescue situations, a whole string of mistakes were made by more than one person. Your team should sit down and take a hard-nosed look at what happened and evaluate everyone's performance in detail. What did you do right, what did you do wrong, what should be done next time? You also should have taken the time to suck the marrow from the two DM's on the boat - they had a lot to teach you and you missed the opportunity to learn.

As far as what is "standard" procedure in a situation like this, it's hard to say. Given the current and the general level of competence described, I think leaving the two divers unattended hanging on the line would have been less than optimal. Somebody needs to swim to get the loose diver or else everyone in the water needs to be returned to the boat so that it can go pick the diver up. That would normally 86 the dive (which happened anyway) and would also have resulted in a delay of several minutes in the rescue effort. I can't tell from your post if you proceeded with your dive before the rescue was effected, but that might be problematic. On the other hand, if the DM's were confident that a rescue could be made, getting the remaining divers off the surface and into (hopefully) calmer waters deeper down might not have been a bad idea.

It sounds like a valuable learning experience so I'd like to turn the tables on you and ask what you learned and what you think should have happened?

harsh but true words.
i learned from your post because it showed me a differend side, other than i was thinking about.
thanks,
oren

 

[scubadobadoo]

I agree with buiscut7. I have tried to dive the SG three times now and have had to abort due to RIPPING currents and high seas. Given calm seas and current, it looks to be a great dive for many levels of experience. At only 75 dives myself, I don't think I am ready to handle the current that has existed EVERY time i have tried to dive it. I have had to learn the hard way that aborting a dive may cost money but it also may save your life one day. It's a hard thing to do when you spend hard earned cash on vacation.