Bobby
Contributor
Ok let me start off with this is strictly for entertainment and if you don't like it then don't read it. I was reading another thread and the thought came to mind to write a bit about one of the experiences that I had a while back. Names have been changed to protect the Darwinian from excessive ridicule. :11:
My story: A while back I was on a friends boat going out of the keys to do some rather common but fun dives, the Duanne and Bibb. I was not working on the boat on this trip but since I don't pay to go out even for personal dives that can change at any minute along with the standard tank monkey duties and helping to get the boat ready on turn around.
The story realy starts in the dive shop earlier the day before. I was talking to a good buddy and another technical instructor about the diving around Cay Sal Bank since I was living on a boat in the Bahamas at this time and only back for a visit and some well deserved time off from my chaotic schedule and having to dive every day in the Bahama blue holes. I know rough life and all, so any way back to the story. We got on the topic of the currents down there and how they could get rather stiff and kick up with little warning as well as some of the results with divers in the water and all. One of the people in the shop jumps into the conversation even though we were behind the counter at the very rear of the shop and clearly only talking between ourselves. He proceeds to tell us about the west coast and how much more demanding the diving is there and that the currents in Cay Sal are nothing. With the Japan jet stream they commonly go out in 7-10 knot currents and do a drift dive that not even the boat can keep up with. Needless to say this raised an eye brow or two. Being the pro's that we are (cold beer was out back already) we left an obvious invitation lie, while my bud and I retreated to the back room to investigate why the beer was soooo cold and not yet opened to the on going escapades of this brave tech diver. The shop owner was well impressed himself and very knowingly noted the dreaded SA by the diver's name. SA is for those times when you have a diver that you know will have nothing to do with hiring a dive master but the owner does not want to have any problems or anyone hurt on a dive so someone, with known credentials, is quietly asked to swim along with the diver to ensure they don't get into trouble.
The next day I was diving with another well seasoned technical diver's 14 year old son, since she had the all too terrible task of having to actually go to work that day. Does it not suck when work gets in the way of great diving day. This kid has been around diving since he was a toddler so it is always a joy to dive with him. On the way out to the dive site I get the news that I have the joy of having an SA that day. I am even more thrilled to find out that it is mister 10 knot current. Ok, lets get a look at his gear and make the intro's cause it turns out he does not mind being "buddied" up as he is without a partner. Hmmm gear seems to be in order BP & wing, decent reg, not put together too bad, & the danglees are not bad. Ok maybe this is going to be alright. Then out comes the gear bag two reels, can hid light, sausage, two lift bags, knife that would make Rambo proud, ink marker, whistle, and to top it off a mirror. Well we did discuss that we would not do penetration cause of our younger team member so the reel and light are not needed for this dive. Ok I can see have some signaling devices but this is not Jersey and there are a lot of boats out here today. Hey the guy did say that he is from the west coast and maybe this is his standard thing, what the heck lets get wet.
The dive, we get to the Bibb and there is about 3/4 knot current. Nothing terrible but hey lets make it easy, drop a granny line from the bow line on the ball back to the rear platform and weight it at 15 feet. Off the back we go with the youngster in front, SA in the middle, and me at the back to be sure everyone gets down. Gee mister SA has a lot of gear and that can lights cord is flying all over the place. It is kind of hard to see what is happening through all the bubbles, does he have a free flow. Nope just breathing worse than a hoover on steroids and fighting the granny line as if it is his mortal enemy. Take some of the air out of that 45lb wing and maybe you will not keep bobbing to the surface. Common SA this is only 35 feet of line you can make it to the ball line to get down. Oh I guess I was wrong cause you just gave up and let go of the granny line, dude kick that tag line behind the boat won't come to you all on its own. Crap I guess he forgot what those fins are for, better go get him before he gets too far away. Well now that I have ahold of him on the tag line and have clipped in with my jon line, I have to convince him that I am not dragging him back to the boat and yet you actually have to help get yourself back. Well fortunately my bud from the shop has been watching closely and is helping pull us in since SA has decided that life is over as he knows it and has given up all hope of getting his own ***** back to the boat. By this time I know my bud is laughing at my prediciment but thats ok. When I am free of this guy I am going to leave him to my bud to mend his ego and chase after the youngster to salvage what I can from the dive. SA is back in the boat and I am off like a shot down the granny line headed towards getting a dive in. The youngster has seen what happened and waited for me around 20 feet on the down line out of the swell but still conserving his gas. We have a great dive all around the boat and down below the pilot house run into a rather healthy jew fish that rewards us with pops and clicks to inform us that this is his territory not ours, what fun.
Back on the boat of course we must continue to mend the ego and keep mister SA happy. We do a little too good of a job and he decides that the second dive on the Duane he is now ready to try, crap what the heck were we saying. Ok that is how it is so we do the best to prepare him and talk him through what it is going to take on the next dive. In the water we go after the ride out and a decent surface interval, which of course has caused me to feed the fish as I usually do. Funny how I am fine after a few days of living on a boat but when staying on land I tend to feed the fish even in very light seas. No matter though when I finaly get back in the water all is right with the world until I get back to 20 feet or so. So in the water we go in the same order me hoping like heck we don't waste time on the granny line cause I don't want to get any more sick than I am. Mister SA does well and after dropping most of the gear we had recommended he is quickly to the ball line and on his way down, much too my and my stomachs relief. As planned when close to the rail that the down line is tied into I drop off the line to take up the front position. The current is a little stronger now so I decide to stay on the port side of the wreck and keep out of the heavy work of the current. When we come up to the main super structure there is a big jam at the swim through that keeps you out of the current. I take the line below the super structure with the least amount of current and the youngster fallows behind me. When we get aroung the jam up and back onto the main deck mister sa is not to be found. I signal to younster and he indicates that SA decided to go over the pilot house which is right into the teeth of the current, not good. I give a few seconds before heading back to see if SA is going to make it and I am rewarded to see his hands clasped onto the top of the pilot house obviously getting the brunt of the current. When he does manage to pull his head into view he gives the out of air signal, oh crap that few seconds of waiting was not the right move and now this guy is in very real trouble. I put the hammer down to cover the 15 feet between us as I pull my reg out of my mouth to donate my long hose and pop my back up reg in on the way. By the time I get to him his eyes are big as saucers and he won't drop his reg out of his mouth. He is giving me the OOA but something is not right, he is still breathing and let me tell you like a freight train, and he will not let that reg out of his mouth. Finaly after what feels like an hour but is actually only a few seconds the light bulb goes on for mister sa and he now decides to give me the low on air signal and tell me everything is ok. After sinister thoughts of cutting his lp hose and making it a true OOA I calm down and decide that I won't even give him the bird for trying to give this old guy a heart attack on a simple pleasure dive. Mister SA then tries to signal that he will go up and that we should continue our dive, yeah right I am going to leave you alone to rocket to the surface and embolize. I strongly tell him no and signal to the youngster that the dive is over. Natuarly he is not happy he lives in a land locked state and only gets to dive during the summer vacation and this is a great dive, but he understands even if he is not happy about it and joins us at the pilot house. The three of us head off to the up line. Just as I thought mister SA wants to rocket to the surface and I have to physically hold him back. At 40 feet I can understand why, now he gives me a true OOA signal and shows me his guage to ensure I don't doubt him. Gas is not an issue I have plenty left for an actual dive much less to get back up from 40 feet, the youngster has still not learned to breath and probably has a few hundred psi more than I do. Again comes out the long hose and no argument this time, gee I have never heard my reg make that much noise no matter how hard I was breathing. We get him back on the boat and all well that ends well.
Bobby
My story: A while back I was on a friends boat going out of the keys to do some rather common but fun dives, the Duanne and Bibb. I was not working on the boat on this trip but since I don't pay to go out even for personal dives that can change at any minute along with the standard tank monkey duties and helping to get the boat ready on turn around.
The story realy starts in the dive shop earlier the day before. I was talking to a good buddy and another technical instructor about the diving around Cay Sal Bank since I was living on a boat in the Bahamas at this time and only back for a visit and some well deserved time off from my chaotic schedule and having to dive every day in the Bahama blue holes. I know rough life and all, so any way back to the story. We got on the topic of the currents down there and how they could get rather stiff and kick up with little warning as well as some of the results with divers in the water and all. One of the people in the shop jumps into the conversation even though we were behind the counter at the very rear of the shop and clearly only talking between ourselves. He proceeds to tell us about the west coast and how much more demanding the diving is there and that the currents in Cay Sal are nothing. With the Japan jet stream they commonly go out in 7-10 knot currents and do a drift dive that not even the boat can keep up with. Needless to say this raised an eye brow or two. Being the pro's that we are (cold beer was out back already) we left an obvious invitation lie, while my bud and I retreated to the back room to investigate why the beer was soooo cold and not yet opened to the on going escapades of this brave tech diver. The shop owner was well impressed himself and very knowingly noted the dreaded SA by the diver's name. SA is for those times when you have a diver that you know will have nothing to do with hiring a dive master but the owner does not want to have any problems or anyone hurt on a dive so someone, with known credentials, is quietly asked to swim along with the diver to ensure they don't get into trouble.
The next day I was diving with another well seasoned technical diver's 14 year old son, since she had the all too terrible task of having to actually go to work that day. Does it not suck when work gets in the way of great diving day. This kid has been around diving since he was a toddler so it is always a joy to dive with him. On the way out to the dive site I get the news that I have the joy of having an SA that day. I am even more thrilled to find out that it is mister 10 knot current. Ok, lets get a look at his gear and make the intro's cause it turns out he does not mind being "buddied" up as he is without a partner. Hmmm gear seems to be in order BP & wing, decent reg, not put together too bad, & the danglees are not bad. Ok maybe this is going to be alright. Then out comes the gear bag two reels, can hid light, sausage, two lift bags, knife that would make Rambo proud, ink marker, whistle, and to top it off a mirror. Well we did discuss that we would not do penetration cause of our younger team member so the reel and light are not needed for this dive. Ok I can see have some signaling devices but this is not Jersey and there are a lot of boats out here today. Hey the guy did say that he is from the west coast and maybe this is his standard thing, what the heck lets get wet.
The dive, we get to the Bibb and there is about 3/4 knot current. Nothing terrible but hey lets make it easy, drop a granny line from the bow line on the ball back to the rear platform and weight it at 15 feet. Off the back we go with the youngster in front, SA in the middle, and me at the back to be sure everyone gets down. Gee mister SA has a lot of gear and that can lights cord is flying all over the place. It is kind of hard to see what is happening through all the bubbles, does he have a free flow. Nope just breathing worse than a hoover on steroids and fighting the granny line as if it is his mortal enemy. Take some of the air out of that 45lb wing and maybe you will not keep bobbing to the surface. Common SA this is only 35 feet of line you can make it to the ball line to get down. Oh I guess I was wrong cause you just gave up and let go of the granny line, dude kick that tag line behind the boat won't come to you all on its own. Crap I guess he forgot what those fins are for, better go get him before he gets too far away. Well now that I have ahold of him on the tag line and have clipped in with my jon line, I have to convince him that I am not dragging him back to the boat and yet you actually have to help get yourself back. Well fortunately my bud from the shop has been watching closely and is helping pull us in since SA has decided that life is over as he knows it and has given up all hope of getting his own ***** back to the boat. By this time I know my bud is laughing at my prediciment but thats ok. When I am free of this guy I am going to leave him to my bud to mend his ego and chase after the youngster to salvage what I can from the dive. SA is back in the boat and I am off like a shot down the granny line headed towards getting a dive in. The youngster has seen what happened and waited for me around 20 feet on the down line out of the swell but still conserving his gas. We have a great dive all around the boat and down below the pilot house run into a rather healthy jew fish that rewards us with pops and clicks to inform us that this is his territory not ours, what fun.
Back on the boat of course we must continue to mend the ego and keep mister SA happy. We do a little too good of a job and he decides that the second dive on the Duane he is now ready to try, crap what the heck were we saying. Ok that is how it is so we do the best to prepare him and talk him through what it is going to take on the next dive. In the water we go after the ride out and a decent surface interval, which of course has caused me to feed the fish as I usually do. Funny how I am fine after a few days of living on a boat but when staying on land I tend to feed the fish even in very light seas. No matter though when I finaly get back in the water all is right with the world until I get back to 20 feet or so. So in the water we go in the same order me hoping like heck we don't waste time on the granny line cause I don't want to get any more sick than I am. Mister SA does well and after dropping most of the gear we had recommended he is quickly to the ball line and on his way down, much too my and my stomachs relief. As planned when close to the rail that the down line is tied into I drop off the line to take up the front position. The current is a little stronger now so I decide to stay on the port side of the wreck and keep out of the heavy work of the current. When we come up to the main super structure there is a big jam at the swim through that keeps you out of the current. I take the line below the super structure with the least amount of current and the youngster fallows behind me. When we get aroung the jam up and back onto the main deck mister sa is not to be found. I signal to younster and he indicates that SA decided to go over the pilot house which is right into the teeth of the current, not good. I give a few seconds before heading back to see if SA is going to make it and I am rewarded to see his hands clasped onto the top of the pilot house obviously getting the brunt of the current. When he does manage to pull his head into view he gives the out of air signal, oh crap that few seconds of waiting was not the right move and now this guy is in very real trouble. I put the hammer down to cover the 15 feet between us as I pull my reg out of my mouth to donate my long hose and pop my back up reg in on the way. By the time I get to him his eyes are big as saucers and he won't drop his reg out of his mouth. He is giving me the OOA but something is not right, he is still breathing and let me tell you like a freight train, and he will not let that reg out of his mouth. Finaly after what feels like an hour but is actually only a few seconds the light bulb goes on for mister sa and he now decides to give me the low on air signal and tell me everything is ok. After sinister thoughts of cutting his lp hose and making it a true OOA I calm down and decide that I won't even give him the bird for trying to give this old guy a heart attack on a simple pleasure dive. Mister SA then tries to signal that he will go up and that we should continue our dive, yeah right I am going to leave you alone to rocket to the surface and embolize. I strongly tell him no and signal to the youngster that the dive is over. Natuarly he is not happy he lives in a land locked state and only gets to dive during the summer vacation and this is a great dive, but he understands even if he is not happy about it and joins us at the pilot house. The three of us head off to the up line. Just as I thought mister SA wants to rocket to the surface and I have to physically hold him back. At 40 feet I can understand why, now he gives me a true OOA signal and shows me his guage to ensure I don't doubt him. Gas is not an issue I have plenty left for an actual dive much less to get back up from 40 feet, the youngster has still not learned to breath and probably has a few hundred psi more than I do. Again comes out the long hose and no argument this time, gee I have never heard my reg make that much noise no matter how hard I was breathing. We get him back on the boat and all well that ends well.
Bobby
