whale kills person

[bowlofpetunias]

There are areas here where the dive boat is required to have all on board wearing floatation devices. If you refused you would be put ashore. The Maritime Police do check the boats to ensure compliance. Been on one when they pulled us over and checked the safety equipment etc.

 

[diver 85]

Mandatory idle speed for all boats all the time!

Forget the motors-----paddle everywhere.........

---------- Post added March 19th, 2015 at 05:56 AM ----------

Scuba Steve in st Lucia. Boat does not head out until all crew and guests have one on when I dove with them in February.
They had them ready to hand out as you boarded. Quick brief on donning/doffing and we were off to the Pitons.
I will never turn down safety. I am a proficient swimmer but it only takes one bump on the head etc etc
My $0.02

We didn't(use any) when I dove with them a couple years ago.......???maybe something caused their (re)thinking--of wearing them??...

---------- Post added March 19th, 2015 at 06:00 AM ----------

Sorry to hear of this accident, found this short article---with a couple rescue pics........click link...SIAP......

First pictures of desperate bid to save tourist killed after whale crashed onto boat as husband looked on - Mirror Online

 

[DandyDon]

Not a shot. More of a subtle homage. I have this very poor habit of expecting everyone to be able to read my opaque malfunctioning mind.

To me, Don is this wacked out, overly nervous, safety obsessed guy. The Don Knotts of the diving world? His fervent & clear postings are simple to understand. I have learned much. He also introduced me to the neat concept of personal EPIRBS. I just might buy one real soon now that they have become very small...

I think you mean Personal Locator Beacon - PLB. The ACR 2881 I carry now is small enough, 4 ounces and fits a cargo pants pocket, but the new Ocean Signal rescueME PLB1 is even smaller, hence a smaller dive canister needed. PLBs are good ideas for any travels tho, more so for hikers and divers. Hardly a day goes by that the news doesn't have a story about a body or last minute rescue that could have gone better if the driver/hiker had had one. Too many hope their cell phone will work.

I'm not really "wacked out, overly nervous, safety obsessed," even diving. I've just survived so much, starting with my farmboy/cowboy days long before OSHA, and have realized so much that I prefer sharing safer ideas. I've rolled vehicles with and without seat belts and certainly recommend their use. With today's technology and cost savings, CO alarms for homes and hotel rooms just make good sense - as compared to the nights I went to bed in a cold farmhouse, space heater on high, hoping I'd wake up in the morning. And so on...

Wearing a flotation device on a moving boat just makes good sense and I am embarrassed at how long it took for me to accept that idea. I've been on dive boats that later sunk. I think I do prefer my snorkel vest tho, so I can decide when I want the extra lift - after escaping an overturned boat for example. It won't help if I get knocked out, but still my best bet. The fact that hardly any other divers agree, and some laugh at me, doesn't bother me at all.

 

[boulderjohn]

II think I do prefer my snorkel vest tho, so I can decide when I want the extra lift - after escaping an overturned boat for example. It won't help if I get knocked out, but still my best bet.

You may not want the extra lift before escaping an overturned boat. I read an account a couple of years ago in which a boat sank rapidly, starting at the stern. It flipped back, and people in the bow area were trapped underneath it until they could swim down and out. The one who died was wearing a standard life vest when it flipped. It is hard to be sure what happened to her when the boat flipped, but she sure would have had a hard time swimming downward to get out of the boat while wearing a standard vest. In such a case, an uninflated snorkel vest would indeed have been a better choice.

 

[Storker]

I read an account a couple of years ago in which a boat sank rapidly, starting at the stern. It flipped back, and people in the bow area were trapped underneath it until they could swim down and out. The one who died was wearing a standard life vest when it flipped. It is hard to be sure what happened to her when the boat flipped, but she sure would have had a hard time swimming downward to get out of the boat while wearing a standard vest. In such a case, an uninflated snorkel vest would indeed have been a better choice.

What are the odds of that?

Yes, I know, insufficient data. But this story reminds me of the stories of people driving off a cliff, not being able to exit the car due to a stuck seatbelt buckle. Although it can happen, the odds are so low that that's no reason for not wearing a seatbelt. Similarly, I'd be very wary of not wearing an immediately functioning flotation device in case I got trapped inside a sinking boat. Methinks the odds of hitting my head and falling unconscious into the water, unable to operate a snorkel vest, would be noticeably higher than the odds of being trapped, unable to swim downward to get out of an overturned boat.

 

[Kmart4321]

You may not want the extra lift before escaping an overturned boat. I read an account a couple of years ago in which a boat sank rapidly, starting at the stern. It flipped back, and people in the bow area were trapped underneath it until they could swim down and out. The one who died was wearing a standard life vest when it flipped. It is hard to be sure what happened to her when the boat flipped, but she sure would have had a hard time swimming downward to get out of the boat while wearing a standard vest. In such a case, an uninflated snorkel vest would indeed have been a better choice.

That argument is kind of like "I don't wear a seatbelt so I will be thrown clear when the vehicle rolls..." There are always what if's for any incident, often they are obscure and so remote they can hardly be taken with any degree of seriousness.
I guess the snorkel vest would work, but that is assuming that you are competent to do so and have lungs full of air to inflate. Personally, I'll put my money on a material that is naturally buoyant and takes no interaction from me to function.

 

[DandyDon]

You may not want the extra lift before escaping an overturned boat. I read an account a couple of years ago in which a boat sank rapidly, starting at the stern. It flipped back, and people in the bow area were trapped underneath it until they could swim down and out. The one who died was wearing a standard life vest when it flipped. It is hard to be sure what happened to her when the boat flipped, but she sure would have had a hard time swimming downward to get out of the boat while wearing a standard vest. In such a case, an uninflated snorkel vest would indeed have been a better choice.

That's what I said: "I do prefer my snorkel vest tho, so I can decide when I want the extra lift - after escaping an overturned boat for example."

What are the odds of that?

Yes, I know, insufficient data. But this story reminds me of the stories of people driving off a cliff, not being able to exit the car due to a stuck seatbelt buckle. Although it can happen, the odds are so low that that's no reason for not wearing a seatbelt. Similarly, I'd be very wary of not wearing an immediately functioning flotation device in case I got trapped inside a sinking boat. Methinks the odds of hitting my head and falling unconscious into the water, unable to operate a snorkel vest, would be noticeably higher than the odds of being trapped, unable to swim downward to get out of an overturned boat.

You're right, tho. As I said, "It won't help if I get knocked out," which may well be more of a risk. Either would be better than nothing, which is what most wear.

 

[Storker]

You're right, tho. As I said, "It won't help if I get knocked out," which may well be more of a risk.

I'm pretty convinced that's significantly more of a risk.

Either would be better than nothing, which is what most wear.

Which (IMNSHO) is pretty durn stoopid. This part of the world, it's mandated by law to have flotation devices available for everyone aboard small vessels (insert rant about nanny state here), although you're not required by the law to wear them unless the vessel also carries underage persons. I always wear one when I'm out on my boat, because I'm not fat enough to float well enough without one. And with our water temperatures, I'll be too exhausted to swim after just a few minutes.