I have chartered dive boats worldwide for over 31 years with hundreds of charters on North Atlantic wrecks. Within our dive store's database of 29,000 customers, we have introduced hundreds of divers to extremely exciting adventures while diving from all types of dive boats. Beyond that, please consider that my 50 ton Captain's license qualifies me to objectively comment on Steve's recent post.
One of the dive boats I have chartered consistently over the past 4 years is the dive boat "Spearit". In fact, I chartered it a total of 66 times in 2008 and I have another 54 charters scheduled for 2009. As you can imagine, I have a rather unique perspective on "Spearit's" complete boat operation, the personality and professionalism of both the Captain and the Mate, and what needs to be done underwater in order to safely and successfully recover the giant Megalodon shark teeth.
To begin with, I diligently monitor the weather conditions at the closest NOAA buoy to where Steve was diving. I can recall the sea conditions on Saturday, November 8th.... the exact date of his "worst day". Throughout the day, the seas at the buoy were 3 to 4 foot and the seas were averaging 3.6 feet. The winds were such that it would be a lumpy ride out and there should have been a following sea on the ride back home.... making the return trip a lot more comfortable.
To alleviate the lumpy ride out, the Captain will sometimes offer to go 19 miles down the completely flat Intercoastal and then head out to the dive site taking the waves at an angle rather than head-on. Even though the Captain has a much longer travel-time and a much higher fuel cost.... it can be said that he travels this route so that his customers may have a more comfortable ride out to the dive site. I would venture to say, that with the weather conditions I saw on November 8th, he would have made this generous offer to Steve's group to travel down the Intercoastal.
If it was a typical charter day for my group, the Captain would have started the day's trip by giving me a 5:00 AM morning call at our on-island house to discuss the sea conditions for the day and to get my opinion as to whether my divers were qualified to safely handle the current sea conditions. If either myself or the Captain decides to call the dive, our day is considered a "blowout" and we repeat the same process the next morning.
However, if we decide to go, we make a second assessment at the dock, If it is still a "go", we then start heading out the inlet, make additional assessments at 1 mile, 5 miles and 10 miles. On particularly lumpy days, the Captain is continually checking with the charter customers every 2 - 3 miles and making sure that they are comfortable while at the same time.... letting them know what kind of weather they should expect. If they want to continue, we move forward. However, at no time are any of the customers made to feel intimidated by me or the dive boat crew and if the group needs to call the dive and go home, they have every opportunity to do so.
Speaking of lumpy days and blowouts, many divers have asked the question about what constitutes a "Spearit" blowout. With the realization that there are no hard and fast rules as the Captain and myself prepare to make the daily and often difficult decision as to whether the dive is a "go" or "no go" situation, there are many weather clues that we look for. As many divers know, there are numerous NOAA weather buoys off the East Coast and we monitor 6 of them.
The first thing we look for is the wave height. As a general rule, the following chart should be of assistance....
2 ft or less - definite "go"
2-3 ft - sounds like a 85% to 98% "go"
2-4 ft - 50/50 chance of going out
3-5 ft - 10%-25% of venturing forth
4-6 ft - definite "no go"
Next we look at the steepness of the wave and the following levels are what we may encounter....
"N/A" - This indicates that seas are relatively flat and we usually have a very good day for diving
"Swell" - Usually OK to dive, but the often indistinguishable swell can make some divers feel queasy
"Average" - Usually OK but one or more divers typically get seasick. This is also where divers start having difficulty ascending the ladder.
"Steep" - Won't be a very pretty day and only about 25% of the divers can comfortably handle this type of sea (expect a possible cancellation)
"Very Steep" - Very dangerous day of diving and most likely we will experience a cancellation
Although the wave heights and the steepness are our first indicators, we also monitor the wind wave period, the swell period, the wind speed, the speed of the wind gusts, the direction of the wind, the chance of dangerous squalls/thunderstorms, and the prediction of changing weather throughout the day.
After everything has been analyzed and the Captain has made a tentative decision, we then have to take one more look at the qualifications of the divers on that particular charter to see if they can safely handle the current sea conditions and safely get back on the boat at the conclusion of their dive.
As you can see, there are many factors that go into making your dive aboard the "Spearit" a safe one. Any dive itself is challenging enough and as some of you know, our fossil tooth dives aboard the "Spearit" are extremely focused and mission oriented. Even though we have experienced some very disappointing days when we are blown out, I'm sure that everyone realizes that none of us want any of our divers to experience any type of dive accident. The final decision by the Captain to "go" or "no go" is always in the best interest of our diver's safety.
One final thought on this subject.... after 31 years of diving, I've come to the realization that it is always better to be sitting on land wishing I was on the sea than being out to sea and wishing I was on land.
Another point I wish to discuss is the setting of the anchor. On over 200 "Spearit" charters for the last four years, I have been the "customer" who sets the anchor. The anchoring of this site is one of the most difficult anchoring situations that you can envision. Simply put, the Captain is trying to put a grapnel into a small limestone wall or ledge. There is an upper plateau with a very hard flat limestone surface and a few sponges scattered about. When you drop off the 1-6 foot ledge, you come to another plateau with a shallow covering of sand. The teeth are found at this level in the shallow covering of sand at variable distances away from the face of the ledge.... thus the necessity for each diver deploying a way-back reel.
When you remove the very shallow layer of sand (2" - 10"), you discover a very hard concrete-like clay layer (marl). I have made several attempts to penetrate this clay layer using a dog spike with a 30" crowbar as my lever arm. To my amazement, I have not been able to penetrate the concrete-like clay for more than 1".
In the very rare case where the wind/current is pulling the boat onto the face of the ledge from the lower level, we generally have a very easy hook. However, if the anchor is sliding down the face of the ledge... or worse yet.... skipping off the top of the ledge and making its way to the sand below, we need to have an experienced diver in the water to try and get the anchor to grab the limestone ledge. If the diver is not able to catch the face of the ledge with the anchor and the anchor works its way into the sand below, there is nothing more for the anchor to grab and the diver has to ascend to start the process all over again.
The reason I am describing the bottom substrate is because you should be able to quickly see that it would be impossible to hook the bottom with a danforth anchor. With an insufficient amount of sand to grab, the danforth simply skips across the 2" - 10" of sand bottom.
As a side note, I am aware that a version of this anchoring system was described by the Captain to Steve when Steve questioned why a danforth anchor was not used instead of the grapnel.
After the Captain gave his answer, the Captain turned around and walked back into the cabin. For some reason unbeknownst to me, Steve then made some remarks and gestures towards the Captain. Unfortunately for Steve, the Mate was standing close enough to witness his actions and he considered these remarks and gestures to be rather offensive. I've got to say after being in the dive charter business for 31 years, I've never met a Mate that wouldn't stand up for his Captain and this case is no exception. In fact, I suspect that this one event may be the single focal point of Steve's rantings and ravings.
In my experience, the legal authorities take offensive remarks and gestures made towards the Captain and Crew while on the high seas as a very serious offense. On a recent night dive in the Florida Keys, I witnessed the Florida State Police waiting at the boat's dock to take the diver into custody simply because offensive remarks and gestures made towards the Captain (while at sea) were regarded as threats. The first rule to remember as a "guest" aboard any sea-going vessel... it is always in the diver's best interest to remember who's boat that they have been invited on and to fully respect the chain of command.
While on the subject of setting the anchor, I previously stated that I am the diver who has set the anchor on every one of my "Spearit" charters. I will agree that setting the anchor may be the Mate's job, but I would rather handle that particular task personally while at the same time, giving the Mate and the Captain the opportunity to manage the boat and to assist my divers into the water.
However, on Steve's charter, the Captain was getting ready to send the Mate down when one of the divers "volunteered" to take on the task of setting the anchor. This diver had been on the boat several times before and was experienced in setting this particular anchor. In fact, the dive shop who was chartering has had multiple trips with "Spearit" and all the divers had been on "Spearit" previously except for Steve. This was Steve's first attempt at tooth diving.
As far as the anchor pulling out on Steve's trip, the Captain successfully hooked the anchor on the second attempt, got the first five divers in the water within a relatively short period of time and as the last diver to get ready, Steve took an additional 30 minutes beyond the previous diver before he splashed. The Captain and Mate watched Steve's bubbles as he descended and when he reached the bottom, the anchor appeared to come loose. I'm not sure how this fits in or agrees with Steve's version of events, but for the more experienced divers.... well.... you're free to develop your own conclusion since none of us were physically there.
Just to tidy up a few small notes, I use a scooter on every "Spearit" dive and in my opinion, you should expect the scooter to suck the fossil rocks through the shroud.... possibly doing damage to the props and the clutch when you accidentally fall onto your scooter while accidentally crashing into the sand bottom and hitting the power button switch by accident. A good Buoyancy Control Workshop should correct this!
As far as currents, I am quite familiar with the currents that can exist all up and down the East Coast.... especially the treacherous currents of North Carolina where I've witnessed the best of divers not being able to enter the water off of Nags Head or Ocracoke. However, after 4 years of fossil diving on the "Spearit" with over 200 charters, I have never experienced a current that I would consider worth writing home about. Not to say that they don't exist from time to time (knock on wood), but this year, I finally had to ask the Captain why there has never been any currents similar to what I have experienced in other parts of North Carolina. He proceeded to offer a very detailed description of how the shoaling in the area typically protects us from currents similar to Nags Head or Ocracoke.
A few more direct points....
Point #2.... To comment on the trip out and the trip back to the dive site, the Captain has always offered the opportunity for bathroom breaks (for both men and women) on the way out and on the way back in. If you need a break before he makes the offer, simply tell him or the Mate and they will immediately stop the boat for the break. There are also 4 large coolers on board with the biggest being 200 quarts. With plenty of ice supplied by the Captain to keep our food cool, we are continually eating and rehydrating throughout the day. On the way out to the site, a number of our divers will eat a snack or a small breakfast about 30 minutes prior to arriving on site.
Point #12.... At this time, there is no one on the charter that currently admits hearing the screams from the 6th diver still in the water.... except Steve. The reality is that after they determined that diver #6 was not on the anchor line, the Mate told everyone to be quiet.... he thought he may have heard something. The Mate's comment was the only event involving a possible sound being heard. At that point, the diver's safety sausage was spotted, diver #6 was picked up and he proudly displayed his 6-1/2" Megalodon tooth.
Points #14 & #15.... In retrieving diver #6, the Captain and Mate disconnected the anchor line and placed a buoy ball on the line. Since they were free of the anchor line, they went to retrieve the diver. After the diver was on-board, the anchor line was reattached and all the diver's except Steve proceeded to do a second dive. As an interesting note, all the divers except for Steve chose to dive again on Sunday, November 9th. Without question and contrary to most East Coast dive charter operations, the Captain awarded Steve an immediate refund for Sunday's dive.... a glowing testimony to the Captain's generosity.
On a final note, one of the things I learned growing up in a family with a Southern influence is that there are 3 simple rules that need to followed if you desire to grow old gracefully. The first rule is you never mess around with another man's wife, the second rule is you never want to screw with another man's livelihood and the third rule is you never touch his Cadillac without his permission.
What do you think Steve's chances are at getting on another Southern dive charter after he has broken one of these rules in his attempts to trash a man's business by posting his "worst dive" on all the major public diving forums at the same time?
Scott Jenkins
302-887-9186
Poseidon Adventures
3301 Lancaster Pk, Ste 5A
Wilmington, DE 19805
.
