Yet another golf ball diver dead - Naples, Florida

[John C. Ratliff]

I'm not a golf ball diver......although I do consistently contribute from the topside to the thousands of balls found in a water hazard. Whether on hooka or scuba....I'm thinking that a back mount bailout bottle with 2nd on a neckless is a must for this type of activity.

I'm also thinking that for these shallow depths, that once I had a full "load", I'd attach a lift bag and put it on the surface......then just pull it......or them.... to shore once done with my dives.

When I was diving with Virginia Taylor for golf balls in Florida near Orlando, it was 1970. We had not thought about either octopus regulators, or bailout bottles. But, I survived.

SeaRat

 

[Still Kicking]

I'm not a golf ball diver......although I do consistently contribute from the topside to the thousands of balls found in a water hazard. Whether on hooka or scuba....I'm thinking that a back mount bailout bottle with 2nd on a neckless is a must for this type of activity.

I'm also thinking that for these shallow depths, that once I had a full "load", I'd attach a lift bag and put it on the surface......then just pull it......or them.... to shore once done with my dives.

A bailout would not have been practical for the diving I was doing. With a full-face mask, it would have taken longer for me to take off the mask and switch to my bailout than to ditch my weight harness and pop to the surface. I would rather not get that water in my face either. But you can bet I had my bailout procedure burned into my muscle memory. Thankfully I only had to implement it once or twice.

Lift bagging would be the smart approach. I didn't have to deal with golf balls (except in terms of keeping them out of the dredge nozzle) but I did have to bag plenty of 300lb intake screens and other assorted irrigation equipment depending on the job.

 

[Waterwulf]

Perhaps an old style Horse Collar BC would be better for those types of dives? It would allow you to float on your back and relax.

On a side note: I saw something not long ago about a gold ball diver in Florida who got attacked by an Alligator. It drug him around by his arm trying to drown him but he had a fresh tank so he played dead until it let him loose.