10/1 - bad day - but it could have been much worse

[Big Fish Billy]

any links on the Hookah tank? The gill net encounter spooked me as that would have been unsolvable on the water without a tank.

Have to check my distances, I have Spurs, right up tight to the prop, and have cut 1" nylon. The real downside of getting caught up in gillnets is" a. You can't see them well under water when you're trying to cut them, and b. if you get them caught around both props, they'll suck them together and do real damage. Highly recommend the Spurs, if you can find a way to get them on, do it.

Billy

[Parapapam]

I also thought a bit more about more safety as I was going to be last night. One of those sailor safety harness and tethers is not a bad idea to add to the just in case arsenal. While my boat is small and its only 3' down and 4 in to the props, each time the diver was under the boat I was wondering "what do I do if they get caught?" We did put a docking line around their waists but the loop slid off as they went under the boat.

LB,

I don't know the right answer on this one, but here is something to think about. I believe the biggest reason a swimmer would not come back up from under a boat is that they were caught on something. The more straps, lines or chords you have floating around attached to the diver, the greater the chance those chords would get wrapped up.

That being said, the second biggest reason a diver would not come back up would be hypotheria... In that case a strap would be life saving.

Unscientific food for thought.....

Mike

[backman]

Theory is great.

The fact of the matter is as the captain I was not happy that we did not have a connection with the person on the water and want to figure out a better way than hoping in the course of possibly 30-40 dives in an hour that the diver continue to come back up and come back to the boat.

My backup wetsuit was not on the boat. If it was I could have been in it and ready to go if needed.

True story. I was on a 58 footer in Hydro 6 years ago. We got caught on a pot line and it got in both props. It was 4' down and 6' in to get at those prop's. In 3-5's 4 of us exhausted ourselves clearing the 2nd loosely wrapped prop; the 1st bad one was unsolvable in the conditions. It was too dangerous to get under the boat without a line because there was a serious chance the boat could have come down on you on the way in or out. You had perhaps 3 slashes with a knife before you had to come back out.

As we unsuccessfully worked the problem, each of us in turn did perhaps 1 dive too many and had to be hauled in by the line like a fish. The issue is not as much someone caught under the boat as someone who is tired; gets caught in a 1 knot current and is 5, 10 , 20 and then 100 yards away with an incapacitated dead boat. We did have a safety line and ring out 10 or 15 yards.

we eventually got "saved" by another boat in the area that had a like situation 2 weeks back and as a result of their 4 hr struggle, now had scuba on board. Scuba on a small boat such as mine without a proper method of firmly securing it and storing it is a bomb waiting to go off; thus my relunctance to have gone the Spare Air or Pony tank approach.

[stripah]

I have no idea of the practicality of this, but what about a long pole with a serated blade on the end. I have those tree limb lopers in mind, modified of course. This would allow cutting away from a distance. You might be blind as to what you are cutting in certain conditions but it may just work. Who wants to be the guniea pig?

[Shortfin]

Nice save LB and Crew ,glad all made it back safely

one question who are the boy's from Dover who have all this proffesional info ? you my friend have more hours than most on the water

[Verbal]

This is a great thread. It has given me a lot to think about and i've learned a lot from it already. Thanks for all the info Larry.

[amarshall]

One friend of ours spent the night on Weds night out (way out) off Chatham, when the wind blew up (unforecasted) they had to spend the night putting their bow into the waves. Not a fun night.

[EJR]

Theory is great.

The fact of the matter is as the captain I was not happy that we did not have a connection with the person on the water and want to figure out a better way than hoping in the course of possibly 30-40 dives in an hour that the diver continue to come back up and come back to the boat.

My backup wetsuit was not on the boat. If it was I could have been in it and ready to go if needed.

True story. I was on a 58 footer in Hydro 6 years ago. We got caught on a pot line and it got in both props. It was 4' down and 6' in to get at those prop's. In 3-5's 4 of us exhausted ourselves clearing the 2nd loosely wrapped prop; the 1st bad one was unsolvable in the conditions. It was too dangerous to get under the boat without a line because there was a serious chance the boat could have come down on you on the way in or out. You had perhaps 3 slashes with a knife before you had to come back out.

As we unsuccessfully worked the problem, each of us in turn did perhaps 1 dive too many and had to be hauled in by the line like a fish. The issue is not as much someone caught under the boat as someone who is tired; gets caught in a 1 knot current and is 5, 10 , 20 and then 100 yards away with an incapacitated dead boat. We did have a safety line and ring out 10 or 15 yards.

we eventually got "saved" by another boat in the area that had a like situation 2 weeks back and as a result of their 4 hr struggle, now had scuba on board. Scuba on a small boat such as mine without a proper method of firmly securing it and storing it is a bomb waiting to go off; thus my relunctance to have gone the Spare Air or Pony tank approach.

I've been there done that both in the canyons and on stellwagon. It never happens in flat greasy conditions and it never seems to be in warm august water. I understand the theory of perhaps to many lines on a diver to get them tangled but in 4 footers if you take a prop blade or rudder in the head it is a very bad situation. Having a heavy 42 footer rocking and rolling over head is spooky enough. The diver needs to not have to worry about not making it back out from under that boat.

We do have a pony tank and have used it when at the dock and on a morning in the harbor but I have not used it when at sea. I guess we have never been in a situation that was so bad that someone would have to be in the water for a long extended period of time. Personally I would rather go under with the least amount of things connected to me as possible.

Its unfortunate but when you do happen to wrap something up the only way to clear it quickly and effectively is to just get in and get right down to cutting.

Glad to hear you got out of that one. Im sure diving in October might have been the last possible thing you wanted to do.

[SaltyDog]

I dove once this year and once last year in the canyons with lobster line around my props(WTF!), I had a rope tied to my rear trunks each time which gave me comfort as the diver and security for those above.

The biggest thing I took away from it was needing a sharp SERRATED knife, it cut lobster rope like butter whereas a non-serrated one wasnt as effective, Larry's right in that you have only a few swipes at the rope before your coming back up so a typical fishing knife is not the greatest for lobster line

[Big Fish Billy]

Nice save LB and Crew ,glad all made it back safely

one question who are the boy's from Dover who have all this proffesional info ? you my friend have more hours than most on the water

You can have all the hours on the water you want, if you're putting people in the cold water, in rough seas, with sharp knives....not too smart....seems smarter to me to have the Spurs or another brand and make them fit, or call BoatUS.