One of the scariest sights

[Sheri]

We all think about how to avoid DCS, O2 hits, shallow water blackouts, sharks, but I think one of the biggest risks when you are in the water comes from boat propellers.

I've had TWO almost-out-of-air situations, ONE serious shark attack, but FOUR very close calls with boat propellers. One was from a big fat boat who was just plowing through, oblivious to us floating next to our flag. Another was our own panicky boat driver who came to pick us up too fast, another was an experienced boat driver who simply forgot that the starboard engine was engaged and revved it up in reverse as we were being picked up.

Now that I'm freediving more, I always make sure the driver knows never-ever to put the engine in gear, until they see all the heads above water. I know there must be other "best practices" in this area, and I'd like to hear some of them, both for divers and drivers.

[Screen Name]

Originally posted by Sheri

Now that I'm freediving more, I always make sure the driver knows never-ever to put the engine in gear, until they see all the heads above water. I know there must be other "best practices" in this area, and I'd like to hear some of them, both for divers and drivers.

Wow, roger that one Sheri.

I have a rule that you never, ever motor directly at a diver. You also never, ever back directly up to a diver.

The reason for that is that transmissions malfunction. Someday, that boat is going to get stuck in gear.

For that reason, I always come alongside a diver........after I know where everybody is.

[Slay Ride]

On labor day here in SC we had a diver get hit and die from a propeller hit. It does happen. They don't even know what boat hit the guy. Everyone must be careful. Definitely come along side the diver. Unless the current is ripping I let the diver swim the last 10-15 ft towards the boat. And I'm not too proud to turn off the motors all together, especially if there is going to be some down-time until the next location.

[kitefisherman]

We always turn the motors off when divers are entering and exiting the water. When picking up a diver, I usually cut the engine and coast up alongside the diver the last 20 feet or so depending on current, wind and seas.

[Divin' fool]

Ditto Kite.... I learned from my old skiing days...... whenever there are people being picked up.... the motor is OFF. No chance of anybody getting hit when the motor is off.

[Griswold]

I was hit by a boat while freediving in 10-15 feet of water off Key West about 10 years ago.

We were shooting fish on patch reefs off Kingfish Shoal. This area is wide open, no boat channels or other restrictions to navigation. We had a dive flag up, and I was only about 100 feet from the boat. I was in the middle of a mess of hogs and was in the process of reloading the gun when something hit my head and right shoulder. My mask was gone, I could feel something passing over me, and I could hear an engine coming toward me. I was disoriented and didn't have much time to think, so I just tucked my feet in when the propeller reached me. The prop took one of my fins off, and broke my speargun.

I came up yelling and saw that I had been hit by a 50ish foot sailboat being pushed by a small outboard engine. The captain heard me and stopped. I climbed into his dingy and checked myself out. Other than a bump on the head, I was not hurt.

When I asked what in the bleep bleep bleep he was doing passing so close to a boat with a dive flag up, he said that he had seen the flag and thought that we would be diving on the leeward side of the boat.

Kinda rocked by world for a while. Obviously, I was veerrrrry lucky.

[Wet Spot]

Yep, nasty subject. Hey Sheri, I mentioned to you a while back about a buddy being sucked into a six foot wheel on a 80ft trawler. Not good. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement when the hunting is good but as in all associated with our sport you can not let your guard down. I've had a glove sucked off my hand by an idiot at the helm before.

[sbreland]

Originally posted by MegalodonMan
On labor day here in SC we had a diver get hit and die from a propeller hit. .................

What's the story on that? Those kind of things usually make at least a minor story in The State (Columbia, SC) but I must have missed it. Is there an update available? No gory details, just what, how, why stuff.

[Slay Ride]

sbreland:

It was on labor day weekend, and some guys came down from Virginia to dive for sharks teeth and vert's and such. 3 went down and two came up. Full search Sunday til dark and found the body Monday morning. Massive damage to the head and airline was cut. I think there were many boats around and the guy probably wandered away from the boat and when he was coming up got hit. Have no idea what boat hit him. Will look for a link of the full story. Sad, very sad.

Here's a link

http://www.charleston.net/stories/092903/loc_29dive.shtml
This was the initial report

http://www.charleston.net/stories/090203/loc_02diver.shtml

[Hunt4PinkOctobr]

Sorry to hear about that Labor Day tragedy.

I was diving in the Abacos opening day of lobster season this year in 20' of water, dove down to get a bug and heard the engine of a boat (there's no mistaking that sound)...so I stayed on the bottom and looked up only to see a 30' Bayliner whizzing over my head. Come to find out he had seen my friend on the boat waving him away but kept on going...right over me.

[FredT]

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34416&perpage=25&display=&pagenumber=2

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34536&highlight=flag

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19447&highlight=flag

My experience and attitude is pretty well documented there.

FT

[diligaf]

Good Topic. Sheri, I think you are right; boat props are probably the most dangerous things we face. There have been some real good points brought up and a few other things come to mind –

1) As mentioned, don’t drive directly at a diver, if your tranny sticks or shift/throttle cable breaks and your going to hit someone or something, turn the ignition key off immediately. At least you will stop the prop from turning and slow down a little.
2) Gas engines I usually turn off when picking up divers, usually diesels are left on. If your engine is running, make certain the boat is in neutral and do not let anyone stand near the throttle.
3) When surfacing, listen for boat engines and hold your speargun or arm above you.
4) Always be alert when the boat is picking you up, do not take your eyes off the boat. Be ready to push off if necessary.

[JAL1639]

My first thought, when reading about diving for artifacts in the Cooper river, was to use a sausage at the time of surfacing. Do many of ya'll do that?
Jeremy

[Chad Carney]

A briefing by the captain should always be done to explain drift diving technique to divers, even for the experiencd, because some have variations in procedures.

Often the inexperienced diver is the cause of danger when surfacing at the rear of a non-anchored boat. The diver should never assume the boat sees them or knows they are there. It's best to ascend beside the boat, make yourself known, and then swim to the stern on the surface.

Equally important is for a captain never to back up, especially around inexperienced divers . Putting the boat in forward will just blow the diver back from the prop... reverse will suck them into it and has been responsible for one death I know of.

Obviously only idle speed should be used to pick up a diver while others are still in the water. Also keeping the number of divers small always increases the ease of remaining safe.

Get on in the boat, don't dawdle at the transom, or on the platform. A west coast diver fell in and was killed.

Announce to the captain your intention to go in the water, for whatever reason. I've had people jump in to pee just as I'm ready to move the boat. The captain should also make his intention to move known in advance.

Chad

[Marcus]

I had to rescue a guy that got caught up in the prop in Terra Ceia bay once. The boat had run aground and one of the guys got out and was pushing on the back of the boat while the engine was in gear. They were probably rocking the boat back and forth as well. The prop caught him about his toes and just pulled him in. His leg was a twisted, broken, bloody, unrecognizable mess from his toes all the way to about an inch from his nads. He lost a severe amount a blood before his buddy's ever got him in the boat. Me and the wife heard them screaming for help aways off and buzzed over there in a shallower draft boat than they had. I had them put a hard tourniquet on him (fishing stringer) and loaded in the back of my boat and buzzed to the nearest house on the water where a helicopter was flown in to pick him up. They put several IV bags into him and insulin shots to the heart while waiting for the helicopter. He stayed in a coma for a couple of weeks before dying. Tragic....

[ReefGuy]

I was at Venice beach this Sunday doing a fossil dive, and after I came up was talking to some of the other divers that were there. While we were talking, a largish (~30') boat HIT a dive flag. There was a group of three flags, and this guy nailed the outermost flag. These guys were only about 200 years from a public beach, and not out much further than the beach's buoys.

The divers could not have been in water deeper than 18'. I've seen the marine patrol out there pretty active this summer, but, of course, not yesterday.

I was about 300 yards away, so I might be wrong about him hitting the flag, but the flag was definately cresting his wake no more than 10' behind the boat.

[LuvMyRedDog]

I just ordered a homing device that will allow me to come up my anchor line every time. That should reduce/eliminate the risk of me swimming into someone's prop. Here is a link

http://www.desertstar.com/newsite/sport/sportscout.html

[Ed Walker]

Never trust the guy in the other boat. That guy when we were out last time drove thru my freedivers and prepared to anchor maybe two boat lengths from me. When I yelled at him that I had divers in the water he said "Oh, OK thanks". This with a regulation flag flying from the very top of my tower and me with a wetsuit on flailing like a...uh, I dunno, something that flails a lot. Then while still within the range of my divers (Chad, Sheri) he asks "what are you guys going for?" I was considering checking out the range of my Sea Hornet over water when he finally drove off and anchored next to someone else. And of course; beware of electric throttles..... heh heh

[Ed Walker]

Venice Beach. Man I have seen some scary encounters while there tarpon fishing. Boats run right over divers daily. With the inlet right there and guys doing beach dives (no boat around them) its a miracle more bad things dont happen there. I watched a guy in a big Sea Ray run directly over a guys flag one day. I was yelling and yes, failing, to get the morons attention from my boat but he actually ran the bouy/flag over and never even slowed down.

[Shooter Dan]

Melbourne, FL

Mexican Freighter Ran Me Over

Really scared the Crap out of me. I was on the first drop of Mini Season on a safety stop. I was just about at the end of the stop when I felt a shadow over me. I looked up and noticed that the white Mako hull was now rusty brown. I thought Coast Guard ship at first checking on Lobster boats, but quickly disregarded that thought. It started as just a brown hull above me, but it didn't take long for the brown hull it to grow and suddenly I realized it was a wall of moving steel passing by me. I almost pushed off with my gun.

I had my hood on and didn't hear it until it was right over me.

I took off backwards and down trying to get away from it. Out of the corner of my right eye I saw a wash of white water getting closer. I cleared the props, but was blown down to 45'.

After filling my dry suit with solid material, I went back up for a safety stop and just continued to hear the steel beast in the distance. After hitting the surface I whaled on my dive alert and offered all of my gear to the first bidder for $2000.

It was a Mexican freighter about 150' long. It must have been on autopilot with non-English speaking at the helm. Seastalker tried to get them on the radio and even tried to run the Mako in their way, but it didn't work.

We survived, but I sure that they caused problems for others as they were headed south in 90' running the ledge line.

Be sure to contact the coast guard if you ever have an incident like mine.

It's never a good day to be Chum!