Cleaning boat hulls in harbors in Hawaii. Dangerous?

CoreyK

CoreyK

New member
I've recently moved to Oahu, finishing up school here and trying to get some experience in and around the ocean.

I've landed a job with an adventure sailing company cleaning the bottom of their boat, as well as the boats of many other clients in one of the harbors here in Waikiki.
I haven't started yet, but the way it was explained is that I basically breath from a hose attached to a tank on the dock, and scrape and brush the hull. NO BC or tank to deal with. I am SCUBA certified and have done a few dives, and am very comfortable around water, so it seems easy enough.
The owner will also hook me up with a Zodiac to cruise around in, trying to get clients, cleaning hulls, etc. I will more or less make my own schedule, get to be outside all day, and perhaps have the opportunity to advance in the company and crew their 80' carbon fiber sailboat... sounds pretty cool! This is exactly the sort of potential I was looking for in a job.

However, I have to admit that I am a little nervous about the idea of diving in the harbor. There are several species of aggressive sharks here, and the fact that there are numerous fishing boats bringing in catches just seems like it could be a dangerous situation.
I have a zoology degree, I love animals (marine creatures in particular - in fact I'm pursuing a career in the field), find sharks fascinating, but I'd rather not get attacked by one.

Am I just being paranoid or is does this job have the potential to be genuinely dangerous?
If so... would you do this job, or recommend it to anyone?

Any input is appreciated,
Thanks.
 
You could always dive with a shark repellent on standby (on a dive belt maybe?) or one of the percussion wands that uses a small blank shotgun shell to scare the shark away.

It would all depend on your local regulations on what you can use for defense against them.

Also, you have to remember the electrical fields emmitted by the boats hauls, props, zinc plates, etc. tend to also add some confusion to the shark. Unless you, yourself are bleeding...I think you should be fine, but that is just me personally.

Sounds like you landed a great job!

Jobs you love aren't "jobs OR work"...they are a hobby you get PAID to experience! :D
 
Thanks for the responses. You guys are making me feel better. Not sure why I get nervous about the thought of diving in a harbor around boats, I just... do.

ARealmsLLC: Do you have any suggestions on a type of shark repellent that would work well for this application? I'm completely new to this!

Thanks.
 
CoreyK said:
Thanks for the responses. You guys are making me feel better. Not sure why I get nervous about the thought of diving in a harbor around boats, I just... do.

ARealmsLLC: Do you have any suggestions on a type of shark repellent that would work well for this application? I'm completely new to this!

Thanks.
Click to expand...

a dive buddy (that you some what dislike) with a filet of "shark repellent" hidden unknowningly in his BC pocket :smokin:
 
I honestly really woudnt worry about it too much.

I lived in Hawaii for 6 yrs, used to surf out in some shark infested waters, and im still around. Also SCUBA cert and dove in many of the islands around the islands. As we all know shark attacks are way sensationalized.

If I were you I wouldnt get in the water next to a fishing boat right after it comes in. That is the time they fillet the fish that were caught and they throw the rest of it overboard.
 
dont worry, you wont see the shark coming, and wont feel much, it will just feel like someone hit u with a hammer and it will feel cold. :) just kidding, enjoy it but why is the position vacant...
 
I agree with (most) others. You'll probably be fine (I know you know this, and I see where you are coming from), but the percussion rod sounds like it would be the most effective to me... Good luck! Sounds like an awesome job!
 
google shark shield... supposed to work on curious sharks.. not ones that are already stimulated to feed.
 
None of those shark repellents work.

In Hawaii your number one concern will probably be tiger sharks. There was one that would pay regular visits to the yacht basin in Kona because people would fillet fish and thrown carcasses in the water there. They stopped that pretty quickly.

With that said, if you dive during the day, you won't have to worry too much about the tigers - they aren't too bad during the day. I have dove w/ tiger sharks (see my pix on www.reefpix.org) many times, including w/ chum in the water. Tigers are actually pretty shy, and are usually docile in shallow water.

So I would just go for it - it is a good job. Just be careful as you CAN get bent breathing compressed air in shallow water. Check the dive tables and be conservative.

Cheers
James
 
Two other possible concerns - high coliform bacteria levels and the toxicity of the anti-fouling paint you'll be scraping off.

I know that in some harbors, you need to dive in environmental suits to protect yourself from bacteria. I always get really bad ear infections when I dive inshore areas.

Anti-fouling paint is getting less and less environmentally destructive, and a diver is only going to be exposed through swallowing small amounts of water around your regulator - I doubt that skin exposure would be a problem. When I scrape my sailboat, its always "on the hard" and I need to wear a dust mask and eye protection. I once got some wet copper ablative paint on my scalp - burned like the dickens, nasty stuff!

Just some thoughts.....


Jay
 
Really good points from Jay - especially about the bacteria. Here in TX we have "flesh eating bacteria" which is actually the notorious V. vulnificus. If you get a scrape here from an oyster reef, etc you had better get it checked out. In HI I don't know how much of a problem you may have. The coliform is from other "stuff" lol. After every dive, I would rinse your ears w/ a 50/50 vinegar and alcohol solution (that's what I do after my "muck" dives).

Cheers
James
 
10 million what? Dollars? Sorry, I don't understand...

Sounds like our original poster has gone AWOL. :) We might never know what happened. :)
 
How much is that Manta-ray repellent? I have been having issues with those lately. Did anyone notice they actually had to label the bat ladder as a bat ladder and it was thrown out on the right side of the helo but they got on it off the right side?
 
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