How not to drift dive

[billsreef]

Was diving out of Key Largo this weekend. I'm happy to say all our divers had a good safe time. However, we found 3 divers from another boat drifting on the surface a long ways from their boat We picked them up of course. Story was the dive boat they went out with dropped them for a drift dive, and then went to a mooring for the other divers on the boat to dive from...leaving them to drift in a direction that would have taken clean past their boat We found them struggling on the surface in waves that were picking up pretty good from the squalls moving through the area. Moral of the story, if some dive boat tells you the drift dive plan is to drop you and than go moor someplace else, find another dive op.

 

[blackthunda77]

WOW - scary!

 

[snorvich]

Moral of the story, if some dive boat tells you the drift dive plan is to drop you and than go moor someplace else, find another dive op.

Amen. Dangerous in Florida, super dangerous in less populated areas. The dive boat should always stay with the divers.

 

[snorvich]

I lost a couple of "friends" in Fiji to the current and the fact that there were two dive plans: one for a group, a second for the divemaster and his student. The divemaster and student were never found.

 

[r-balljunkie]

unheard of. definitely put their business out there and name names. we dont drift dive out here......make it back to the darn boat on our dive, haul your own tanks etc.

 

[snorvich]

unheard of. definitely put their business out there and name names. we dont drift dive out here......make it back to the darn boat on our dive, haul your own tanks etc.

Actually, the incident I was referring to was in Fiji at a dive site called "Washing Machine".

 

[Made2Rock]

I would expect the dive master to at least check that those doing the drift dive each have a marker buoy. I would question any boat where the dive master is clueless as to what is needed to do the dive safely.

Joe