When breath hold counts the most

    The biggest risk I take diving in south Florida is the possibility of getting run over by a boat. It's something that's always on my mind. I will not beach dive on weekends and holidays. On other days when there's less boat traffic I still never let down my guard. Being visible with a dive flag offers no assurance, sometimes I think that on the contrary it attracts boaters. The only defense I found is to always be aware of approaching boats. My first sense to detect a boat is hearing, that's one reason I will not wear a hood.


    Once I detect the sound of a boat motor I immediately surface to locate the boat, then watch to determine its direction. Often the boats are obviously not on a collision course with me, I still watch until I'm sure they're past the point of changing their trajectory towards me. After that the diminishing sound of the motors is further assurance and I continue diving. Sometimes I take more time to ascertain the boat's trajectory as it's passing closer to me. At those times I will stay and watch until I can see the boat moving away rather than getting closer.


    It's never yet happened to me that the boat is getting closer and closer and at some point I realize it's heading directly towards me. But I've rehearsed this scenario in my head many times and this is how I imagine it will go down. At the moment I become sure that the boat is going to run me over, I start calculating how much time I have before it reaches me, this depends obviously on the boat's speed. If I'm towing a float that's tied to my gun I'll let go of the gun. My thought is to wait until the last possible moment to have enough time to break the surface and dive deep enough to get under the boat, but not so long before the boat gets to me that I will need to surface to breath just as it passes overhead.


    Not having enough breath hold to stay down until the boat passes is the most serious point of concern to me, because I know that when the time comes I will choose to dive sooner rather than later. Once I'm down there waiting I imagine having some serious doubts. In between the time I dove and reached a safe depth the boat may have seen my flag and reduced its speed a little, then it will take longer to pass. Once I'm down there the boat could've altered course and passed to one side and I didn't know. I could be down there still waiting for it to pass. This point has always been of the most concern and uncertainty for me, and I imagine that in that situation I will hold my breath for as long as I possibly can, unless I see the boat pass of course.


    So surviving this situation depends on:
    1. Being in the right state of mind to perceive an approaching boat.
    2. Having the will power to stop diving and watch the boat every time.
    3. Correctly ascertaining the boat's trajectory.
    4. Timing your dive early enough to get under the boat but not so early that you'll run out of air before it passes.
    5. Hold your breath long enough for the boat to pass.


    Anyways like I said this has never happened yet so I can't say I'm %100 ready to deal with the situation. But this is exactly what happened to Steven recently, and his kayak did get hit by a big fast boat. After knowing that he's OK and finding out he did what I plan to do, I was very interested in a detailed description of what he felt and how he timed his dive to avoid the boat. So I started this thread as an intro to his story.

    In the future I'll be doing this on a case by case, consulting basis. This one, though, will be free :rolleyes1:


    Well If it weren't for that fact that as long as I've been using this website (about 3 years) I've never seen anyone tell this story, I would feel redundant repeating it. The short version would be to say it was just like getting nearly missed by a boat, the main difference in the scenario only coming at the last few seconds. When you realize the boat isn't aware of you, as Dan said, you start to calculate how to navigate the situation. So anyways here is what happened to me.
    I was yak diving off Hollywood beach, on the outside of the second reef. For reference thats somewhere around 1/2 mile out (someone correct me if I'm wrong). The water was flat and it was still early and the wind was low. A few things worth noting are that I was diving alone and using a good friend's kayak. Because of these two factors I was sticking very close to the anchored kayak. The reasoning being that when I shoot a fish alone I like to be close to the kayak to toss it in quickly and more importantly being that when using other people's things I get paranoid about them being lost/ damaged etc. If my little kayak's anchor uproots and ends up washed ashore miles away I can deal with that. Losing something entrusted in you is different. Anyone diving anywhere in South Florida from the third reef in to shore is plenty accustomed to nuisance boat traffic. Also, as Dan pointed out, boaters are a dangerous mix of negligent and curious regarding divers. As soon as I hear a boat I always look where it is, and generally dismiss it and continue diving. On this day I could see the boat (a forty something foot Searay about 1000+ yards away) coming what looked like straight at me. This is not unusual as many boats from that distance appear to be honing in on you. So I probably made two more dives ignoring the growing engine sound before I decided to look again. The boat was then within 100 yards and from that distance it was apparent that without turning he was going to cross directly or within a few feet of me. I was still within 15 feet of the kayak. So I bobbed and watched the boat get closer and closer. Considering its quick pace I decided to dive down with what I thought was about 20 seconds until its arrival. So dive I did, and I looked up once I had reached about 30 feet deep (about 5-8 feet up from the bottom). The second I looked up is the second the boat passed directly over me. I saw the kayak shoot out to the side as the boat grazed parallel to it and after that I saw the paddle (which was tied to the yak and resting in the yak) come down in around 6 pieces. Also the anchor line was cut about 10 feet from the point in which it was clipped by a caribiner to the kayak. Despite the boat having passed I felt the need for some reason to stay down and just watch upward for about a 45 seconds- a minute. When I surfaced I didn't account for all the white wash and waves and it was a bit disorienting. Also the kayak was drifting away pretty quickly. I swam to the kayak and grabbed the side and just laid my head on it for a second and reoriented myself. Nothing in the kayak was dislodged (hatches, gear under the bungees, etc.) The guy was a captain delivering the boat and he was obviously a bit freaked out. he prob initially thought he killed someone when he looked back and saw an empty kayak. He backed up, I climbed onto the dive platform and tied the severed anchorline to a cleat and just told him to take me to shore. I didn't want to talk about it or anything, I felt like I just had some mediocre sex and just wanted done with it. (there may be a better analogy out there) He got me reasonably close to where I had put in on the beach and about 150 yards out from shore. I told him as of now I am out a paddle, anchor, anchorline, and I dont know if the kayaks damaged. He gave me his business card and I was satisfied enough and swam the yak back into shore. So in the end the yak wasn't damaged and he paid for everything lost. The thing that angers me about the whole ordeal is that people drive boats so close to shore.

    Scupper Pro Gives You Wings!

    Damn, glad you are OK and were aware of what was going on. I have noticed both as a boater and a diver that lots of other boaters use the obvious reeflines like streets. This is both ass backwards and stupid because that is the obvious place people will be in the water. I know that when I run the boat I don't always run out beyond the third reef but I also dont hug the swim buoys or the reef lines. I also keep a close eye out for kayakers, dive flags, and even marine life in the water.

    this is the exact same reason why it's so hard for me to concentrate while diving. even when i know that there's no boats whatsoever i just can't really put my mind to what i'm doing. i'm glad everything turned out fine for you steven.
    something similar happened to me near government cut with a sail boat. it actually run over me and almost hit the boat ( which had the flag up) that was about 50 -80 yards ahead of me.

    Well written Steven.


    I'd like to add one more point. In this situation I've decided to not waste time trying to make the boat aware of me by waving my hands or my gun and yelling. Obviously the boat is not going to hear me over the sound of the motors and the distance. The visual signal may or may not be seen, the float with the flag already has not been seen so there's little chance I think. It's better to save your energy in preparation for the dive, and keep your mind on the timing.

    Quote from Dan

    Well written Steven.


    I'd like to add one more point. In this situation I've decided to not waste time trying to make the boat aware of me by waving my hands or my gun and yelling. Obviously the boat is not going to hear me over the sound of the motors and the distance. The visual signal may or may not be seen, the float with the flag already has not been seen so there's little chance I think. It's better to save your energy in preparation for the dive, and keep your mind on the timing.


    Agreed, the thought of yelling seems pointless.
    And like pantoja brought up sailboats are the most dangerous in that you don't hear them coming.


    Mike I think one of the biggest deals about certain boats running so close in is that, in your boat (a 20something foot center console) for instance, even up on a plane you can see a reasonable distance ahead of you. these big luxury boats, sport fishermans, sailboats on the other hand, are a different story. The boat that I dealt with had to have lost sight of me under the bow of the boat long before it arrived. For that reason I wouldn't be comfortable driving a boat so close in that has such poor view when up on a plane.

    Scupper Pro Gives You Wings!

    Great thread, as scary as it may be. I've gotten in the habit of coming up to check the second I hear engine sounds as well.. when diving close the the Ft. Lauderdale airport, often it's actually airplane noise. Several times, I've had boats pass between me and my yak, once when I was pulling it with my floatline. I never assume that they see me, as many times they don't. While much of it is probably carelessness, such as Steven's experience, I do believe that sometimes it is somewhat intentional. When I'm low on gas $, which is most of the time.. I try to stay around campus, in the North Miami, Haulover area. I've had boats there intentionally try and swamp me, especially in the inlet. Once while diving in about 45ft, south of Haulover cut, there was a boat that was anchored about a quarter mile south of me. I got on some bugs and spent about 30 minutes anchored in this one spot, working on my limit.. the boat eventually pulled anchor, got on plane and came within 30 ft of my yak... and I'm fairly certain he was marking the spot that I was on with his gps. At the time, I was trying the small cooler in the tankwell method.. and being a calm day I hadn't re-bungeed it after opening. The wake knocked the cooler out, all of my bugs took off and I spent the next few minutes salvaging my dead fish off the bottom. I don't understand the, "I own the ocean" mentality, and I do fear that it's just getting worse. Again, I'm glad you're ok Steven.. I don't want to imagine this story with a bad outcome.


    Off topic.

    Quote

    and using a good friend's kayak. Because of these two factors I was sticking very close to the anchored kayak. The reasoning being that when I shoot a fish alone I like to be close to the kayak to toss it in quickly and more importantly being that when using other people's things I get paranoid about them being lost/ damaged etc. If my little kayak's anchor uproots and ends up washed ashore miles away I can deal with that. Losing something entrusted in you is different


    This really stood out to me Steven. I feel like many people, especially in our age group, don't think in this manner. I've only met you once, but I can tell you're a good dude.. much respect.


    And Dan, this is the first time I've noticed the "Like" feature. I Like it. :D

    Thanks Nate and likewise. I wish I had been diving better that day. I was tired as you found out :D
    Also airplanes have gotten me a few times off dania/laudy. Losing the bugs and having to scramble for your fish must have been frustrating. People really can be such Dbags.


    Also I'm curious if any Cali guys have any input on this. Especially as a lot of you guys do a decent bit of shorediving.

    Scupper Pro Gives You Wings!

    I have to chime in here and add the following thoughts


    Clearly good wishes to my little brother of the ocean. Glad you are unscathed


    A big dive flag is always your best friend, I know stephen had one but I still think it is your best defender


    I applaud his restraint, Stephen for no yelling or chastising the guy, he messed up and should have been told as much.


    I have a storm whistle on my floatline where it meets my gun, so basically at my hand, at the 100' range I would have given a few blasts and maybe waved my gun, I think that would give me at least 5 seconds to suck, duck & dive. Might have gotten someone's attention. Of a good captain hears a distress call and cannot Id the source he should, should power down to be safe


    I agree with Dan's original post too, especially dropping the gun, a prop will suck up a tangled rope FAST and you will be in a lot of trouble. Drop everything when you bail



    Be safe friends

    i like to spear fish

    I haven't dove from shore yet, and the Gulf coast has much less boat traffic. But the artificial reefs can be quite busy on weekends.


    When I hear the props of another boat, I surface immediately and find the boat and assess its direction. If its heading towards me at all, I work my way back to my boat. My next few drops are usually close to the boat, I'm assuming the other boat will give my boat a little room, even if its stealing my number!


    I'm just wondering, why not stay on the surface and swim sideways out of the path of the oncoming boat? Especially if the water isn't deep or you don't have time to breath up. I'm worried about surfacing in front of or right under a moving boat at the end of my breathhold.


    I've seen a friend get a bit away from our boat, and some jackass came hauling ass towards us to make a circle around our boat to steal the number. My buddy waved his gun up in the air and screamed loud, and the guy veered off and didn't hit him.


    I like Dan have been trying to figure out what the best plan of attack is.


    Good thread for sure.


    C

    I think that by the time you can figure out precisely what line the boat is taking, swimming would be too slow to get you far enough out of the way of a fast moving boat, with a good safety margin. As you're swimming it will be hard to keep track of the boat and you will be less prepared to make a dive if you couldn't make enough distance. If you miscalculated the direction to swim there's a chance you'll be hit, but if you dove there's no chance you'll be hit no matter where you are in relation to the boat.


    I think diving to the bottom in even 6ft of water will be deep enough for the boat to pass without touching you. The scary part there would be fighting buoyancy to stay down. I imagine scrambling to find some weed or rock to hang on to. That there will be an energy expenditure that will affect your breath hold time. If you're over sand in shallow water you're shit out of luck. Maybe dive and continue finning/swimming hugging the bottom, but moving constantly will really shorten your down time. If you're weighted like a freediver you will not be able to stay down.

    If you are diving from a yak, a 20 with a reg, and a few pounds of lead strapped to the tank would help contingent that you have basic scuba skills. Keep it hangin off the side with a quick release so you can go down early and be familiar with the CESA routine.

    japsw , the point of the thread is to learn from eachothers experiences when in the water and a boat is comming towards you. i think it's a great thread. most of us have had a bad experience with it , so why not talk about it ?

    Well I know that in Florida Things are diferent (much) than here, but just to compare if you dive here from shore on holidays or vacations is suicide:crazy: your gone to get every kind of water vehicle on you, no mater buoy(s) pole and flag what ever:(. Tourist renting Seadoo´s (etc.)with no (any) knoledge, respect bla, bla, bla:nono:



    I'd been in the exact situation Dan explains in first post several times. Solution is diving only with a boat that take care of you (cover you).


    Good post.

    Sadot Hernàndez.

    does anyone raise their gun out of the water as a signal? I have many times waved my gun to get a dive buddies attention and I think it might help you be seen by a boat. It also might be a waste of time??

    i like to spear fish

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    does anyone raise their gun out of the water as a signal? I have many times waved my gun to get a dive buddies attention and I think it might help you be seen by a boat. It also might be a waste of time??


    I've done it twice and watched the boat(s) veer sharply, but both times I was in rougher conditions which allowed myself and my flag to get lost behind the swells. My back up plan was to dive beneath them if it should come to it.

    I put my gun up anytime jetskiers are getting close, other wise they like to buzz us and go roundy round in circles. I have prism tape around my barrel which usually scares them off,,,, the gleam of sharp steel maybe.

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