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Bill Mee wrote: > > George has hit the nail on the head. Your actions were completely > irresponsible. Under no circumstances should you ever leave divers in > the water. The only circumstance in which this would be allowable would > be if you could get another vessel on the scene to stand by and assist > the decompressing divers. > > Your contention about the "Auxiliary Coast Guard" is absolute baloney. > The "Auxialiary Coast Guard" has no statutory authority (although they > would like you to think they do) and is comprised of volunteers with > power boats, with nothing else to do, who dress up in Coast Guard > uniforms. The Auxiliary Coast Guard are a joke and should perform their > free boat inspections at the dock where they belong. Tell the > examinming officer (a real Coast Guardsman) and judge at the > administrative hearing about this nonsense and see what the result is. > > When you lose a diver or have divers in distress the responding Coast > Guard station will always ask you to stand by. When divers are lost off > of drift charter boats (a common occurence in south Florida) you get a > massive "Securite" alert requesting all vessels in the vicinity to stand > by and render assistance. By "abandoning" divers in the water you are > asking for real trouble. When this type of complete stupidity happens > here in South Florida, which it does with some regularity, the charter > boat operators who leave their divers get in all kinds of trouble. > > As for your bent diver. This is fine example of the sort of idiocy > typical of most sea going socalled "technical" charters. These events > are characterized (down here at any rate) by a boatload of personal > preference types, all with different dive plans, deco profiles, gear > configurations and bearded fat slobbery. These dives are "charlie > foxtrots" waiting to happen. Offshore technical dives are more dangerous > and complex ( in most circumstances) then extended range deep mixed gas > cave dives. Under these circumstances it is even more critical for > everyone to be on the same gear and deco plan so that everybody is out > of the water at the same time and you don't have the sort of stupidity > which has started this thread. If all of your guys were topsides then > it would have been a simple matter to take the bent diver in to shore > instead of having to leave people in the water. Our experience is that > those doing all of the extra deco are probably doing the wrong profile > anyway and should be willing to blow off some of their precious little > deco in an emergency. > > We have witnessed this "not willing to blow off deco" syndrome on > numerous occassions. Most of the "leave dead buddy" in the cave > situations involved people who were afraid that if they brought the dead > buddy (generally the dead buddy isn't really dead yet) to the surface > they are worried about getting bent. This is total bs. > > You should listen to George on this and learn a valuable lesson. Do it > Right next time. > > Bill Mee > G. Irvine wrote: > > > > This is bullshit - you got "ordered" based on your bullshit information > > and your charlie foxtrot in progress. The fact is that you and the rest > > were suprised by all of this, and acted accordingly - try learning > > something, like how to plan for cointigencies, instead of blaming > > everybody when you clearly look like moron in this case. The kind of > > judgement you showed just plain sucks pal, and you need to wake up and > > do something about it, before you end up kiling somebody with stupidity. > > > > What is the deal, is there some secret labotomy that is required to run > > a dive boat, or is that just to be in the dive business? I never wnat to > > hear a charlie foxtrot like this again with the blaming and the escuses > > and this kind of outrageous irrepsonsible stupidity. Go look in the > > mirror and get honest with yourself , and think this stuff through in > > the future. > > > > Underwater Outfitters wrote: > > > > > > George, > > > > > > Before you going making your claims as to who is a stroke maybe you > > > should know some facts, as I know you were not diving with us that > > > day. > > > > > > I was operating the vessel in question and I will not, nor have I ever > > > left a diver in the water and I would not have left the diver (ONE) > > > that was decompressing except that I was ORDERED by the U.S.C.G. > > > Auxillary to leave, as I was less than three miles from shore and > > > another boat was responding to pick up the diver (ONE) who had 22 > > > minutes of deco.left. > > > > > > The diver who was bent was in no shape to get himself back in the > > > water and he was out of his gear before we knew that he had a problem. > > > We first tried to administer oxygen with his oxygen regulator but he > > > could not hold it in his mouth. How the hell was he supposed to go > > > back in the water when he could not hold a regulator? The time that it > > > would have taken to get him back in the water would have been longer > > > than the last diver had to decompress. > > > > > > After being TOLD TO LEAVE, we had the diver to shore in under 10 > > > minutes were there was medical personnel waiting. Is not prompt > > > medical treatment for anybody who is injured proper prodical?? > > > Obviously, my boat is not the same slow tug that you dive from as I > > > went back out and picked up my diver, beating the responding boat that > > > was supposed to pick him up. (Not your fault guys, you did your best > > > and I thank you). > > > > > > The stroke in this story is Darryl Ertel who cut me off coming into > > > the harbor, unloaded his boat and sat at the dock instead of > > > responding to the Coast Guard request for the closest vessel (which he > > > was) to assist and pick up the diver that we were told to leave. > > > > > > For your information, the USCG, several charter operators and divers > > > (even the one left in the water) who WITNESSED the event praised us > > > for our immediate response and our professionalism in handling the > > > emergency situation. > > > > > > Captain Mike McKay > > > > > > At 11:38 AM 9/8/97 -0400, you wrote: > > > >Jeff, we are hearing that the dive operator left people in the water > > > >and ran the bent guy in, rather than sticking him back in the water > > > >until the rest of the divers were up. > > > > > > > > Sounds like you guys have misused the workd "stroke" - the stroke in > > > > > > >this situation is clear. Let me use the word in a sentence: " Only a > > > >STROKE would leave a diver in the water. Rule Number One applies to > > > dive > > > >boat operators, as well as divers. > > > > > > > > When you guys are discussing a charlie foxtrot, which appears to be > > > >the dominate topic of conversation up there, try to remember that > > > being > > > >bus-driving stupid is not considered an attibute to most people. > > > > > > > > You strokes need to think your plans all the way out before you rush > > > > > > >out to risk people's lives, and you need to leard to understand this > > > >stuff before you run aorund like headless chikens . > > > >-- > > > >Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to > > > `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > > > >Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > > Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. Well...have you done much ocean diving lately? Not everybody can enter the water at the same time = varied out of water times. Based on air consumption bottom times and total times vary = varied out of water times. Some people do shorter dives because they get cold at temps of high 40's or low 50's = varied out of water times. Longer decompression does not equal a wrong profile. I would rather be left in the water to finish decompression with adequate forewarning and surface support and give an injured diver a better chance at recovery vice placing myself at risk or placing another at greater risk. There may be situations where leaving a diver is a less than optimal choice or not a viable option at all but this was not one of them. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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