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SCUBA Diving
- Thread starter MichaelNJ
- Start date
Hey Mike:
I am hoping to give it a try this summer. I'm not planning anything spectacular for the first dive...probably just anhchor off shore on a calm day and dive 'sand' in 30'-40'. Sort of a shake down dive for myself and crew. I'll have a buddy dive with me the first time, and another buddy capable of driving the boat.
I've read where some folks dive from thier dinghy. They fly the flag from the dinghy and drag it with them as thier float. When the dive is over, they board the dinghy and motor back to the big boat.
I am hoping to give it a try this summer. I'm not planning anything spectacular for the first dive...probably just anhchor off shore on a calm day and dive 'sand' in 30'-40'. Sort of a shake down dive for myself and crew. I'll have a buddy dive with me the first time, and another buddy capable of driving the boat.
I've read where some folks dive from thier dinghy. They fly the flag from the dinghy and drag it with them as thier float. When the dive is over, they board the dinghy and motor back to the big boat.
I've been diving in the northeast for a few years and have often wondered about diving off my boat. I am not really interested in the murky Hudson water, but not far off the Jersey shore there are several wrecks that are in reasonable depth water. There is some great diving off dive boats in Jersey as well as Rhode Island.
Also there is a dive club that I found very fair down in your neck of the woods. http://www.1877scubausa.com/ I bought tanks from them 2 years ago and they were great to deal with.
If anyone is interested in some local diving, maybe we can get something together.
MJK
Also there is a dive club that I found very fair down in your neck of the woods. http://www.1877scubausa.com/ I bought tanks from them 2 years ago and they were great to deal with.
If anyone is interested in some local diving, maybe we can get something together.
MJK
I've only been "certified" diving for 2 years now. I've logged just over 25 dives. I dived 4 wrecks off the Jersey coast and just recently spent a week in Pompano, Florida, diving some near shore wrecks off that coast. I love the warm water and visibility that southern diving offers. However, I also love the the mystique of Jersey Coast diving. I only wish I started this sport 30 years ago at 21.
I dive with Divers Two out of Avon. They're a great bunch old schoolers who love diving. They coordinate back dives, inlet dives, wreck dives as well as trips to Florida, Bonnaire, etc.
From a purely cost point, diving from your own boat is going to cost more than going out on a dive boat. Plus, diving from a dive boat may offer some additional safety.
The main reasons I want to dive from my own boat is so that I can include family and friends in the adventure....even if they stay topside.
I dive with Divers Two out of Avon. They're a great bunch old schoolers who love diving. They coordinate back dives, inlet dives, wreck dives as well as trips to Florida, Bonnaire, etc.
From a purely cost point, diving from your own boat is going to cost more than going out on a dive boat. Plus, diving from a dive boat may offer some additional safety.
The main reasons I want to dive from my own boat is so that I can include family and friends in the adventure....even if they stay topside.
Hey guys, I'm not form your area so I normally wouldn't respond in this group. But, as an experienced diver and boat owner I feel compelled to share a few thoughts. Diving from your own boat can be a very enjoyable experience so long as you re properly prepared.
First in diving is safety. My simple guideline is this - if you wouldn't pay to dive on a boat equipped as your is, then don't do it. That generally means first aid equipment along with the training and knowledge on how to use it. That includes oxygen. The equipment is not that expensive and the training is readily available through any major dive agency shop.
The second safety issue is always have someone topside who knows the first aid/oxygen procedures for dicing AND can operate and navigate the boat.
Partially safety and partially practicality is how you get back on the boat after a dive. Getting off is easy. Getting back on can be an interesting exercise if you haven't planned it out. Related to this is sea state for diving - it's a whole lot easier to get off a boat in rolling seas than get back on. My one and only dive injury was a bad case of ladder bite when the boat caught a six-footer as I was getting on the ladder.
My final comment is about handling and hauling equipment. The major issue here is tanks - how to store them and how to handle them. You know how much they weigh. You don't want these rolling around on a deck when underway. Do give some consideration to the wear and tear of handling and hauling dive equipment on your boat - dive tanks are not terribly forgiving to fiberglass decks and the like. For the rest of the gear you need to have the space to store it when it is wet. Also consider the safe load - a diver with two tanks and gear generally equates to two people when it comes to load.
As a resource, talk with your favorite instructor or local dive shop for guidance and input on how to prepare yourself and your boat. You may get an offer for a free divemaster/instructor assist in exchange for the boat ride and dive time.
You NJ folks have some of the best wreck diving in the US right off your coast - great for lobsters too. Do it safely and have a great time!
First in diving is safety. My simple guideline is this - if you wouldn't pay to dive on a boat equipped as your is, then don't do it. That generally means first aid equipment along with the training and knowledge on how to use it. That includes oxygen. The equipment is not that expensive and the training is readily available through any major dive agency shop.
The second safety issue is always have someone topside who knows the first aid/oxygen procedures for dicing AND can operate and navigate the boat.
Partially safety and partially practicality is how you get back on the boat after a dive. Getting off is easy. Getting back on can be an interesting exercise if you haven't planned it out. Related to this is sea state for diving - it's a whole lot easier to get off a boat in rolling seas than get back on. My one and only dive injury was a bad case of ladder bite when the boat caught a six-footer as I was getting on the ladder.
My final comment is about handling and hauling equipment. The major issue here is tanks - how to store them and how to handle them. You know how much they weigh. You don't want these rolling around on a deck when underway. Do give some consideration to the wear and tear of handling and hauling dive equipment on your boat - dive tanks are not terribly forgiving to fiberglass decks and the like. For the rest of the gear you need to have the space to store it when it is wet. Also consider the safe load - a diver with two tanks and gear generally equates to two people when it comes to load.
As a resource, talk with your favorite instructor or local dive shop for guidance and input on how to prepare yourself and your boat. You may get an offer for a free divemaster/instructor assist in exchange for the boat ride and dive time.
You NJ folks have some of the best wreck diving in the US right off your coast - great for lobsters too. Do it safely and have a great time!
Michael,
I hope I can give you a lot of good information. I will leave it up to you to decide if you want to do it or not.
First the boat.
How are you going to get to the wreck and find it. You need a good loran or GPS with the coordinates for the wrecks. You also need a good depth finder, and not one that gives your depth in feet, you need a display of the bottom. Anchor.. your sand anchor will get hung up in the wreck, you need a wreck anchor (grapple hook with chain), If you decide to move I can point you in the right direction for that. You will need a way to get back on the boat. You little ladder on the swim platform will not work. Most dive boats have a Tee ladder that comes all the way up the transom. Forget what you learned in class about taking you dive gear off, and handing it up to some one on the boat. It does not work well off the Jersey Coast. Where and how will you store the gear when you are not diving? Don't forget firstaid kit O2, etc.
Now the diving.
You will need at least 4 people to do this safely, 2 on the boat and 2 in the water. At least one person on the boat that know how to run the boat and I mean RUN the boat. Not just start it and move around. If the divers come up off the anchor line, will this person be able to cut the anchor free and come pick you up? not sure, throw a clorox bottle in the water let drift away for a minute and have them go pick it up. They need to be able to put the stern of the boat within an arms lenght of the bottle!!!! Remember you are in the water in trouble, do you trust the person on the boat to be able to come to you?
Find the wreck, and drop your anchor on it. Make sure the anchor is caught on the wreck, the first 2 divers go in. They take a tennis ball with them. The captian, times when then start down and gives them 2 minutes and puts some slack in the anchor line. The divers tie the anchor line to the wreck. The last thing you want is to come back to the anchor line only to find it is not there. They then send the ball up and the captain shuts down the boat. They do thier dive and come backup the anchor line. The second set of divers go in, and they have a set amount of time, IE 30 minutes back to the anchor line. At 30 minutes, the captain starts the boat and puts slack in the anchor line. The divers undo the line. There are 2 ways to finish the dive from here. depending the skill of the divers, and the comfort level. The safe way, is to move the anchor out in the sand, and they come up the anchor line. When they are on the boat boat you pull the anchor the rest of the way. The other way, is toi send the anchor up on a lift bag, and they do a free ascent. If you are going to do that both the diver and the capatin had better know what they are doing.
My suggestion would be to spend a season or two diving off a chater boat, get some experince Jersey diving first, then try it on your boat. The learning curve is just to steep to start on your boat with no experince.
All this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I hope I can give you a lot of good information. I will leave it up to you to decide if you want to do it or not.
First the boat.
How are you going to get to the wreck and find it. You need a good loran or GPS with the coordinates for the wrecks. You also need a good depth finder, and not one that gives your depth in feet, you need a display of the bottom. Anchor.. your sand anchor will get hung up in the wreck, you need a wreck anchor (grapple hook with chain), If you decide to move I can point you in the right direction for that. You will need a way to get back on the boat. You little ladder on the swim platform will not work. Most dive boats have a Tee ladder that comes all the way up the transom. Forget what you learned in class about taking you dive gear off, and handing it up to some one on the boat. It does not work well off the Jersey Coast. Where and how will you store the gear when you are not diving? Don't forget firstaid kit O2, etc.
Now the diving.
You will need at least 4 people to do this safely, 2 on the boat and 2 in the water. At least one person on the boat that know how to run the boat and I mean RUN the boat. Not just start it and move around. If the divers come up off the anchor line, will this person be able to cut the anchor free and come pick you up? not sure, throw a clorox bottle in the water let drift away for a minute and have them go pick it up. They need to be able to put the stern of the boat within an arms lenght of the bottle!!!! Remember you are in the water in trouble, do you trust the person on the boat to be able to come to you?
Find the wreck, and drop your anchor on it. Make sure the anchor is caught on the wreck, the first 2 divers go in. They take a tennis ball with them. The captian, times when then start down and gives them 2 minutes and puts some slack in the anchor line. The divers tie the anchor line to the wreck. The last thing you want is to come back to the anchor line only to find it is not there. They then send the ball up and the captain shuts down the boat. They do thier dive and come backup the anchor line. The second set of divers go in, and they have a set amount of time, IE 30 minutes back to the anchor line. At 30 minutes, the captain starts the boat and puts slack in the anchor line. The divers undo the line. There are 2 ways to finish the dive from here. depending the skill of the divers, and the comfort level. The safe way, is to move the anchor out in the sand, and they come up the anchor line. When they are on the boat boat you pull the anchor the rest of the way. The other way, is toi send the anchor up on a lift bag, and they do a free ascent. If you are going to do that both the diver and the capatin had better know what they are doing.
My suggestion would be to spend a season or two diving off a chater boat, get some experince Jersey diving first, then try it on your boat. The learning curve is just to steep to start on your boat with no experince.
All this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Divedaddy, nph:
Thank you so much for sharing your experiecne and insight. That's exactly the type of information I was looking for. I knew that you need at least one person to stay on the boat for the reasons you mentioned and somone else made the suggestion about the Oxygen. I also had the same concern about handling the heavy equipment on my pristine gelcoated boat.
We will need to find someone with experience diving from a recreational vessel.
I also want to check out Dutch Springs in PA.
www.dutchsprings.com
Thank you so much for sharing your experiecne and insight. That's exactly the type of information I was looking for. I knew that you need at least one person to stay on the boat for the reasons you mentioned and somone else made the suggestion about the Oxygen. I also had the same concern about handling the heavy equipment on my pristine gelcoated boat.
We will need to find someone with experience diving from a recreational vessel.
I also want to check out Dutch Springs in PA.
www.dutchsprings.com
Dutch springs is pretty neat. They have submerged a bunch of vehicles and you can dive around them. They also have night diving on Saturday nights, which is awesome. There is a huge Helicopter suspended in about 40' of water that you can swim through. The only downfall is the thermocline is cold! Under it is horribly cold. There are a number of decent shore dives in NJ.
MJK
MJK
The thermocline at Dutch is good practice for what to expect when diving wrecks of the NJ Coast.....generally in the mid to upper 50's in July/August at depth.
All great advise on diving from your own boat...especially the safety aspects.
As to getting back on the boat, I've dived from my boat 3 times just to do maintenance on the underwater metals. I have no problem at all removing the BCD and then tehtering it to the transom while I'm in the water. I remove my flippers and toss them on the swimplatform and then climb up the itty-bitty ladder. I can see where that would be more of a challenge in a heaving sea, but still doable. Once on the swimplatform I just lift the BCD (with tanks and gear attached) on to the platform.
All great advise on diving from your own boat...especially the safety aspects.
As to getting back on the boat, I've dived from my boat 3 times just to do maintenance on the underwater metals. I have no problem at all removing the BCD and then tehtering it to the transom while I'm in the water. I remove my flippers and toss them on the swimplatform and then climb up the itty-bitty ladder. I can see where that would be more of a challenge in a heaving sea, but still doable. Once on the swimplatform I just lift the BCD (with tanks and gear attached) on to the platform.