Farm Animal Stupid - Skills in Swanage?

[e-aquanauts]

To coin one of Zaks more family friendly sayings, we've just had a lovely time in Swanage, 15+m Viz on the wrecks we dived, calm seas and just enough sun that even I applied sun cream

Calm and friendly, Divers Down and Swanage Boat charters couldn't have ordered us a nicer time.

However between the dives I watched a worrying scenario unfold that I saw being repeated over the course of the weekend, without naming individuals, clubs or schools involved, the problem I saw was divers entering the water from the Swanage charter jetty. This is against the stated warning notices around pier, and direct advice from the charter skippers. Divers were entering between bow of one charter boat, with a meter of clearance to the stern of another charter boat.

This is a busy working jetty where shuttle & charter customers are continually being loaded and offloaded and the use of the jetty for the purpose of divers and trainees to enter the water is clearly inappropriate and dangerous. I observed one on one, training, multiple groups of five plus divers including 12-14 year olds, all interrupting or obstructing the jetty or ignoring the incoming boats, the warnings of the skippers and the obvious dangers of being hit or crushed by a boat or the spinny choppy things that are called props....

Please pass this on, to your clubs, schools, DO's and ask them perhaps to consider, that if they were at Swanage engaged in this, the application of a little common sense and respect for the local professionals, will go a long way towards avoiding a potentially deadly scenario and a lot of distress for the innocent parties (the skippers and bye standers).

Thanks for listening.

/F

[Adrian Kelland]

Perhaps a test of basic anglo-saxon-dutch should have been applied to them.

[CotoChris]

There seem to be a few illiterate divers around. Asking to join the Darwin awards if you ask me.

[PW1664]

They should also remember that other vessels (non-diver friendly) use the pier jetty to. Some of these skippers may not look out for divers i the same way as the Dive Charter Skippers.....

A wise posting...

[onthetrain]

Originally Posted by e-aquanauts

However between the dives I watched a worrying scenario unfold that I saw being repeated over the course of the weekend, without naming individuals, clubs or schools involved, the problem I saw was divers entering the water from the Swanage charter jetty. This is against the stated warning notices around pier, and direct advice from the charter skippers. Divers were entering between bow of one charter boat, with a meter of clearance to the stern of another charter boat.


/F

Frank this is standard practice at Swanage, i guess because it's easy to get in & out of the water there. It hadn't really struck me before now just how dangerous it is. I always take the precaution of surfacing under the pier due to the amount of boat traffic but you raise a really fair point.

Whats the solution given how busy the pier is with shore divers???

[tom]

Originally Posted by onthetrain

Whats the solution given how busy the pier is with shore divers???

A set of steps or a lift on the other side of the pier? Are Divers Down still planning that?

[divingniknaks]

Down right unfair to Farm Animals if you ask me.

Most of them have more intelligence than that

Sensible post mate, have a blob.

Cheers

[e-aquanauts]

Originally Posted by onthetrain

Frank this is standard practice at Swanage, i guess because it's easy to get in & out of the water there. It hadn't really struck me before now just how dangerous it is. I always take the precaution of surfacing under the pier due to the amount of boat traffic but you raise a really fair point.

Whats the solution given how busy the pier is with shore divers???

Well, when I've conducted training there entry via the stone steps by the toilets on the pier and swimming out/between the legs of the pier were how I conducted the group into and out of the water. That's just one way I guess.

Originally Posted by onthetrain

A set of steps or a lift on the other side of the pier? Are Divers Down still planning that?

Do you think the divers would be able to get on it, amongst the kids?

/F