Mayhem on Scylla

[tiny]

I was asked to take a hardboat out to the James and the Scylla today due to the expected amount of boats due we had the ropes away at 8:30 and my divers where in the water at 09:15 on the James, (the viz was 3-5m and the water temp was 8ish) as we where the only ones on the James it was a nice dive with the Ship all to themselves.

My 4 divers were back up after 45mins and we had our surface stop, all the time I was looking over to the Scylla due to the amount of boat’s on her, my guys kitted up and I moved over to her to put them in on the Bow shot line (thanks Doug).

There was only one boat on the Bow shot line and that was Doug’s boat, we became the second with some 10+ rib’s and hardboats hanging around the centre shot line, I put mine in the water and drifted of the shot before I started my engines and made my way round to talk to Doug by VHF while we where there we both saw and commented on some of the boat’s that were transiting the wreck at speed and basically just loafing about just of the shot line.

At one stage I counted 23 boats of various types on the 2 wrecks, I have to say that I was horrified as to the seamanship of some of the RIB coxswains due to the fact that they were moving up and down the Scylla some at speed over the top of divers, they were crossing over from one side to the other to check on divers at the surface for a pick-up.

For the Sake of ALL this HAS TO CHANGE
Before we have a Casualty

[DIVE BUDDHA]

I agree mate as ive seen the same sittuation in the farnes last year !!!!

as we was ascending to do our stop at between 6 metres and 5 ! a club rib flew over the top of us completely taking out both our d.s.m.b,s and wrapping them round there props !!!!!

and yes there will be an accident before something is done !!! as is always the case best wishes leigh

[jorawley]

Agree completely.
Was at oban on friday with puffin. They said on thursday they had divers on the shot at about 6m when a local diving hard boat with supposedly experienced skipper of the area ran straight over the well marked bright orange shot buoy dragging the divers up a couple of metres within seconds.
Very lucky not to have had an incident there.
If they had been at 2 or 3 metres then it doesnt bare thinking about!

[Scuby]

Yep, but what can you do? In practical terms...?

Charter boat skippers are supposed to be licensed aren't they, yet i've on more than one occasion see them ploughing straight across a dive site with no regard for anyone from other boats who may be surfacing. Given that this can happen with supposedly professional skippers, you've got no chance with those who aren't doing it professionally.

The only solution we've found is to place our boat between other boats and our divers, but unfortunately that wouldn't work when there are so many around.

David

[Janos]

Busy dive sites scare me if I'm cox'in. But I guess this makes me super-vigilant which can only be a good thing.

In terms of practical things, perhaps the local skippers could sit down in a pub and come up with a Scylla code of practice or etiquette (which bouys to use etc) over a few beers. Invite Sophie Rennie along, who's BSAC SW coach, and she could circulate it to the local clubs?

It's the sort of thing that everyone should be aware of, but sadly some people probably aren't.

Janos

[chas49]

As I understand it, if a boat is displaying the A flag, then other vessels should not approach, or at least only at slow speed.

So - boat A arrives at the shot, and divers go down and the flag is displayed. Should this mean that other dive boats have to keep away until the first boat moves away from the shot or recovers all the divers?

Presumably it doesn't quite work like this in practice?

[Scuby]

Originally Posted by Janos

In terms of practical things, perhaps the local skippers could sit down in a pub and come up with a Scylla code of practice or etiquette (which bouys to use etc) over a few beers. Invite Sophie Rennie along, who's BSAC SW coach, and she could circulate it to the local clubs?

No doubt their code of practice would involve "give way to hardboats", "paying customers have right of way" and that kind of thing.

I don't think a set of rules made up by charter skippers for the clubs to follow is quite the right way to approach it. It'll annoy clubs, and still doesn't solve the problem of the charter skippers themselves ignoring all common sense and courtesy when they go steaming across a busy dive site. You don't need a code of practice for people to know thats not a good thing to do, yet they do it anyway.

David

[garethwebber]

Not really. From my limited experience (RYA day skipper), under the collregs, the A-flag is simply an indication that a vessel is restricted in its ability to manoeuvre owing to divers. This is moves a vessel up the order of precedence in decisions about who makes way for who.

If you want to report someone for breaking regulations the argument would be that they broke rule 6:

Safe speed
Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take proper and effective action to avoid a collision and be stopped within a distance appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions.

(That said, when I did the course - the emphasis was that while the above is true, sailors should just avoid boats with divers down by as much as is safely possible)

Gareth

[jamesp]

Had a simmilar incident on the Hispania a couple of years ago, Rib travelling at speed cuts between our hardboat and the diver we are manouvering to pick up, then drives over the shot line, fouling his prop in the process. Three hard boats and ten ribs on site. Not funny.

[Helen F H]

Had similar, but with hard boats going between rib and our shot. Not nice, esp when a new dive cox and from the bubbles i knew i had divers on the shot.

To be honest, anyone who has a ticket to drive a boat should know that an A flag means divers below, please pass slow and wide. But then you dont need a ticket to drive a boat.