Posted by ptf on February 22, 2005 at 07:06:39:
In Reply to: Rough weather posted by Elaine on February 21, 2005 at 15:57:08:
Right On Elaine.
My wife & I were on the Perfect Storm trip one December. It was a shop boat and hind sight being 20-20 we should have figured out something wicked this way comes when we had flat seas going over but heard a pan-pan from a 20 somethuing footer sailboat that was in 'big' seas near San Clem island. We did 2 dives and were contemplating making a run back as finding a 3rd spot was iffy. Well it was a sweet spot and some folks ran long on the dive. We didn't hit bad seas until 1/3 the way back to the mainland.
Hey folks guess what, the democracy of your life ends as soon as you step on board a boat. The Captain is chief, ruler, and dictator. He knows his boat and the Coast Guard has yearly inspected said boat for a particular classification. Of the boats we dive in the LA region there are very few boats that have the level of CG certification.
So we tied everything down which was a good thing since a wave came in on one set and literally filled the stern section to the gunwales. Those that were singing to Posiden saw it coming and climbed on top of the tanks in the racks. This uis where your Captain earns his pay, bringing you safely back home. In our case there was no "safe harbor" as catalina was being pounded too.
I have no idea how "big" the waves were but if they were not at least 10 feet above the wheel house, with the boat on a level keel at the bottom of the trough, then in my humble opinion you all just hit a little weather.
Folks you have the power to choose and the power to do. You had the capability to look at the prevelant weather the night before you left and the morning that you left to make your decision of how badly you wanted to dive. If you want to charter a feel good boat ride then by all means start using the Catalina Express. Otherwise start taking responsibility for your actions. Call the captain or the charter and ask the questions about the charter itself and the condition in which the charterer will decide to cancel the trip. Just be aware that if the charter or you decide to cancel you will most likely suffer a financial loss. The boats can and probably will be able to take you into much harsher conditions than you are willing to put yourself through.
Now as for the end of the trip. Was I a bit skittish getting onto this boat again? - you bet. Did I habve more respect for the capability of the boat and the captain. Well at first I was DAMN NEAR PISSED FOR THE HELLISH RIDE, but once I realised that getting back was the only option and really learning that this boat is one tough nut (I already knew the crew was) yeah, I still frequent it. - Hey I will be there this weekend rain or shine.
Sounds like the Captain made the right desision - once you got there you found a nice protected spot for a great day of diving.
ptf