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Re: Re: Personal boats and liability


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Posted by Eric S on March 07, 2007 at 16:46:37:

In Reply to: Re: Personal boats and liability posted by Jesse on March 07, 2007 at 09:12:23:

The incident I had involved a person who was from out of the area and showed up at one of my North Coast Parties.
I take groups of people out all day on the boat and show them the better spots on the Sonoma Coast.

It was an afternoon dive and I was already dived out so I decided to stay on the boat, good thing.
I took a group of about 4 others out to a pinnacle I knew of and this guy, whom I waw watching anyway just because of all his brand new gear and seeming unfamilirity with any of it, just looked like an accident waiting to happen. He was around the camp before and was friends with other people whom I sorta new. Anyway he wanted to go so I said ok get your gear loaded and let's go.
I dropped anchor about 40 feet away from the top of the pinnacle and gave everyone a quick dive briefing about the site. I told them "There is the top of the pinnacle right over there where that clump of kelp is, see it, good.Go down there and work your way down the sides and off that side is a huge anchor and off that side...blah blah blah.
So this kid who was grossly overweighted backrolls off the boat and starts to the pinnacle and half way there dumps his air and drops like a rock in 60 feet of water. 30 seconds later he rockets to the top coughing and sputtering, buddyless, and is not responding to my calls. I'm grabbing fins trying to get them on when he yells he's ok. So he gets over to the boat and I get him aboard. He tells me he got disoriented on his descent (divebomb) and slammed into a rock knocking off his mask and then he panicked and spit his reg. He freaked and did the 'ol balistic missle. I thought he embolized but he swore he was ok. I kept an eye on him that evening and he was fine .

That scared the crap out me and I am really shy now about putting myself in that situation. There are only a few people I really feel comfortable with divng off my boat.

Another pet peave I have is smoking on my boat. If you ever want to get thrown off and never asked back just light a cigarette and see what happens.



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