David Strike wrote:

> Time for a Tall Tale! :-)
>
> In 1963 my buddy and I were swimming a search pattern at the approaches to
> Plymouth Harbour.  We had travelled some considerable distance from the
> moored dive boat and had - as were using SCR's - a marker float to the
> surface.  The line was attached to my harness.  I was linked to my
companion
> by a clip-on buddy line.
>
> We were aware that a tug was due to enter harbour towing a de-commissioned
> destroyer sometime during the morning.  We could hear it distinctly from
> where we were searching, the noise becoming louder and louder until it
> sounded as though it might be directly above us! :-)
>
> All of a sudden the float line tautened, I was dragged from the sea floor
> with one arm - that to which the buddy-line was attached - pulling away
from
> me as that line also took up the slack and dragged my buddy along behind
me.
>
> Maintaining a clear mind (Hah!), I immediately assumed that the float line
> had become entangled in a revolving prop and was being wound in, carrying
> both of us towards the mincing machine.  (Actually, I wasn't too worried
> about "both of us" - just me!).  With my free hand, I reached for my knife
> and managed to reach up and behind me to cut the line.  Not a moment too
> soon.  :-)
>
> We both dived down and took refuge on the sea-floor until the deep,
booming
> sound of the tug and its tow diminished.  We surfaced, to be greeted by
the
> Gemini inflatable pick-up craft floating nearby and a crew-member holding
> aloft our float and umpteen metres of line.  :-)
>
> The driver, deciding that we were a tad too close to the tug had decided
to
> tow us out of the area rather than ask us to surface!  It took weeks to
> clean the stench out of my dry-suit!  :-)
>
> Since when, I've been a little more wary  of marker floats! :-)

Understandably so.  Here, we don't have the option.  We are required by law
to dive below the red and white diver's down flag.  I fly also fly an Alpha
from the boat, but not a towed float.  We are, however, intensely aware of
the risk of the float becoming entangled in something on the surface,
specifically a passing boat.  Here, however, that boat may be traveling at
speeds approaching 100 miles an hour.  It's illegal to dive in the channels
where the really large boats are likely to be, but 30+ fsw is plenty deep
enough for a go fast and there are plenty of them around here.

Christian mentioned the capacity of the boat he sometimes dives from.
Perhaps I had better do the same.  My 25 foot boat is a cruiser first,
fishing boat second and a dive boat last.  It will comfortably dive 4 and 6
in a pinch, but that's it.  The book says its capacity it 10.  10 might fit
if 4 were asleep all of the time.  Otherwise, I don't thnk so.  My second
dive boat, the one we tow to the Keys, is only 15 feet long.  It will
snorkel 4 or dive 2, but that's pretty much its limit.  On the smaller boat,
it's dive from a dead boat or don't dive at all.

Like Christian, we're very careful about the anchor.  Generally I set two
and when I say set, I mean hand set.  Retreiving ours from relatively
shallow water is not a problem.  We do it from the surface on most trips, at
depth only when necessary.

Lee