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Is Anyone Else Scared?

3K views 25 replies 20 participants last post by  radcat 
#1 ·
Of diving in murky water? Im going ocean sailing tomorrow at first light. Today, this morning, in the next hour! I have to dive down and replace my prop shaaft zinc. I figure while im there i should give the prop and hull a once over with a chissel and stiff bristled brush.

To be honest im already nervous. Tide is going out i have plenty of depth but all the rain here has reduced visibility to two feet or less.. ill be in my snorkel and mask and man it just freaks me out. Im REALLY not looking forward to this and wondered if there were any other cowardly lions to make me feel less like a scared dufus?

Plus there is a mean tarpon hanging around my boat. Hes been eyeing me for days just daring me to get in.. i think hes got plans of malicious intent...
 
#3 ·
The only problem you have is feeling rushed by your schedule.

Hook the tarpon and have some fun playing him. He will leave when you cut the leader to release him. Wait for the rain to stop so visibility under water improves. Replace the zinc and forget about cleaning the hull. Do it another day when you have nothing else to do. Your hull speed doesn't really matter. You are not going racing. You already have the toughest part of the journey behind you. YOU HAVE THE BOAT!

Relax and enjoy!

Down
 
#5 ·
"ABSOLUTELY NO FISHING FROM BOAT OR DOCKS. NO EXCEPTIONS!"
That is one of like 8 signs posted here. Damn protected tarpon. He knows it to. Rubs it in my face every day when he swoops up for fish and i catch that long dorsal fin and sharp crescent tail.
i think i will take your advice and wimp out on the bottom scrub.
i already dived once a week back to free my centerboard i had left up and got stuck and the whole time im like ughhhhhhhhhh im so scurred. This from a guy who would fight on land willingly but its like murkey water just takes all my brave away hence the cowardly lion comment.

Spearfishing is my fav thing to do in the world! In the abacos. I guess im spoiled.

Well... deep sigh. I guess its time to get to work... oh man oh man
 
#9 ·
I used to fish tarpon. The only times I was ever concerned about the harm they might cause was when reeling them in, close to the boat, and a shark would hit and just leave the head! It wasn't the tarpon I worried about. We had a rule when we were fishing from a small skiff. If the damned thing jumps and lands in the boat, everybody overboard! We kept a couple of bats to club big fish with. The plan was to reach back in and subdue the thing. A big tarpon thrashing around in a small skiff could do some real damage. We never had to put the plan into motion. We had a couple hit the boat. Damned fun fishing. If you hook a really big one and it stands up shaking its head, 10 yards from the boat, it is quite a rush. We usually cut them off after a while because there is no point in landing them. Unless you are hoping to win a car in the old St. Pete tournament.;)

Down
 
#6 ·
The Chesapeake Bay is completely obscured during the summer. The bottom is mud, clay or silt that has the consistency of heavy axle grease, and is thoroughly unpleasant to put your feet in.

It's not a lot of fun, but there's not much in the water to harm you. I usually experience a few moment's annoyance at the lack of visibility, but as I work, the feeling fades and I just get the job done.

Uh...I'm from Florida, so I'm familiar with Tarpon as a game fish but I'm not aware of any history of them attacking people. I wouldn't worry about that.
 
#10 ·
If you have a slingshot, send a big steel nut towards that tarpon. Or two. Have a knife with you when under water. When I dive in conditions like that there is some fear, but I know it has to be done and I know I can do it. Don't let the fear paralyze you or make you avoid what has to be done.
 
#11 ·
I'm with you mad_machine! It was a phobia I didn't even know I had until I jumped into the water with mask and snorkel to check out my prop a few years ago. Couldn't even see my hand in front of my face! It freaked me out and I exited the water in the calm manner of Wily Coyote avoiding a falling rock. Of course, with two feet of visibility I'd be much better :eek: The next week I sucked it up, convinced myself that there was actually nothing to fear, and went under several times to look things over. It wasn't so bad--then again, it isn't my new hobby either. :D

I need to check my prop now but I've seen jellyfish around, so no. Not a phobia there, just a desire to avoid stings.
 
#15 ·
Glad im not the only one. I was feeling like a sissy. I could never be a diver in dirty water. Its def not going to be my new hobby. I had to pull out the brass balls. Haha.
thanks for support. Job well done. Now comes the fun stuff!!

Leaving first light with ebb. Coming back early p.m. with flood.
oh yea im learning those tides! Yessssir
 
#12 ·
Of diving in murky water?
Tide is going out i have plenty of depth but all the rain here has reduced visibility to two feet or less.
Two feet can be a luxury. It is all relative. Is there anything in the water that could harm you if you had 100 feet vis?

I have been down in 1 foot vis with a water temp of minus 2 C (about 28 F) and I have been down 120 feet with a vis of 150 feet and a water temp of 26 C (about 80 F)

I prefer the latter :)

Go slow, take your time, have a person watching all the time.

Rik
 
#13 ·
The tarpon will not bother you. I dove with hundreds of them, they're not aggressive and I suspect that while you're in the water it will get out of Dodge. I've had to dive in zero visibility several times while in the Navy and that was scary - even for a balsey kid in a Mark-5 outfit. Two feet of visibility would have been considered crystal clear in some areas I had to dive.

Good luck,

Gary :cool:
 
#14 ·
Done. That was not fun. At all. However! I feel slightly more confident. The hardest part was actually jumping in. Zinc is on and prop is clean and bottom is smooth. Tomorrow should be great.

Im about 2 miles south of ponce inlet slipped in the north cause way marina. Now im going to pull the dinghy up and clean her and pump her tight with air. Then a scrub down of the deck and ill be almost ready.

Going to hank on the jib today and secure with bungy. Will run the engine for 10 minutes to make sure all is well. Jacklines ran yesterday.

This will be my first ocean sail on MY boat. Feeling proud.
 
#18 ·
I am not fond of diving on a boat, I'm sure its just because of a lack of experience doing it but for one reason or another I find it creepy too. Visions of JAWS or something. I had to cut a crab pot line free that got wrapped on the prop in calm but still bouncy seas at the mouth of the Patapsco River the first season we had the boat, I was not real thrilled to under the boat with a knife working around the prop and cutting the slimy line and remove the floats...eww I know, I sound like a freaking sissy...guess what, I don't care much for climbing the mast either, that sort of freaks me out as well! Funny though, all that goes away when there is a women to impress bawhahahahaha
 
#21 ·
I love diving but HATE diving in "blackwater". Can you imagine the rescue divers for the police department that are feeling the bottoms of ponds or lakes for dead bodies or whatever else they might find!?? Stephen King kinda stuff there.

I just dove my boat this last weekend. We have a lot better visibility than you (I would say I had 6-8 feet... not great for down here, but acceptable). Of course, once you start scrubbing all that crap off your boat, it goes from about six to four or three. Kinda funny this time, but I had this school of small fish all around me. That had not happened to me before. They didn't bother me, but I finally took a break and looked behind, and there a few feet away was a great barracuda eyeballing me. I don't care for sharks but I hate barracudas. They won't kill ya, but they have always struck me as the most aggressive fish in the water... especially when you are surrounded by their supper! My doctor has a nice little chunk of his finger missing from one when he was in the Tortugas (where they are really big). Nothing happened though. I charged at him and he took off. I knew he was gone when the bait fish were too.

So when you dive your boat, do you wear ear plugs? I got in the habit of it when you come up and are covered in those little bugs. I can't imagine one of those getting stuck in my ear.

I bet Fastbottoms has a few stories or two.

Brian
 
#22 ·
The thing to do when scared is go one step at a time. One step down the swim ladder isn't so bad. And the next step isn't that much different. Go like that all the way to the prop. (Same with mast climbing, rest along the way up.)

It's the change that's scary. If you were to spend 8 or 9 hours in the water, you'd probably be scared to come out. (Was that a used car salesman over there by the fuel dock!?!) If so, go one step at a time. The land isn't that bad, just take it easy. Your legs will adjust to holding you up.

Regards,
Brad
 
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#23 ·
I'll confess to having my share of anxiety when I'm under the boat.

I think a wet suit would go a long way towards easing my mind. As it is, I usually wear workout pants and a long sleeve t-shirt to minimize a chance encounter with the nettles that are prevalent on the Chesapeake.

2 feet is about the best vis I've seen working on my boat.
 
#25 ·
I was blissfully unaware of caprellids when I lived in Florida. Came up one time with them writhing over every square inch of my gear and pinching onto any bare skin. I can handle low vis, but the barracuda give me the heeby-jeebies when they get right.in.your.face, especially when you're not paying attention. Now I usually have 5 inches of visibility so can't see anything...it can feel pretty Zen at times.
 
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