Surf's up!

By Anne Shaw

Following a decision to launch the club dive boat into heavy swell, sport diver Anne Shaw regretted not speaking her mind

We had had several days of excellent diving at Islay in the Southern Hebrides - it's so remote that we were often the only boats at the dive sites. We had two inflatable boats that always went out together, and we always tied our gear into the boat on the way to the dive site and back again - although we had not experienced too many rough seas that week, there was always a big swell and it would have been very easy for something to be washed overboard.

One day, the waves were huge, and several members of the group - myself included - didn't think it was safe to launch from our usual beach. We could have moved and launched from a beach further down the coast that was more protected from the heavy swell, but the farmer who owned it would want payment. The diving officer decided to save money, so we set out from our usual site. Launching was easier than we feared, and I thought that it would perhaps be okay after all.

Once at the dive site, the Otranto, we tied one boat up and left the other boat's engine running for safety cover. We were being thrown about in the swell, so all buddy pairs got in the water as soon as possible, leaving a pair in each boat to help the divers back in after the dive.

Underwater, conditions were not much better. I was buddying my husband, and at the sea bed at 20m, we were being tossed back and forth. We soon found a way to cope, by hanging on when the water surged backwards and finning like mad when it surged forwards. It did make us feel a bit seasick, and I was thinking that I'd be glad when we were back on dry land.

Upon surfacing, we realised we were the last buddy pair up and that the conditions on top had got considerably worse. In order to make the pickup as quick as possible, we were pulled into separate boats.

My boat was driven by the diving officer, who, in his haste to get us back to land, did not tie any of the gear in - I was worried it might go over the side.

The journey back was bumpy but exhilarating. I was relieved when I saw we were nearing our landing site, but as we got closer I realised that the surf was much worse than it had been when we had left the beach earlier that day. It looked impossible to get back in.

The boat my husband was in held back just beyond the surf as the driver decided the best way to approach. But the driver of our boat had already made his decision - we were reversing back onto the beach with the large waves coming at the bow. Once the decision was made, there was no going back and we all hung on as the boat slowly made its way towards the surf. Sitting in the bow, I closed my eyes - I just didn't want to look.

Suddenly, I was 6m up in the air still sitting on the bow of the boat - we were turning over, lengthways! Cylinders, weight belts and kit bags were shooting past my head and I was thrown into the sea. Somehow I surfaced next to the upturned boat with a cylinder strap over my arm - at least one piece of kit was saved.

I heard shouting and saw a diver struggling in the current while trying to reach the boat - her head was close to the still-turning propeller. I reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me so she could hold onto the boat next to me. We were helpless - the water was too deep to stand in and the current was pulling us further from shore.

Eventually, with a thud, the propeller stopped turning and all I could hear was the other boat's engine. They were surfing in to the shore as fast as they could, with the engine tilt lever released - this would allow them to drive straight up the beach without too much damage to the engine. Once they were on the shore, all the divers ran to our aid. They threw us ropes and pulled us and the boat to the beach.

We tried to rescue the kit, but most of it was at the bottom of the sea. Days later, some of our dive gear was found further down the beach, but some was lost forever. We were very lucky that day as we could have lost much more than diving equipment - it was the wrong decision to launch and dive in those conditions.

I should have trusted my own judgment and not have been so easily persuaded to dive that day, but it is very easy to be swept along with other people's enthusiasm. The most important thing I learned was that, in the end, each diver is responsible for their own safety and should not be afraid to go with their gut feeling - none of us should be persuaded to go with the flow.

The other lesson was how important it is to tie equipment into the boat. Diving gear is valuable and should be safeguarded at all times. Waves come in all shapes and sizes, and it is easy for kit to be washed away or knocked overboard on a crowded inflatable. ■