It seems that quite a few people here are versed in marine pilotage and current prediction. Would someone be willing to give some informal instruction to those of us who have never had any training? Steve/Inletsurf, Pat Green, etc. Just in case something like this should ever happen to one of who has a boat and/or captains' the boat while the captain is at depth and dumps divers on bouy and drift dives?

Could it be patterned after Kevin's spearfishing seminars? Added to it?

I know after this weekend, I want to know more. I would have a hard time living with it should I ever leave/not be able to find someone after a dive and that person spent a night in the water.

What do you guys think?

Myself and a few others are actually working on forming a response team-non profit org, to better handle issues like this in the future. We will post details soon.

I'd be interested in helping in that cause with my time and moneys. Good job guys.

I would be interested as well.

I would be interesting as well

I was a Quartermaster (navigator) in the USCG for six years. Frankly, I'm not the navigator I once was because GPS has taken away a lot of the hand plotting and I haven't done celestial navigation in over twenty years.

Nevertheless, I have a LOT of experience calculating set and drift, solving relative motion problems, plotting and running search patterns, etc. I've already downloaded some USCG SAR manuals and I'm committed to tuning up my skills.

Fiz, I'll help you guys with that project any way I can...just say the word.

Relapse, the USCG Auxillary would be a good source for a lot of the information you are requesting. They periodically hold an advanced navigation course and I'm confident they would, at our request, put on a SAR course if we could get enough people to attend.

Diving presents some unique navigation issues that are beyond what the average fisherman/boater has to deal with. Ocean dive boat operators need to be aware of the dynamics at work during and ocean search and how to execute a search quickly.

For those that want a head start, here's a link to some SAR material:

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/cgaux/Publications/Manuals/boatcrew/ch15.pdf

http://www.mcaorals.co.uk/Search and Rescue.htm


The link below is to the entire USCG Boat Crew Manual - I still have my copy from a long time ago but this one is updated. It is an excellent resource: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Do/cgaux/Publications/Manuals/boatcrew/

Thanks Cannon. I'll start there.

And Fis, I am willing to help to help as well, it only make me a better captain/diver.


I will change the title on this thread to your better reflect your idea and maybe draw a little more attention from the crowd.

Roger

Edit:Can't change the title. You take it from here.

I'll be starting a new thread soon. Basically just trying to figure out right now if we are starting a new org or going to make the FSDA the governing body.

We'll all be looking for it.:toast:

I attended a class taught by the CG to an auxillary class on that subject. No I am not a member but I found out about it. The station is at the end of my street.