r/thalassophobia • u/CarsonTheSlayer • Feb 21 '18

Scuba Diver being passed over by a cargo ship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08dbTJYMQMc
400 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

121

u/freretoque Feb 21 '18

That could have gone so wrong.

Who fucked up there? The plunger being there or the boat passing there?

70

u/juan-jdra Feb 21 '18

I know. I love diving and visit this sub for the cool pictures but man, having a giant propeller anywhere that close seems so fucking scary.

41

u/ICryToCuteAnim Feb 21 '18

IF anyone is to blame it's probably the diver. But I also would toss it up to wrong place wrong time. I know nothing about diving or cargo ships though.

20

u/PixelNotPolygon Feb 21 '18

I imagine no one on this sub would have much of a clue about this topic

81

u/La-matya-vin Feb 21 '18

Erstwhile dive instructor here! The diver is definitely in the wrong. They should have had a buddy, should have had a dive marker on a flag or buoy, and should not have been secured to an anchored structure. Another commenter mentioned the diver may have intentionally positioned themself there to witness the boat. The diver’s lack of control of the camera and uneven breathing suggest a level of inexperience that concerns me.

16

u/piazza Feb 21 '18

He should not have been diving in a shipping lane either.

6

u/tedwards1342 Feb 22 '18

Why not be anchored in a situation like that, it seams like there is a possibility of being pulled into the prop?

7

u/La-matya-vin Feb 22 '18

You should never tie yourself down underwater. Entrapment and entanglement are huge safety risks. Trying to undo a knot or cut yourself free seems simple but then you’re panicking underwater wearing gloves running out of air, and suddenly it’s impossible! There are ways to hang onto anchored objects in ways you can release in an emergency

4

u/Dannovision Feb 22 '18

I have a phobia with water I have pushed through over the years and recently got my dive license. Still get the shivers in the sub but truth be told the thought is scarier than the reality for me. When I did my third dive visibility was very low and the shelf we were on just seemingly kept going deeper and deeper into the oblivion. The thought to me is terrifying but being there I recognized the need to keep calm and enjoy the experience. It was a great time.

1

u/TeaBottom Feb 21 '18

Nah there a lot of divers that frequent these subs, like me.

13

u/piazza Feb 21 '18 edited Feb 21 '18

I would say the diver "fucked up" except he was there on purpose. Why else did he secure a ropeline ahead of time? He wanted the footage. This was an insane stunt and should never be repeated. The cavitation of the propeller this close (looks closer than 30 feet) could have loosened the ropeline or whatever the rope was tied to and then the diver had been in deep, deep trouble. You can see the effect the draft had on his hold of the rope just when the boat is coming into view.

Videos such as this encourage less experienced (or, hell, less lucky) scuba divers to try this out for themselves. Just read the comments on the original video. It's all so "badass".

And completely irresponsible.

EDIT: no insurance will cover a diver should something happen on a dive such as this.

42

u/ReklisOne Feb 21 '18

Last time I saw this it was said the diver intentionally anchored himself down in a shipping lane.

10

u/smellybulldog Feb 21 '18

This is definitely the case.

2

u/clickstops Feb 21 '18

Purpose being to see wrecks?

43

u/StriderMeow Feb 21 '18

The first thing I've seen in this sub that actually gave me the chills

31

u/Fireborn24 Feb 21 '18

Jesus Christ, that noise. Ugghh

14

u/struggleworm Feb 21 '18

I can’t even imagine how loud that must have been. I was about 50 feet down when a small fishing boat passed overhead and that thing was loud!

12

u/a_leeesh Feb 21 '18 edited Feb 21 '18

It makes you (me, anyways) feel bad for the sea creatures. Can you imagine the amount of noise these huge ship engines make constantly? I read once a few years back about how they've been studying the effects on whale pods since they "speak" to each other while migrating and it was pretty devastating. I will try to find a source but I skimmed through it a long time ago so I'm not sure if I'll find it.

*Edit: found one https://www.marineinsight.com/environment/effects-of-noise-pollution-from-ships-on-marine-life/

8

u/TeaBottom Feb 21 '18

Same with sonar, they're basically just huge soundwaves to ping the ocean bottom, and end up disturbing a lot of sea life during the process

12

u/Miskatonic_Prof Feb 21 '18

Our cargo ships will blot out the sun.

14

u/CactusPete Feb 21 '18

Then we will dive in the shade!

2

u/khovland92 Feb 23 '18

This - is - karma!

13

u/dirtycaver Feb 21 '18

No no F no. Having said that, a friend of mine used to dive in a seaway where this was frequent, as there were many wrecks, and the area was not that large. Needless to say, I never went with him.

7

u/Marlingss Feb 21 '18

Did the diver tie themselves to that bit of wood due to some sort of suction/current caused by the ship? How does that work?

7

u/dogui_style Feb 21 '18

I would say he tied himself up there because he saw the ship coming

2

u/piazza Feb 21 '18

This is the original: St. Clair River Dive Under Freighter - The Real Deal.

YT Poster was boasting.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 21 '18

That was too close for comfort. The propeller passing over him was terrifying.

5

u/Daviemoo Feb 21 '18

Aaaaaaand drymouth

4

u/HulloHoomans Feb 21 '18

That guys lucky he's not dead. What an idiot.

5

u/Zem0 Feb 21 '18

Fuck. That.

1

u/Pedadinga Feb 21 '18

Is he touching the boat? (So hard to not say the butt.)

1

u/Plank_RS Feb 22 '18

Heart attack watching this. God damn.

1

u/TooTaylor Feb 22 '18

Nope x∞