Rubicon Marina, Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, Islas Canarias 28° 51.394 N 013° 48.831 W
The marina that we entered was new and as per the chart not well documented yet. We did not know what we were looking for when we got here and that’s why the lights were very important to us. In the end, you make a slow approach, get real close and have a look-see and make a decision.
The boat gets tied up and the crew scatters for a while. Alan marched off to the shower. John hung around the boat and I looked across the water and saw the local dive operation. Even though I was ready for a shower too I figured I might as well drop in there and see what’s up. Well, what are a few more hours without a shower? It turns out that the boat goes out everyday, including today, divers meet there at 9am and the boat departs at 9:30am, the price for 2 dives was about $70 USD and oh, it was 8:45. Hmm, I told him I’d be right back!
The guided dives consisted of near-shore no deeper than about 70 feet as per the pre-dive brief. When we left the marina we literally motored for about 1-2 minutes and dropped the hook. I was teamed up with the Divemaster on the boat and we agreed that I would let him lead but full well knew that same ocean same day meant we were dive buddies. This first dive had us air-on regulator-in back-rolling off the gunwale in full gear and ready-to-go in some rough water. Getting in is always easy. Getting out is dangerous in rough water. When you reach the transom and reach out to make contact with the boat you then become influenced by the movement of the boat. Rough choppy seas make the ladder go up and down sometimes violently. Once you grab on you then remove your fins and hand them up per this boat without a dive platform. Now you better keep holding on, as you don’t have propulsion anymore. Then, the commitment to put your first foot on the ladder rung attaches you to the boat and the movement up and down. Sometimes you get dunked so you keep your regulator in your mouth. Sometimes the ladder can hit you if you are unlucky.
The wind waves had increased quite a bit since Amor Fati had arrived. We met at the anchor line and then dropped. The temp was a toasty 70° at the surface compared to a chilly 55° in Monterey. The dive was not spectacular and was uneventful. The bottom was sandy with a small amount of rocky crags and small fish teeming about. All these divers were experienced and everyone breathed efficiently and that made the dive fairly long even though we were deeper than 60 feet.
Chill is what brought the group up. At depth the temperature was 68° and after thirty minutes you can feel it. We planned to get back on the boat and head back to the dive shop since it was so close for a surface-sit to ward off any chance of decompression illness and take in some coffee and pastries. The conversations revolved around the ominous skies, wind, waves and approaching storm. I think several people between our group and another group begged-off and did not go on the 2nd dive due to being cold in the water and the sea state. When we went back out we had a slightly different group of people. The two that stand out the most are a petite female instructor and her student going on his first ocean dive in a very rough sea. When we rounded the break wall and saw the size of the waves, the chop and the sprinkles we knew it was going to be rough. After a few minute ride the hook was dropped and bodies were rolling in. At depth and at the end of the anchor chain was a wooden shipwreck of about 50’ in length. I was startled to see that neither of the dive leaders on this boat set the hook correctly before departing the area. It was precariously attached to a large plank from the vessel. I am speculating they thought the other would do it. It is essential to set the hook so the boat does not drag anchor. If that happens the boat moves further away from the divers increasing the workload on a fully dressed hydro-dynamically inefficient swimmer. We departed the area.
There were several individual events that added up to the near accident situation that we either unknowingly or knew full well were all involved in. First, the wind waves were too large for this kind of dive excursion and the dive should have been called and a refund given. But, the almighty dollar rules and divers sometimes just want to dive. Second, the anchor was not attached to the bottom and the vessel dragged an estimated sixty feet or more. Third, the Divemaster that I was teamed up with again and who was leading three of us did some out of the ordinary things while leading. At depth we investigated the wreck for less than five minutes, of which most of the dive should have been held there, and then he departed and darted for an unknown destination. We all followed thinking he was leading us to another site to see. I noticed that his compass bearing turned 30° to the right and was not consistent with a standard box dive that is safer and easier for a Divemaster to get the divers back to the boat. A box dive is a timed heading, turn 90° and timed, turn again and again making a perfect box and that will bring you back to the boat without seeing the same thing twice. Please the tourists. The 30° appeared to be an error. He was also kicking at an aggressive gait for no apparent reason.
After a while a diver got his attention and said that he had used half his air and that was the standard indication to turn back. Immediately, I noticed the Divemaster was again off course and this time by 130°. On our way back he would make several 30° corrections and appeared to be looking for something. This is when it started getting serious. The same diver stopped us and showed that he had about 500psi left at 75 feet. That was just enough to get to the surface with a timed 3-5 minute safety-stop. The Divemaster was unresponsive and just floating there looking at us. I immediately grouped the 2 other divers with me, looked at their air and indicated to start heading up. It was a survival situation at this point. I had about 1,100psi and the other guy had about 1,000psi. We all stopped at about 25’ and held our positions for the stop to allow off-gassing. Then a diver started sinking to probably 50’ and the Divemaster did too. That negates the stop. I held and so did the guy low on air. Then the Divemaster surfaced first and what he did told me what our problem now was. Upon surfacing I was watching him for the indication as to the direction of the boat. Well, he kept spinning around. Looking for the boat. Shit, Shit, Shit!
After we all surfaced we realized our dilemma. We grouped and agreed to swim to the boat. We knew there were other divers in the water and that the boat would not come to get us. This is exactly when it became a survival situation and I’m sorry to say but everyone for himself and look out for number one. The waves were up to 4 feet and breaking on our heads. We were fully dressed for scuba and not efficient swimmers. In this condition you are more effective if you roll on your back and kick like hell. I had very long free-dive fins on and they are much more powerful than regular fins and the gap between all of us grew large. When I was between them and the boat, which when we surfaced was about a thousand feet or more, I realized that I was going to get there first and tell the boat to go get them.
This surface swim was extremely difficult and the hardest I have ever done. I was deeply concerned about how I was going to save my ass. The wind was blowing in the direction of the boat but the waves were 10-20° different and pushing towards the shore. Ultimately, I could have made it to shore by drifting since we were within a ¼ mile of it. But, fatigue, stress and exposure would have influenced the outcome.
When I got to the boat I saw the driver, the owner’s wife, and the instructor and her student and another guy. I approached at the bow and said the group was in trouble and I was getting on. They were trying to pull up the anchor and could not get it in due to inexperience and lack of strength. The first words out of my mouth when I climbed onboard were to the driver and they were ‘how many bodies are in the water’. She responded my group. I said we need to go get them because they cannot make it back to the boat and I based it on how incredibly hard it was for me and they still had not closed half the distance. I unloaded gear and went forward to start pulling up the hook. The reason I was in such a hurry was because back at the group right after we surfaced I noticed that the Divemaster had removed his mask. That’s a sign for lack of control and irrationality. Drowning in that sea state can happen quickly.
It took 3 of us to pull up that anchor in a coordinated heave-ho motion and then the boat was off to get the divers. One of the divers in that group had a look of fear in his eyes when we separated. I had such a difficult time swimming to the boat that I lost my weight belt, which is something I have never done. I did say to myself during the swim that I should ditch the weight belt to save my self. Once onboard, I moved to the back of the boat and did what divemasters do. I started taking in gear and helping the divers in. The driver and the instructor did nothing. I was pissed that the Divemaster was so unskilled he put us in a dangerous situation and that this had come close to an accident.
I arrived here after five days at sea and within the hour of stepping on land was back on a boat having another unforeseen adventure.
After the dive trip I was so looking forward to getting back to the boat and finding the shower. John and Alan were at the dive shop when the boat I was on returned and they filled me in. They moved the boat from the courtesy dock, gave me a marina wi-fi Internet card and the shower key and then we separated. I then took a long stroll back to the boat since it was moved on the other side of the marina.
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| This wall appears to be about 25 feet high, very new and about 200’ from us due south. |
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| I recently climbed out of this, which was on the other side of the wall! This is a sign of things to come. |
It looks so peaceful because it was. I grabbed my backpack and headed off to my first shower in six days. I was in training for the Atlantic crossing. Oddly, you kind of get used to it. I’d rather at least swim everyday in warm water, though. With the shower accomplished I dropped into a pizzeria to sample the fare on my unofficial pizza tasting tour west. So far, everywhere previous was pretty bad except for Gibraltar and this was not bad. That’s a nice way of saying that I have had some bad pizza recently and the worst was in Italy! When I made it back to the boat it was deserted. I managed to sit down and start typing. This was late afternoon and would eventually go on until about 4am.
Next, the good part that puts this sailing adventure on the map!
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