Outsmart one of the most dangerous forms of marine life

Just one more, just one more, oh, there’s another heap just over there - just one more, one more!

May 9, 2024
Too often we lose a diver while he (males are the predominant casualty) is collecting scallops.
Too often we lose a diver while he (males are the predominant casualty) is collecting scallops.
Photographer:

This is often the effect scallops have on divers. And some divers consider the humble scallop the most dangerous marine life because of the “just one more” effect on them. Too often we lose a diver while he (males are the predominant casualty) is collecting scallops. The diver runs out of air. After 50+ years of diving I tell my children and any diver who wants to listen, the following:

A few simple disciplines/practices to stick to when on a scallop dive:

1) The most obvious is of course, monitor your air supply.A simple and an almost automatic practice by experienced divers but some do get caught out. The recommended rule is to surface with at least 50 bar in your scuba cylinder. Its often overlooked during the hunt! That extra air can also come in very useful when you are back on the surface. Why do divers run out of air? Firstly, I know divers should always dive at least in pairs but the reality is many do not, or they get separated during the dive. Gathering 10 or 20 scallops (allowable numbers depend on the area) can be a piece of cake but as we all know on many a dive you can land on an area that is very unproductive. You can spend a lot of time covering a large area searching for reasonable scallop numbers that meet the required size limit. Plus, as we also know most divers collect over their 10 or 20 bag limit just in case their diving buddies have lean pickings. This, despite the fact that Fisheries regulations require you should only bring on board your allowable 10 or 20.

I would suggest it is fairly common for divers to sort out the boat’s total allowable catch as the number of people involved in collecting the scallops once all the divers are back on board. When the counting and measuring is done they need to return any over quota back into the sea.

This apparently non-threatening practice of collecting large scallop numbers for “the boat” can, and does result in divers running out of air!

2) Catch bags. How do you use yours? A diving practice the Police Diving Squad comes across when recovering a body is the practice of divers clipping their catch bag onto themselves. Usually they clip the bag to a D ring on the diver’s Buoyancy Compensator (BC) or weight belt. Some divers argue that if they get into trouble, or are running out of air they will quickly unclip the catch bag. Unfortunately, when things turn to custard underwater the most simple of finger manoeuvres seemingly goes out the window. Recovered bodies tell the story.

The safe practice for catch bags, or anything not regarded as essential during a dive, is it should be held in your hand. As the Police Dive Squad continually advise, though not in these exact words: “If things turn to custard all you have to do is let the bag go.” Not fumble with a clip as you begin to panic and struggle to reach the surface, sucking the last remaining litres of air out of your scuba cylinder. Avoid all this drama. Read Point 3 below.

3) Where are you and where will you surface?We have all heard of divers either being hit, or narrowly missed by a passing boat, or even their own boat! This occurs even when the dive boat is displaying a diver’s A flag. The skipper on the dive boat commonly does not really know where the diver/s are. This predicament can easily be solved by the diver using a brightly coloured float with a line (preferable a floating line) attached to his catch bag. This simple procedure does the following:
a) The skipper knows where you are.
b) When you head for the surface you LEAVE the catch bag on the bottom
c) You swim up the line, (always listening for any approaching boats) and break surface beside your buoy.
d) Once back on board you retrieve the buoy and haul up your scallops. Simple!

The Police Dive Squad’s recommendations are:

  • Always dive with a buddy (share a catch bag)
  • Monitor your contents and end your dive with 50bar/500psi
  • Do not clip catch bags to yourself
  • Take only your allowable catch
  • Monitor weather conditions
  • Dive within your ability
  • Do not mix alcohol, drugs or medicines (get diving medical advice) with diving
  • Assume medical conditions are not compatible with diving unless advised by a diving medical expert
  • Abandon your weight belt when in trouble

Bruce Adams, Senior Sergeant in charge of the New Zealand National Police Dive Squad, comments:

Unfortunately, the police regularly see divers not abandoning attached catch bags (containing scallops, kina, crayfish, etc) when an emergency arises, let alone their weight belt. Since 2006, in the 64 cases we have investigated, weight belts were not abandoned on 48 occasions, and catch bags were attached to the diver in eight cases.
Often it is a series of events happening all at once that places the diver in a difficult situation to recover from. Despite being a skill taught and talked about, catch bags and weight belts are not being released when the stress of drowning occurs and panic sets in.
Simply carrying the catch bag by hand allows you, when an emergency occurs, to let go of the bag and focus on resolving the issue.

NB: The person in the photo is a Police National Dive Squad member replicating an actual case, with the actual homemade catch bag holding 55 kina in a bag two metres long. The case has been heard at the Coroner’s court and completed. Police are appreciative of the family involved in that case agreeing to allow us to use the images to promote dive safe messages.

Police National Dive Squad member replicating an actual case, with the actual homemade catch bag holding 55 kina in a bag two metres long.
Police National Dive Squad member replicating an actual case, with the actual homemade catch bag holding 55 kina in a bag two metres long.

Scallops: The open season varies around NZ. Specific area closures may apply, please contact the local MPI office for details or visit www.fisheries.govt.nz/rules.

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Dave Moran

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