Six divers from the Cayman Islands Divers British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) were greeted with an unpleasant surprise on Easter Sunday after they surfaced from a dive in the North Sound of Grand Cayman to find their dive boat had capsized.
Fortunately, two boats from local Cayman operator, Captain Marvin’s Watersports, were passing by when the club’s vessel overturned, and were ready to provide assistance as the divers surfaced.
The incident occurred at the dive site known as Ronnie’s Nemesis shortly before 10 am on 5 April, when passengers on board one of the boats from Captain Marvin’s Watersports, on their way to Stingray City, noticed the vessel listing.
James Segur Moore Jackson – known locally as ‘Sugar Bear’ – told the Cayman Compass that the BSAC boat appeared unstable before overturning.
‘We were passing the main channel and one of our guests looked out and said, “That boat looks weird.” We watched it for about three minutes, and in one sudden movement, the boat flipped right over,’ he said.
Jackson entered the water to check for anyone trapped inside the vessel and saw the divers below. While there was nobody on board the capsized boat, Jackson said he saw tanks falling out of their holders, but fortunately without hitting the divers below.
Once they surfaced, four of the divers were taken aboard one of Captain Marvin’s boats, and two others boarded a Coast Guard vessel which had arrived at the scene.
While the divers were being rescued, crew from the second of Captain Marvin’s boats collected lifejackets and belongings from the capsized vessel.
Divers from another passing boat belonging to Indepth Watersports, who had been sent a video of the upturned boat while returning to dock, stopped at Ronnie’s Nemesis and were able to dive and salvage the fallen tanks and some of the customers’ dive bags.
Laura Brind, chair of Cayman Islands Divers, said the BSAC boat was towed back to shore and that the cause of the capsize is under investigation.
‘All divers are fine and we were quickly assisted by Captain Marvin’s,’ she said. ‘The coast guard arrived in quick time and ensured all divers made it safely back to shore.’
‘We are incredibly grateful to the boating community and the coast guard for their support and help, and the rapid response of everyone involved,’ added Brind. ‘We truly appreciate how everyone on the water looks out for each other and are willing to assist in times of need.’
The North Sound is a shallow lagoon on the north side of Grand Cayman and a busy area for dive and snorkel operations. While conditions are often calm, strong local currents can be present and boat traffic is typically high.
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