Close call Robbo, that would have to be scary as hell. Glad you all are ok and well done for reaching the boat .

mate that is a scary story, thanks for recounting it as its usually something that happens "elsewhere"

Ive taken to texting my missus with position and surface (log off) time nowadays when diving and leaving boat unattended, with instructions to notify Sea rescue or Water Police if she cant get hold of me at that time.

now that's a bloody close call.

Seriously lucky you boys and I bet you had a few beers last night to 'celebrate' your survival

shit.  scary stuff!!!  that's why I fish from above the water and not under it!

glad you're both OK and got a good feed of crays.  bet they were the best you've tasted!!!  If you'd come up a couple of mins later you'd never have caught the boat...  buy a lotto ticket

Glad you got out of that one OK Robbo.

I made a mistake years ago when was with two dinghy loads of friends diving off a remote beach near Leeman. Both dinghies had too many on board but the sea was flat calm so we dived about 3km offshore. Once everyone surfaced, the chop had picked up a bit and we foolishly decided to send the dinghies in with lighter loads while one of us from each dinghy stayed in the water, still with all our gear on and BC's inflated, hanging onto an anchor line so we didn't drift, and get one of the dinghies to return for us when empty. Bloody stupid mistake because the dinghy took a long, long time to find us again. This was pre-GPS days so he had to find us using bearings from the land. We could hear him searching, but he couldn't see us and because we were so low in the water,we couldn't see him. He had actually given up looking and was on his way back to shore to raise the alarm when he stumbled upon us. We were seriously considering swimming for shore by that stage. I have never felt so vulnerable floating around like that, and it was a valuable lesson to never, ever do anything so stupid again.

 not good at all. couldnt imagine what was going through your head let alone your mates. good to see your ok. goes to show that no matter how careful you are something can go wrong. 

Farkin scary shit!

We always put 2 anchors out when we all get out of the boat diving, bit of arsing about but worth it.

I have noticed quite few boats without the shackles on the anchors moused with wire, but what do you do?

A stranger pointing that out could receive any one of a few reactions but its a disaster waiting to unfold...

Cheers guys! They were the best tasting crays ever and yes there were a few beers to wash it down. Don't worry the call was made on the way home to buy a lotto ticket, although I reckon we've used up all our luck for this year.

Makai- Your not wrong about feeling vulnerable! Very hard to spot a head floating around out in the big blue ocean!

Bugger that. I lost a dinghy off Long Island once and had to swim for it, that was scary enough. I cant imagine having to swim 1.5kms to catch a drifting boat. I now make sure my anchor is well and truly buried before leaving a boat even if only for a short time.

You are not the only one, i'm sure many have been through some thing similar before.

Dont mean to jump on ya thread but thought i would share my ugly cases.

1st time, in a mates tinnie. second dive for the day but the wind had picked up, we checked anchore but the shackle came loss mid dive. Lucky it was a NW and the boat was heading for carnac and the chain got caught in the shallow water. maybe a 500m swim No loss of gear or crays!

5 years later

Second time, back of rotto , my boat 25m of water with some body on board. Now diving just outside the reserve with a strong easterly at the back of rotto is not a good idea. we went down the anchore rope, couldnt feel a current. 20min dive back to the anchore. cool!! we started to asend only to be ripped away from the boat midwater and sling shotted to the top uncontrolled, desented to 5m to do safety stop, by the time we were back at the surface we were a long way from the boat with a bit of chop, current and swell making life hard. I dropped my gear and gave this to my mate, i said blow your BC up and float on ya back. we will come and get you. Now trying to swim against the current and chop in a 5MM wet suit is not easy, And for some reason even with the boat there and island behind me, the fact my mate was floating away and i was getting tired screaming for the decky.. panic soon kicked in. Life flashed before me, could only think of my girls and weather i would see them agian, any way mate finally gets anchore up and gets me and my mate. But Fuk i was in trouble there for a minute. No loss of gear or crays

Third time, 3 weeks later, same mate between carnac and Garden islands 20m of water with a easterly blowing. No decky!! Down the anchore rope, checked all good. 20min dive back but no anchore. fuk fuk fuk. get to the surface and can only just see the boat in between sets... heading deep south of rotto...... mate goes ill get it this time you swam last time!! not funny i said... he strips off all his gear including wetty. I start floating on my back kicking toward garden island..... he finds the boat about an hour later heads back to the spot but cant find me waving and screaming. cuts the motor starts drifting and calls sea rescue... i eventually come across 2 blokes fishing in there tinnie, floating for 2 hours at this stage. They freaked when they seen me floating along.. they gave me a ride to the boat, got on deck and could just see the chopper leaving point perion, jumped on the radio and said every thing was OK....The anchore had actually foamed a weak spot from the rottnest dive and had failed, bent over on its self. Loss of weight belt, 2 x snares, 1 x spear gun, 1 x flipper, 1 x mask and snorkle...Didnt lose crays. still see my mate but havent dived together since.

None of these im prode of but thought if i had read somthing like this when new to diving i might have prepared better.

I have dived since, always with a buddy some times still with no one on board, i use an extra Pic over the side as insurance, 30m trailing rope with floats. and conditions suiting the location. 

Congrats on logging on with sea rescue. I am always amazed at how many divers particularly those who leave their vessel unattended do not log on their details to the local sea rescue.

When they log on with us and about to dive we always ask for GPS position. Our procedure is that is no call after 5 minutes of return time we send a vessel to investigate.

I have lost count of how many times someone has come across a vessel with Dive Flag and adrift and we have to commence search.

I remember a few years ago a vessel was located on the beach at Quinns. The divers had been 5nm of Ocean Reef and spent 8 hiurs in the water before we found them

Always thought it was drummed into learner divers that you always have someone in the boat when there are divers down.
Ex bro in law got bent from coming up too fast when the hose blew off the hookah in 25 metres off Bunbury years ago, he was face down in the water and only a herculean effort of dragging him to the boat and getting him back on board by his mate who surfaced straight after him saved his life. If there was a top man all that was needed was to plug the hose back on.
He ended up spending 3 weeks in the Freo decompression chamber and cannot dive again.

Similar story yrs ago in our glass 23ft boat. Anchored in Green Island Cove Rotto. 3 mates and usually 2 down and one onboard. But as luck or no luck had it we met 3 blond female backpackers from Europe the night before and promised them a "ride" (we wished the other but I mean boat).

On arrival at a safe ancorage it was dead calm. Dropped the pick and advised them off what to do should the boat drift etc. Foolishly thought that 5min of instruction would be good enough. So instead off 2 divers we decided all 3 would go, since there is 3 onboard and it is calm. Checked the pick and it was AOK.

Got our crays (now I have given away a close/safe/secret spot for good crays in the past - sanctuary now I think) and surfaced. No Boat. It was drifting away towards the reef in the bay and glass vs reef = Pain!!!! The girls followed instruction to let out more line should the boat drift, but since the SW was roaring now it made no difference, and that bay is pretty flat and not much else to hook up to.

I dropped all my gear into the hands of the 2 mates and flogged after the boat. Got there with about 5m to spare before hull reaches reef. Just managed to keep her off that.  And retrieved the others.

Now our lives were not at risk as we were close to shore, but the boat was threatened big time. Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. This time we/I took things for granted. 3 inexperienced deckies (they were very cute!!), poor information about what to do (like chuck the other anchor out), no information about basic boat start and maneuvre, not "knowing" the SW wind would pick up etc etc.

I was lucky we didnt loose the boat, but it was never repeated. And we always after this had one experienced crew member onboard.

My story is nowhere as dramatic as floating in the middle off the ocean, but just adds to the "Murphy's Law" problems when we are a little complacent.

Our crays tasted very nice to that night, with nice company and a few beers.

 a Shark shield and Spear gun, untill i dropped the gun.

 My mate was the one swimming in open water in his jocks!

 I have been lucky Diving and fishing to tell the truth, im a lot wiser and safer now thats for sure.

Yeh lucky your all good.

Have had a decent boat chase myself. Now i always drop a pick off the side as well at least it will slow the boat down a bit haha!!

After a couple of hair raising experiences with swift surface current 1st in the Maldives and 2nd at the Abrolis I always carry on me a safety sausage.

Also keep one in my "go bag" on the boat. Cheap and a proven lifesaver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybZqhnda3mk

Should be mandatory part of instruction for open water diving qualifications

Good on ya for posting your story. Lucky to catch the boat would be terrible situation to be in especially leaving a mate behind.

Yet to have the boat chase, touch wood. Remember early on fishing with a mate on anchor and all of a sudden our drift picked up, pulled the anchor  line in to find no anchor at all! the shackle had unscrewed itself. Left us scrathing our heads saying thank f&*$ we weren't diving. Thats all the wake up call I needed. Always mouse my shackles ever since, dirt cheap too stainless mousing wire only cost about $1.

Signal mirrors are also a good investment for around $10 at whitworths. the ones around these days are piss easy to use/aim, a bit bigger than a credit card and easy to stash in your bcd. Like others have said finding a head bobbing above the waves is one big headache even when you know where to look and it'd be a lifesaver for sure if lost floating at sea.

 Good to here your both Ok .A divers worst nightmare Yes I always log on and give times in and out I for one dont want to be out there into the night. .As said glad all ended with you both safe.

 We dive a fair way off Bunbury and if there is nobody in the boat one of us is connected to a safety line.it is a length of 6mm rope that we keep on a reel.It has a clip that we hook onto the BC.It is a pain in the arse but is worth it.

Hey Josh, glad everything worked out ok mate.....gotta be the scariest thing when diving. I'd be buying a lotto ticket, that's for sure!

We've dived a fair bit without anyone in the boat because it's sometimes hard to find a 'boat sitter'. Like you, we always log on as we head out and radio in before we hit the water and on returning to the boat. We were late returning from a dive once and the sea rescue were calling us. Always check the anchor on our way down but have never considered a shackle would come loose/undone.

As Rob H said, I'll be mousing my anchor shackles.

regards
rusty...

 Sorry for being naive, but what's mousing your anchor shackle involve?

 Mousing your shackle it to wire the bolt to the shakle so it cant unscrew. There is usualy a hole in the head of the bolt for this reason. No need for wire as a cable tie will do the job and it can be cut with a knife or twisted off with pliers if you need tp swap anchors- sand to reef anchor for instance.

I splice to my chain and only have a shackle to the back of my anchor and use a 12mm plastic or a 7mm stainless steel cable tie to the front of the anchor so I can snap it off and pull the anchor out backwards if it were to get snagged....

shit lucky it wasnt a late arvo dive, or yous could have been spending a quiet night out on the ocean, i always worry bout this happening an now throw my drift anchor over just incase the anchor pulls free or breaks off. Hope u still had air in the tank, cause it would be a shithouse swim with no air in your bc. i would have taxi-dermied that cray as a reminder too.