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-   -   West End, Tortola BVI (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/general-boating-discussion/140885-west-end-tortola-bvi.html)

Phantom1 09-20-2006 01:18 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 
Damn Ben................next time wear your racing helmet while snorkeling. I've looked at those pictures 5 times - I'm amazed at how lucky you were. Glad you are OK.

I will be on a week long charter in the BVI's in December, and you can bet I'll remember your experience.................

Ben@SRP 09-20-2006 02:52 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 

Originally Posted by Phantom1
Damn Ben................next time wear your racing helmet while snorkeling. I've looked at those pictures 5 times - I'm amazed at how lucky you were. Glad you are OK.

I will be on a week long charter in the BVI's in December, and you can bet I'll remember your experience.................

The helmets certainly would have helped! That's for sure. Can you imagine what my helmet would have looked like? We figured out that the front cut is a direct hit from the skeg of the outboard motor and the three other cuts are directly from the propeller.
I have been snorkeling since the accident along with just swimming around and I can't begin to tell you how spooked and nervous I am swimming! Even if there are no boats around or not, I still constantly lift my head up and look around waiting for someone else to run me over...
People use to ask me why "I race boats"? And I never had a good answer to that question and now I do... BECAUSE IT'S SAFER THAN SNORKELING!!! :eek:

Ben

jtmiller02 09-20-2006 03:10 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 
I was coming through great bay(Ritz Carlton STT) in a 34 foot parasail boat and saw something awkward in front of me. I tell my mate to look up where I saw it and a second later I see it again stop the boat dead from about 30 almost throw my mate face first onto the deck and scream **** so loud i think i scared people on the beach a quarter mile away.

The disturbance I saw was now about 15 feet in front of me and it was BUBBLES, theres a dinghy about 100 yards away by a reef on the edge of the bay, and no dive flag anywhere. These same idiots had been sitting in the dinghy a few minutes earlier when I entered the bay and were now diving in the middle of the bay with no flag anywhere in sight. After sitting above them with my huge CAT diesel idling for about 15 minutes I figured they knew how pissed I was and i left.

Needless to say I was much more careful in that bay after that day. Regardless of the fact the water in that area is 40-60 feet deep there is no excuse for diving in a heavy traffic area, especially near a narrow pass like current cut and not even using a dive flag. It never ceased to amaze me the things I saw down there, idiots everywhere.

masi242 09-20-2006 03:32 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 
Ben your very Lucky! We are heading down in Dec. to St John we rented another house can wait :drink:

Jt do you run boats while you`re down there? If so looking to book a day trip.

Ben@SRP 09-20-2006 03:45 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 

Originally Posted by jtmiller02
Needless to say I was much more careful in that bay after that day. Regardless of the fact the water in that area is 40-60 feet deep there is no excuse for diving in a heavy traffic area, especially near a narrow pass like current cut and not even using a dive flag. It never ceased to amaze me the things I saw down there, idiots everywhere.

Oh I agree. I have seen the same thing. We we actually in a protected dive area with a flag and there was three of us on the surface at 3:30 in the afternoon on a bright sunny day.

Ben@SRP 09-20-2006 03:51 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 

Originally Posted by Sean
also saw an orange 32 Skater sitting in the weeds...

Sean,
Sorry I hijacked your thread here... :rolleyes: But have you really seen performance boats abandoned down there? And did you see a Skater for sure? I did see anything like that, but I did have a bump on my head... I did see some sailboats that seemed like they had been abandoned. But I figured that was because they were "sailboats"... :D

jtmiller02 09-20-2006 04:10 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 
I won't be there this winter, except maybe a trip for vacation. I'm starting to wish I was, but I do have contacts down there who will be running this winter. Let me know what kind of trip you are looking to take and location I can give you some ideas. I definately reccomend letting a captain do the driving down there, they can get it done for you and allow you to enjoy the day without a care in the world. Island hopping and partying while trying to navigate unfamiliar waters there can really ruin a fun day on the water.

Ben, you guys were 100% doing the right thing, the problem is 80% of the boaters and about 50% of the divers there haven't got a clue. Lucky for you the guy only had a dinghy and not a 40 footer.

masi242 09-20-2006 05:18 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 
Jt, I was looking at an day cruise, we have eight people most are ok with boats. One charter boat said, he goes the Baths, Guana Island,Marina cay then to Jost (Soggy Dollar), this sounded pretty nice $135pp seems to be the going rate. I have been to the baths before, but the rest have not. I would like to see Willy T`s :drink:

The one thing I know is Woodys Happy hour starts 3pm sharp :drink:

Thanks for any help

mark

SCRAPMAN1 09-20-2006 05:51 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 

Originally Posted by Ben@SRP
I love West End and the BVI's... We were there in Dec. 05 and had "mostly" a good time... Although be VERY VERY care when swimming around areas that dinghy's operate... They can hurt you!!! :eek:

http://www.benhedrick.com/accident.htm

BEN - I LOVE THE NEW HELMET -- IS THAT A RELIGIOUS THING??? :D DAMN THAT LOOKED NASTY-- GLAD YOU MADE IT!!!

Ben@SRP 09-20-2006 07:59 PM

Re: West End, Tortola BVI
 

Originally Posted by SCRAPMAN1
BEN - I LOVE THE NEW HELMET -- IS THAT A RELIGIOUS THING??? :D DAMN THAT LOOKED NASTY-- GLAD YOU MADE IT!!!

Yeah Billy, it's my new do... :eek:


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