Here is another way our professionals at Plongée Koh Phangan Diving stand out. With our unique and specialized search, recovery and salvage services.
On February 16, Plongée Koh Phangan Diving took the initiative to contact the owner of a boat stranded on the outskirts of Wok Tum harbor. The call was welcome for the owner, who was not on Koh Phangan and didn’t know where to start caring for his boat. The 9 meters walk around was lying tilted on its starboard on the exposed sand from the low tide. A thing our team noticed and was most concerned about was that one of its two Suzuki 200HP off-board engines could become flooded by the next high tide.
After contacting the owner and the fact that we had to act quickly to prevent more damage, our fast response team was on location with all their equipment within the hour. High-powered pumps, generators, compressors, lifting bags, stabilizing pillows, and all the hardware required for such operation were deployed.
From our initial inspection, the team determined that the operation would be in two phases. One is to prevent further damage and secure the boat, and the second phase is to take the boat out of the water. Being a small harbor with no lift, the team opted to use a trailer to bring the boat out of the water.
The first part of the operation was to lift, float, and secure the stern of the boat. This had to be done quickly to make sure the engines would not get flooded by the next high tide. Straps were installed under the hull, and stabilizing pillows were deployed on both sides. Using high-flow water pumps, the water accumulated in the hull was emptied as the team inflated the pillows.
Meanwhile, other members of the team were taking off the batteries to prevent electrical problems and acid leakage. They then move on to locate where the water was getting inside and assess the extent of the damage. As every situation is different, it is important to know what the damages are, as they would dictate the next steps to be taken. The outside layer of the fiberglass hull was torn on its leeward side but was not punched through the second internal layer. This gave the possibility to keep the boat afloat as the water was getting in slower than our pumps could empty. Once this step was done, we had to wait to take advantage of the next rising tide to bring the boat to the ramp.
Some members of the team monitored the boat through the evening and night; the high-output pump was activated at regular intervals to make sure the boat would not sink back because of the weight of water accumulating in the ship.
At around 5:00 the next morning, the team took advantage of the rising tide for the second phase. Again, using the high flow pump, the boat was kept afloat as much as possible and pulled by hand to the loading ramp. A trailer was lowered, and the boat was pulled and strongly secured on the trailer. The team could then safely remove the pump, straps, webbing, stabilizing pillows, and other equipment from the boat.
With the boat back on land, our operations were over. But the team continued to help and support the owner with logistics and to organize the repair on-site.
If you see any similar situations around or would like to know more about our services, feel free to contact us.