Latest / Ben Taylor Podcast / Superyacht Anchor Divers | Boat rescue around Antigua | Maurice Underwater Services
Transcript
- 0:00All right, we're on.
- 0:01Okay.
- 0:02Hi, everybody.
- 0:03Welcome back to another episode of the Ben Taylor Podcast.
- 0:06This is brought to you by the Super Yacht Services Guide.
- 0:09And today, with, we're here with a business that's, um, it's, it's at the core of the super yacht industry to make everything work.
- 0:16It's a really interesting service.
- 0:17And I'm here with Maurice, which everybody seems to know around here.
- 0:21Yes, yes.
- 0:21So there, there's like 3 people walking by saying, "Hi."
- 0:24Uh, but Maurice- Yeah.
- 0:25what, what do you do?
- 0:26Let's have some context first.
- 0:28Yeah.
- 0:28Uh, man, nice to meet you first.
- 0:29Um- Yeah, you too.
- 0:30Yeah.
- 0:30Yeah, yeah.
- 0:31I'm, I'm Maurice Belgrave from Maurice Underwater Services, Antigua.
- 0:36Yeah, here we are for, um, underwater services like our name, um, suggests and on tangling anchors, hull scrubs, propeller changes, and search and rescues.
- 0:52Like, like you see on my, on my tag line, it says we'll even recover your Rolex, but we, we, we've done.
- 0:58We've done.
- 0:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 1:00Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 1:00And- And I, I have always thought when things go overboard, it'd be worth a little snorkel around, wouldn't it?
- 1:05It's not always that easy.
- 1:05It's just worth it.
- 1:07It's not always that easy.
- 1:08No, no, no.
- 1:09Yeah, I'm sure.
- 1:09I'm sure.
- 1:09So, um, and also we do, there's a lot of rescues out at sea.
- 1:15So we have like 3, 3 crafts that we dispatch.
- 1:20All right.
- 1:20I'm always like the head of it.
- 1:22And then that is dotted around Antigua, so- Where, where, wherever, wherever around like coastal waters.
- 1:28Wherever there is a, there is a emergency, um, we work along APSAR most of the time.
- 1:34My radio, my VHF radio, which is the boat to boat contact- Yeah, yeah.
- 1:40communication.
- 1:41So that's right by my bed and I have a loud speaker there, so it's always on.
- 1:47I'm always listening.
- 1:48Even, e- e- it's like, it's like an automatic recording.
- 1:52So you put the word bum in the same line with president- Yeah.
- 1:56You know?
- 1:56Yeah, yeah.
- 1:56So at 3:00 in the morning, I will jump out and head out to sea, um, for rescues.
- 2:01And you're there.
- 2:01You're on site.
- 2:01You're going to help.
- 2:02Yeah, yeah.
- 2:02Okay.
- 2:03And so let's talk about how you kind of helped the Blattes.
- Oh, oh.
- And, and in doing that- Yeah.
- 2:11you then discovered the Super Yacht Services Guide and that's- Yeah, yeah.
- 2:14That's kind of how this started, yeah.
- 2:15That's, that's, that went way back.
- 2:17Um, I think Tristan was like 2 to 3 years old.
- 2:21I saw Tristan a few days ago and like- Yeah, you curl that one.
- 2:23Richard said it was him looking up here.
- 2:25Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 2:26Yeah, so, um, Tristan, um, Andrew, and Caroline, they had a little yacht here, a little board.
- 2:34Yeah, yeah.
- 2:35And one day Andrew was, the usual Andrew, busy doing what he was doing.
- 2:39Yeah, yeah.
- 2:39And he tried to move the boat and the anchor got stuck.
- 2:43And I, I said, I said, "We more offer a service rather than a business."
- 2:48Because we help, we help 80% of the people most of the time, whether we give information or we assist in- You just try and help.
- 3:00Yeah, in every way.
- 3:00Like, like, okay.
- 3:01It's al- Okay, the commercials, the money, yeah, okay, it's a bit- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 3:04The money will come.
- 3:04But it's still why you're doing it.
- 3:05You just help people out, yeah.
- 3:07Because you know, a part of me, you know, helping, sharing.
- 3:10So, um, I was there and she tried to move the boat by herself and her anchor got stuck.
- 3:17get it for you."
- 3:18"No, no, no, you don't have to."
- 3:19I said, "I'll get it for you."
- 3:20Jumped over, pick up the anchor and she went there.
- 3:24And then she came back to me and she was so thankful.
- 3:26Caroline, Caroline and Andrew, man, these, these are, these are, these are champions.
- 3:31And she said, "You know what?
- 3:32We're doing this Super Yacht Publications."
- 3:35That the book was about.
- 3:38Right, yeah.
- 3:38I have a few pages.
- 3:39It's small, yeah, yeah.
- 3:40Yeah.
- 3:40And she said, "How can I"
- 3:42She asked me, "How can I pay?"
- 3:43I said, "Money?
- 3:44No, no.
- 3:45said, "Maurice, we need to"
- 3:46You know.
- 3:47She said, "Tell you what, we'll offer you a page in the Super Yacht Publications."
- 3:53And I thought, "Yeah, that's a good idea.
- 3:55That's a good idea."
- 3:56Yeah, yeah.
- 3:56"That's a good idea."
- 3:57And we went for it.
- 3:59Yeah.
- 3:59And so we had free publications for years, you know.
- 4:03And, um, and we grew more than just meeting.
- 4:09So every Christmas there was a, there was a line sent, you know.
- 4:13And then until the unfortunate passing of Andrew.
- It really, really touched, touched
- 4:19I know Caroline and the kids were, were but also, you know, get back to us because we also knew Andrew and the person he was.
- 4:27Yeah.
- 4:27So from then, we still keep in contact.
- 4:30I saw Tristan came on as a crew on a yacht.
- 4:32Wow, Tristan has, has grown.
- 4:34Now he make me feel old.
- 4:36Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 4:36Yeah, yeah.
- 4:37So and then I saw Caroline.
- 4:40I was hoping to see Caroline this, this, this, um, boat show.
- 4:45But, um, she has, she- She had to make it out.
- 4:46still has to do her motherly
- 4:48She still has to be a mother.
- 4:49Yeah, yeah.
- 4:49So the, the Blattes, they, yeah.
- 4:52Yeah.
- 4:52They've been very, very nice to me.
- 4:53Okay, and, and talk, talk me through a few of these services.
- 4:56So- Right.
- 4:58it's, it's, it's Underwater Services.
- 5:00What kind of things does that encompass?
- 5:03Nastiness.
- 5:04Nastiness.
- 5:04The worst.
- 5:05Things going wrong below the waterline.
- 5:07Every, every day.
- 5:07Every day people, you know
- 5:09I, I say to people, everybody comes to me, "I'm Maurice, I want to learn to dive.
- 5:13Diving makes money."
- 5:14I say, "Nope, wrong client."
- 5:17Yeah.
- 5:17You have to have love for this career.
- 5:21Yeah.
- 5:21It's a career,
- 5:24Unfortunately, it's my hobby, so I don't get tired.
- 5:28Yeah, yeah.
- 5:28You love it.
- 5:29I just
- 5:29So you have to have the love for it.
- 5:32So here, as you can see in the background, there's, there's, there's a lot of yachts on the marina.
- 5:37There's plenty of boats, yeah.
- 5:38And they are motor yachts.
- 5:41So years ago when we started, I could have used one lifting bag.
- 5:47It's, uh, like a hot air balloon- Right, yeah, yeah.
- 5:50that you will take
- 5:52So the, the, the thing is you have to start swimming.
- 5:54And Boat Collin said, "Listen, after we have 15 boats on the marina-"We need to leave.
- 6:01Every boat has dropped 2 anchors, port, which is the left, starboard, which is the right.
- 6:08So the first boat came in and dropped both anchors.
- 6:10second boat came in and they have to put it at a certain degree.
- 6:14So you, because of the wind direction to hold it in.
- 6:16So you got these Y shapes going- Yeah, yeah.
- 6:17all- all the way along.
- 6:18Exactly.
- 6:18Right.
- 6:19Yeah.
- 6:19Yeah.
- 6:19So the first boat come in and drop 2 anchor.
- 6:21Yeah.
- 6:22second boat- And then the second one goes there.
- 6:23Yeah.
- 6:24Yeah.
- 6:24Yeah, yeah.
- 6:24third boat comes right here.
- 6:26Yeah.
- 6:26And then the same.
- 6:27So by the time the end of the shore you have one there, first boat now want to leave first.
- 6:32So you have- Right.
- 6:33So you got this overlap-
- 6:355 chains over there.
- 6:36Yeah.
- 6:36Right.
- 6:36And you want to leave first, but my anchor's actually- Exactly.
- 6:39Yeah.
- 6:39getting over your problem.
- 6:40And some captains decide to empty the chain bin, so sometimes we start searching the anchor, we say, "We're going to Montserrat."
- 6:47So, so you have 5 over there starboard, 4 over the port.
- 6:53So you have to come now with a, a, you know, a hun- a bunch of buoys with lines.
- 6:58So we start from the yacht that wants to leave.
- 7:02And they're going to tell you, "We want to bring back the starboard anchor."
- 7:05Okay.
- 7:05Yeah.
- 7:05So we start on the bow of the, of, of the yacht, let's say yacht, um, Alfonero.
- 7:13So we start here- Yeah.
- 7:14on the bow, and we swim.
- 7:16We dive the chain.
- 7:18So the chain now is buried in the mud also, yeah?
- 7:21Yeah.
- 7:21Yeah.
- 7:22So every offending chain, every chain that has, has crossed that, uh, uh, that chain, the Alfonero's chain, we have to mark every one.
- 7:31So you will see from the bow of the boat now, you will see a series of buoys.
- 7:36And every one of those buoys are offending chains.
- 7:39Right.
- 7:39Okay.
- 7:40So it's, it's like a, it's like a series of balloons.
- 7:43Right.
- 7:43But, but not just- No.
- 7:44These, these, these- Not just the anchor.
- 7:44These, these are just little buoys.
- 7:46Oh, right, the- Just to mark.
- 7:47Right.
- 7:47Just normal, normal buoys?
- 7:48Yeah.
- 7:48Right.
- 7:49Okay.
- 7:49Just to show me- So, so the buoy is on the surface?
- 7:51Not- Right.
- 7:51Not floating at
- 7:52Not just yet.
- 7:53Okay.
- 7:53Yeah.
- 7:53So these, these are just marking where the chains cross.
- 7:57Okay.
- 7:58Yeah.
- 7:58The, where the chains cross the anchor that you want to lift.
- 8:02Okay.
- 8:02Then you put one on the anchor.
- 8:05Then you, you surface again.
- 8:07Now is the time you get the balloon lifting bags.
- 8:13Parachute style.
- 8:14Yeah.
- 8:15Just picture the parachute.
- 8:16Yeah.
- 8:16Yeah.
- 8:16And that is what it is.
- 8:18So then you take it down.
- 8:20These anchors are dug into the mud.
- 8:24So we take down this bag and we, you, you, you, you thread it on to the anchor.
- 8:31Come back, you get a tank and take the tank down and then you inflate the bags, so.
- Like straight from the tank?
- Yes.
- Like all you're doing- I mean, we used to, we used to use the old, take our regulator and sit there and
- 8:43Right.
- 8:43Yeah.
- 8:43Yeah.
- 8:45Can't really do that anymore.
- 8:46It takes too long.
- 8:47No.
- 8:47It takes too long.
- 8:48Yeah.
- 8:49and you can't breathe.
- 8:50Yeah.
- 8:51Yeah.
- 8:51Exactly.
- 8:54So now, now I find a way, um, which is not the right thing to do, but every so often you have to take the valves off and make sure no water in the tank.
- 9:03Yeah.
- 9:03Of course.
- 9:03Different story.
- 9:04It's a long, long process.
- 9:05Yeah.
- 9:06But then, um, you inflate the anchor
- 9:09Here, here, here the sweet part of this.
- 9:11So the anchor that you, you're trying to lift is 600 kilos.
- 9:17Okay.
- 9:17The bags that we just add to it is 1,000 kilos.
- 9:21Sometimes 2,000 kilos, 2,500 kilos.
- 9:23Wow.
- 9:25And- That's their lifting capacity?
- 9:26That is the lifting now.
- 9:28So there's- This is, this is- So there's, so there's, what, 1,000 liters of air- Yeah.
- 9:31in the bag?
- 9:32Yeah.
- 9:32Which is like a t- a ton.
- 9:34Exactly.
- 9:34A thousand kilograms of, uh, uh, up it's gonna be, right?
- 9:36So it's gonna
- 9:36So you take the bag all deflated, you, you, you tie it on.
- 9:40Yeah.
- 9:40And when you start to inflate it, it look as like a hot air balloon ready to take off.
- 9:44Yeah.
- 9:44Yeah.
- 9:46The good thing about Falmouth Harbor, you can actually see, the visibility is good.
- 9:50Yeah.
- 9:50In some parts of Antigua, you cannot see that.
- 9:53Yeah.
- 9:53So, let's talk about what we can see now.
- 9:56So you inflate this bag.
- 9:58The anchor's 600 kilos.
- 10:00The bag is 2,500 kilos.
- 10:03So, but because the anchor is so dug in, you need that power to break out from the bottom, from the seabed.
- 10:10Right.
- 10:10There's, so there's, there's suction into the seabed- No.
- 10:12Because they know-
- 10:13that's gonna stop.
- 10:13the anchors, they have, um, flutes.
- 10:16Right.
- 10:16So there's just set, it's just, it's just set- It's dug into the seabed- Right.
- 10:19because, you know, the weight of the chain and everything and they went to- Yeah.
- 10:23And then the, and then the boats pull it back as well, right?
- 10:24Exactly.
- 10:24So it's- Yeah.
- 10:25Okay.
- 10:25Sometimes you don't even see the anchor.
- 10:27The anchor's dug into the seabed.
- 10:28You can only feel-
- 10:30where the chain connects to the anchor.
- 10:32It is so dangerous.
- 10:35So, we then connect the bag to it and you inflate the bag.
- 10:40But now the boat is to the east of you and the chain is running back to the boat.
- 10:46So, you have to stay behind of the anchor.
- 10:49Yeah.
- 10:49Of course.
- 10:49Because, of course, when there's breakout, it's gonna break out with such a speed it's gonna and jump forward.
- 10:56So, it's like a- it's like a rope with tension in it.
- 10:58You don't wanna just suddenly release it 'cause- No.
- 11:00it'll be a jerk.
- 11:01It's gonna- And- It's gonna go.
- 11:03You cannot control that because it's so dug into the seabed that you cannot say I put 5 5, um, pumps of lift on it and it's gonna come out.
- 11:12You have to crank it up and then the bag is gonna break it out from the seabed just like-
- 11:19this big rush to the top.
- 11:20So, you have to make sure you're not so clear.
- 11:23That you're not in the way.
- 11:24Yeah.
- 11:25Exactly.
- 11:25You don't have to be in the way.
- 11:26Exactly.
- 11:26Yeah.
- 11:27So, it's gonna rush.
- 11:28I mean, a- and- and- and because of the expansion of the air, so you have
- 11:32It's gonna go fast.
- 11:33It's gonna- Yeah.
- 11:33The speed is gonna increase.
- 11:35It's actually gonna accelerate up.
- 11:36Yeah.
- 11:36Exactly.
- 11:37Yeah.
- 11:37Exactly.
- 11:38So, you stay behind of it.
- 11:40All flutes pointing away from you, chain going the other way.
- 11:43Yeah.
- 11:43And then you
- 11:44So, like, my boys now, they- they- they- they still not
- 11:49Even though they've been doing this, they still fear of this anchor breaking out.
- 11:55So, you can stay there, you can watch, you can see under the ba- seabed, it's cracks.
- 11:59It is- Yeah.
- 12:00It's breaking away.
- 12:01Yeah.
- 12:01So, um, it's coming slowly and then boom.
- 12:04Right.
- 12:04So, you gotta be patient.
- 12:05Yes.
- 12:06Yes.
- 12:06You said it and you say, "Right, no more."
- 12:08Well, me- "Stay back."
- 12:09For me, I want it go because I got another job to do.
- 12:11Yeah.
- 12:12So I crank it up.
- Yeah.
- 12:14Full, that bag is now boom to the top.
- 12:17Right.
- 12:17Okay, yeah.
- 12:17Yeah.
- 12:18So then, um, once it's- once it gets to the top now, you take your time, you come to the top- Yeah.
- 12:26and then you signal, uh, th- the guy on the bow of the boat now to take up.
- 12:30Yeah.
- 12:30So, he's gonna start winching in, winching in until you reach the- Like, just like you normally would.
- 12:36Yes.
- Yeah.
- 12:37Right.
- 12:37Okay.
- 12:38Yeah.
- 12:38But now because we have offending chains and we have these little buoys mark us, we're gonna winch until you reach there and stop.
- 12:47Then you have to get a second bag, go down now and float the chain, the offending chain.
- 12:53Yeah.
- 12:53You float that chain.
- 12:55So, that chain now is hanging there.
- 12:58Then you deflate the bag with the anchor.
- 13:02Right.
- 13:02Okay.
- 13:03So
- 13:04Yeah.
- Shh
- 13:04So, that's gonna drop the anchor to the seabed.
- 13:07Yeah.
- 13:07And you tuck that bag underneath the chain that you just lift.
- Why are you doing that?
- 'Cause you're clearing that chain.
- 13:15Right.
- Okay.
- 13:16So the- Okay.
- So- so when it- when it was initially lifted, you were crossing over another anchor.
- 13:20Yeah.
- 13:20It's been lifted, so I've been- Okay.
- 13:21Remember-
- 13:21pulled in enough to be on the right side of the anchor.
- 13:22Remember when we're- remember when we started, we mark every offending chain.
- 13:27Yeah.
- Yeah.
- 13:27Yeah.
- 13:27With the buoys.
- 13:28Yeah.
- 13:29Yes.
- 13:29So, this offending chain, we need to get this anchor past that offending chain.
- 13:34So, we have to lift this chain up, pass it underneath.
- 13:37Okay.
- 13:37Yeah.
- 13:38So- so you deflate the bag that you can- you can work with.
- 13:41Yeah.
- You tuck it under the other side of the chain, the offending chain that you just lift.
- 13:47Yeah.
- 13:47Then you reinflate again.
- 13:49Inflate the anchor bag again.
- 13:51Yeah.
- 13:51So, you do that again and take up again until you reach the next offending chain.
- 13:57You lift that chain again.
- 13:58You deflate the bag with the anchor, you pass it underneath, you inflate on the other side and
- 14:04Slowly, slowly back home.
- 14:06Yes.
- 14:06Happy days.
- 14:07For me- Yeah.
- 14:08In 30 to 45 minutes- Yeah.
- 14:10I can get you going.
- 14:12Because- That sounds pretty quick actually.
- 14:14Yes.
- 14:14Sometimes, there's a trick in it, depends on the distance between the 2 offending chains, you can actually get th- them to winch the anchor, push these 2 chain- 2 offending chains together and make one lift.
- 14:30So, when I clear that lift, that's 2 chains I just cleared with one lift.
- 14:36Right.
- 14:36Okay.
- 14:36So, because that's been new- Right.
- 14:38if you've done it before.
- 14:41I- I had- I had a guy from South Africa.
- Yeah.
- 14:45Fully, fully trained diver.
- 14:47Was this- was this crew all working with you?
- 14:49No.
- 14:49He was- he was on a yacht here.
- 14:50Right.
- 14:51Okay.
- Yeah.
- Fully trained.
- 14:53He- he operates the, um, the- the chamber, um
- 14:59The, uh, decompression chamber?
- 15:00Decompression chamber.
- 15:01On this big yacht.
- 15:02Okay.
- 15:03Yeah.
- 15:03And fully trained, I'm telling you.
- 15:06Yeah.
- And you know what, he said, "Maurice, I want to learn because I wanna finish with, um, the yachting."
- He wants to go back to South Africa and start his job.
- Right.
- I say, "Yeah, I'll teach you."
- 15:17To full the bag, his hands
- 15:19he's tall, very tall- Right.
- 15:20like 6 and- 6'6".
- 15:22Yeah.
- And he's- he's clearing
- 15:23he's fulling the bag and imagine full arms length, he's that scared and he- Yeah.
- I bet.
- 15:29barely open the tank.
- Yeah.
- Like, "No.
- 15:31No.
- 15:31No.
- 15:31Come close.
- 15:32Come close to the top."
- 15:33Come close to get it open.
- 15:34Yeah.
- 15:34Exactly.
- 15:34You're gonna be c- Watch this.
- 15:37Yeah.
- 15:37So- so, it is- it is- it is- it is on a
- We get a few hits.
- Sometimes
- Yeah.
- Sometimes you can watch the break out because the sea- but sometimes it just go.
- 15:51With that, all you have to do is hold on to the bag, spit your regulator out, breathe out as fast as you can.
- 16:00Yeah, as soon as it goes.
- 16:00Empty lungs.
- 16:01Yeah.
- 16:01And you ride it to the top.Luckily, we only have like 33 to 36 feet out here.
- 16:09The ride has been so nice.
- 16:12yeah.
- 16:13You don't want that 320, 325 meters, yeah.
- 16:14And then you get sometimes
- 16:16Imagine, you have a 600 kilo anchor and you put on 1000 kilo and it doesn't move.
- 16:21You have to come to the top to get a second bag, because it's so- Oh right, you don't go back to that first bag.
- 16:27Exactly.
- 16:29Yeah.
- It's so dogging.
- The first bag, they move it.
- 16:31second bag, you have to go back there and tie the second bag.
- Now, you're tying that second bag and you're watching all
- 16:38You're, you're, you're watching, I don't know, you're watching- Yeah.
- 16:41you're looking 360.
- 16:42I don't know if it's a 360.
- 16:43But you're looking everything the same time.
- 16:46Yeah.
- So you're concentrating on tying this bag.
- 16:48Then you start pulling the second bag.
- 16:51So now, 600 kilos now have on 2000 kilos of lift.
- Yeah.
- 16:57When that break out, it's gonna fly.
- 17:00It's gonna fly as the bag start rise and the air in the bag expands, and so it speeds up.
- 17:06So you start at 5 miles per hour, by the time you get to the top you're doing 15 miles per hour.
- 17:12There's about 3, 3 or 4 atmospheric we have.
- Yeah.
- 17:14So, um, i- i- it's a ride.
- 17:17You do have a ride, yeah.
- So in that case, you don't wanna get hit because it just break out with- without- without any- any, um, signaling.
- Yeah.
- 17:26You don't wanna get hit, so you just hang on to the bag and you have to empty your lungs because, you know, you have to, um, the air in your lungs is gonna expand.
- Yeah.
- 17:37And you don't want to rupture your lungs.
- 17:38Yeah, so breathe out like a pop.
- 17:39Yeah, yeah.
- 17:40You have to scream your way to the top.
- 17:42Yeah.
- 17:42Then 'Cause you get
- 17:44Now the 2 bags came up and you are between the 2 bags.
- 17:48God.
- 17:49You make a film about that stuff.
- 17:50Well, you know.
- 17:50Yeah.
- 17:50No, I tell you, I tell you.
- 17:52If you d- if you d- if you- if you don't- if you don't use this as a career, don't come and tell me that you want because it makes money.
- 18:01Yeah.
- 18:01This is not a- it's not a one off or a holiday activity.
- 18:03No.
- 18:04And you know what?
- 18:04This is c- this is commercial diving.
- 18:06People see us- people see us here and do see what we do and they
- 18:10Sometimes you take an invoice for about $200, 250.
- 18:16They- they cried.
- They said, "No, that's expensive."
- 18:21But they don't know, sometimes I go with one boy and I swim that chain and in- in my head I'm, I'm, I'm counting every chain that I- that crossed that anchor.
- 18:32Yeah.
- 18:33And it's like I'm taking a GPS position on every chain.
- 18:36So I go straight to the anchor.
- 18:37So all this marking, marking, marking, no.
- 18:40So you as a captain- I know, yeah.
- you wouldn't see what I saw.
- 18:43So I go straight there and I lift that anchor.
- Boom.
- 18:45I say, "Take up."
- And I can feel
- I'm- I'm hanging on the bag there as- as a take up and I can feel, um, when it's- when it actually reaches the fending chain.
- 18:56Yeah.
- And then I know I can stop them, because I know I- I come up against a fending chain.
- 19:00Yeah.
- 19:01So you there
- 19:02And- and- and you don't know how much chains we just clear.
- 19:04Yeah.
- 19:05There's a boat called Solymar.
- 19:08He had 5 on starboard, 4 on port, 9 chains.
- 19:12And within the hour after the boat show, he sail off and he went on charter and they came back and he brought me back.
- 19:18He called me when they came back off the charter.
- 19:21"Maurice, I got something for you."
- 19:23And he had his hands like that and he gave me a Invicta watch.
- 19:27He gave me a Invicta diving watch.
- 19:30I wore it one time, still home.
- Something I cherish.
- 19:34Nice.
- 'Cause they know.
- 19:35We do meet, I tell you- They know, they know what it takes.
- 19:37Yeah, exactly.
- 19:38They know what you're doing.
- 19:38Yeah, yeah.
- 19:39You know, we do meet nice people.
- 19:41And on the other hand sometimes, we meet some real bumpy people.
- 19:43Yeah, because it's easy- it's easy to look at it and go, "Okay, well they just float the anchor up- Yeah, exactly.
- 19:46and then we pull it in, happy days."
- 19:47Yeah.
- 19:47Yeah.
- 19:47Yeah.
- 19:47It's- It's a bit more than just that.
- 19:48Yeah.
- 19:48It's more, it's more- more than just f- watching the bag floating in- Yeah.
- 19:52actually floating in and- and with the anchor, "Okay.
- 19:55All clear."
- 19:56It's more than that.
- 19:57Plenty, plenty more than that, that even- even now I'm explaining it to you, I've not given justice.
- 20:03Yeah.
- 20:03There's a lot to it, yeah.
- The- the- the risk
- 20:05Tell you what, a few nights ago, we were supposed to do a job at 5:00 or 17:00 hour.
- 20:11Okay.
- 20:12Yeah, yeah.
- 20:12Went to the captain, "Ah, no, no, no.
- 20:14Can you hang on a bit?"
- 20:1618:00, 19:00.
- 20:17Yeah.
- 20:18That is 3 hours gone.
- Place is dark.
- Yeah.
- Dark.
- 20:21Yeah.
- 20:21Well, again.
- 20:24It's mind, your mind.
- 20:26I always say, "I'm a soldier.
- 20:29I can go to war.
- 20:30My boys, they would never venture out in the dark.
- 20:35Yeah, yeah.
- 20:36So I had another job that I was doing, I had just got home and just was eating 'cause we haven't eaten for the day.
- 20:42Yeah.
- 20:42That's the next thing.
- 20:43Sometimes you're so busy you can't eat.
- 20:45Yeah, you're in a war, you can't just sip a drink or- Exactly.
- 20:48uh, have a sandwich.
- 20:49No, no, no, no.
- 20:49Yeah, yeah.
- 20:49So I just got home, I took off my wet clothes and put my dry pants on and- and- and Kevron, my- my, uh, head diver, he said, um, "Maurice, you need to come down here.
- 20:58These guys ready to leave."
- 21:00"What do you mean?
- 21:01Can they not go tomorrow?"
- 21:02"No, no, no, they have the owners on board and the captains and"
- 21:05But
- 21:07Okay.
- 21:08Put on back my wetties.
- 21:10Came down to the harbor, so 8 o'clock at night, I was lifting anchors.
- 21:15Now, their anchor was on the battello, like, a 80 meter motor yacht.
- 21:21Wow.
- 21:21So I have to s- Big anchor.
- 21:22I have to let them know that I'm gonna be passing underneath.
- 21:26Th- this in dark?
- 21:27This is in dark.
- 21:28This is in dark.
- 21:30Right?
- 21:31So all of that, what I explained to you first about the break out and everything- Yeah.
- 21:35I'm doing this in the dark.
- 21:36Do that at night.
- 21:36So then- Invisibility.
- 21:37now you become a lobster.
- 21:41So no more- Maurice the lobster.
- 21:43Exactly, no more sightings.
- 21:46So you have to rest your foot- You're feeling your way.
- 21:48Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, you have to rest
- 21:49Oh, well, okay.
- 21:50No, I don't think it is.
- 21:50And you know- you know- you know- you know what this have done to my life, Ben?
- 21:55So I have a screw to put in.
- 21:57I'm fixing something at home- Yeah.
- 21:59and there's a screw to put in.
- 22:00Mm-hmm.
- 22:00I'm looking there and I cannot get the thread catch.
- 22:03Then I close my eyes.
- 22:05Then you can feel it.
- 22:06Then I- I
- 22:07So that is what it has done- Yeah.
- 22:09to me, the impact- Yeah.
- 22:09on my life.
- 22:10Yeah.
- 22:11So like that now, I can't see anything.
- 22:13Mm-hmm.
- 22:14So you feel, hoping there's no sea urchins there.
- 22:17Yeah.
- 22:18Yeah.
- 22:18'Cause we don't, I don't use gloves.
- 22:20Okay.
- 22:21Actual
- 22:21If you want the actual feel, for me-
- 22:25is, yeah, my mom
- 22:27I hope my mom won't watch this video.
- 22:30She- she- You'll be in a lot of trouble.
- 22:31She- she was a nurse and she never- Yeah.
- 22:33ever wanted me to dive.
- 22:35Yeah, yeah.
- 22:35Never.
- 22:36And now you're doing this stuff.
- 22:37I know, but I enjoy it.
- It's my hobby.
- 22:40Okay.
- 22:40But, um, I rest my foot on the anchor.
- 22:42Yeah.
- 22:43And then you start inflate and so you can feel the bo- You feel lifting, like, you feel your foot like- Right.
- 22:49And then the bag is gonna start
- 22:51So you're filling the bag at eye level and then you feel the bag start
- 22:56Your eye level now becomes over your head so you know it's going.
- 22:59Yeah.
- But you're standing behind of it still, you must feel where the stock connects to the chain so you know you should not be that side of it.
- Yeah.
- 23:09So you come from the back of the anchor.
- 23:11Yeah, of course.
- 23:11So once you're there, it's never gonna jump back towards you.
- 23:15It's always gonna jump forward- Yeah, of course.
- 23:16towards the boat.
- 23:17Yeah.
- 23:17Yeah.
- 23:18And yeah, that's- that's
- 23:19I mean- Then you're out of the way.
- 23:20sometimes I wonder why.
- 23:23Yeah.
- 23:23But I have
- 23:24Well, I have 4 daughters and now I have a granddaughter.
- 23:27I bet they're just as worried as you are.
- 23:29It's like, "Stop doing this, dad."
- 23:31I have to
- 23:32I have to every day, pain, I drink a painkiller or flu, sometimes I force it and when I blow I have, you know, mucus- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- with blood.
- 23:44Yeah, you just gotta get rid of it.
- 23:44Streaks of blood because
- 23:45Yeah, yeah, it's, uh, it's not
- 23:47Uh, to be honest, it's not- It's tough.
- 23:49an easy road.
- 23:50Yeah, no kidding.
- 23:50Not an easy road.
- 23:51Yeah.
- 23:51I mean- And- and so- so outside of moving the anchors- Yeah.
- 23:54wha- what are the other services?
- 23:55You mentioned salvage and that kind of stuff.
- 23:57Yeah, we did
- 23:58We
- 23:58Like- like my guys are over there right now, you can see the dive flag over there.
- Oh, yeah, I see, yeah, yeah.
- 24:02So they just finished scrubbing the hull of this dark blue yacht here.
- 24:06Yeah, yeah.
- 24:07Athena.
- 24:07Yeah, yeah.
- 24:08So they
- 24:09What happens, the antifouling paint, the paint that they put on the bottom to prevent growth is not like before because of the environmental, people and everything.
- 24:18Yeah, yeah.
- 24:19So now certain chemicals are not allowed to put in the bo- paint anymore.
- 24:23Okay, yeah.
- 24:24So the- the- the bottom paint is similar to me to the top side paint.
- 24:29So it's not like you think top s-
- 24:30So the
- 24:31It will grow.
- 24:32Right, okay.
- 24:32So ever so often you have to- So there'll be loads of power filer- filing- Right.
- 24:35aw- all down it, just- just below the water line?
- Below the water line.
- 24:38Yeah, a little bit below.
- 24:39So there's that.
- 24:39Right.
- 24:41Yeah.
- 24:41And, um, so you have to scrape, you have
- 24:45We use, um, the taping knives, um, drywall scraping knives.
- 24:48Yeah, yeah.
- So when I go to the States, I go in Home Depot and I pick up all of the shit.
- All, because we cannot get them here.
- 24:54Right, okay.
- 24:55Or what we get here is not good quality.
- 24:57Right, okay, yeah.
- 24:58So you have to scrape and then wipe.
- 25:02And this is
- 25:03What I'm doing here is one action.
- Scrape- Oh, you gotta do it quick.
- 25:07Yeah.
- 25:07Scrape, wipe, done.
- 25:08Or else- Carry on.
- 25:09Imagine you have a boat like, um, motor yacht A.
- 25:14Yeah, a big one.
- 25:14Yes.
- 25:15Yeah, yeah.
- 25:16So it becomes a involuntary act to you after- Yeah.
- 25:20And there's nothing to hold you up,
- 25:23People say, "What, you hang on ropes?"
- 25:24No.
- 25:25So again, your lungs is a, uh, like a flotation bag.
- Yeah.
- 25:29So you in- involuntarily, you're taking air and you're rising.
- 25:33Every time you take a breath, it brings you up- Yeah.
- so and then you- you breathe out, you- you drop.
- 25:37But are you- but are you in scuba gear?
- 25:39Scuba gear.
- 25:39But we don't use BCDs.
- 25:41To
- We use- Right, so just a long hose.
- Just a long hose.
- 25:44Long hose with a rag on the end.
- 25:45No, we have what we call a hookah.
- 25:47Okay, yeah.
- 25:47I- I get- An exte- an external line just on the surface, yeah, yeah.
- 25:50We get problems and we- Yeah, and the bubbles are down the front, uh, there's where they are.
- Exactly.
- 25:55So- so you
- 25:56And you're not kicking, you're not doing much kicking.
- 25:58Right.
- 25:58Yeah.
- 25:58It- it might
- 25:59It become an involuntary act, so you just-
- 26:02know when to dump, know when to- You just do it.
- 26:04and, and, you know?
- 26:04You just kind of get it, yeah.
- 26:04So maybe we can start a movie on Karate Kid.
- 26:08Yeah.
- 26:08Oh, yeah.
- 26:09You're scraping and you're wiping.
- 26:10Do this actually a thousand times- Yeah, exactly.
- 26:11then you're ready to go to the boats, yeah.
- 26:12So, um, yeah.
- 26:14So then-
- 26:15we, we, we, we clean.
- 26:17Yeah.
- 26:18Then, um, we'll have to scrape the propellers because, um, a lot of crustacean, barnacles and stuff, they love that.
- 26:26They hold onto the propellers.
- 26:28Yeah.
- 26:28So we scrape them back and then polish them with wet and dry, so make them shiny again.
- 26:34change the sacrificial metal, 'cause where you have this similar metal, you have what you call electrolysis.
- 26:39Yeah.
- 26:40So the, the scientists have c- came up with this idea to put this softer metal, which is, um, like zinc.
- 26:47Yeah, yeah.
- 26:47So we attach it to the boat.
- So sometimes we have to change those.
- 26:53We also change propellers.
- 26:54Propellers, again, is not like the conventional fan blade where it just one set pitch.
- 27:02Now you have max prop, you have variable pitch.
- 27:05Yeah, there's loads of different types.
- 27:06Yeah, so, oh- Yeah, yeah.
- 27:07Um
- 27:08Twin props, big props, small props.
- 27:09Yeah, exactly.
- 27:10And the blades rotate.
- 27:11They rotate.
- 27:12So you have to- Yeah.
- you have, we have, sometime you have to take them off underwater.
- 27:17Do not drop anything.
- 27:19Do you do, do the, the big propellers?
- 27:22Yeah.
- So do
- 27:23will you use a float bag again when they come off- Well, well, we have-
- 27:24and, like, hold them up?
- 27:25We have big plates that goes behind the propeller with threaded bolts.
- 27:29Okay, yeah.
- And big, uh, hydraulic jacks.
- 27:32Oh, right.
- 27:33Oh, wow.
- 27:33So just to get enough force to pull them off.
- 27:35Pull it.
- 27:36And then with a sledge.
- 27:37Yeah.
- 27:38I, I, I had a diver in mind, like, you know- Yeah, yeah.
- 27:41No, no- Put feet on the other propeller- Yeah.
- 27:42so you're pulling it with your hands, but it's hydraulic, so okay, yeah.
- 27:44Um, I have, I have a container with all, with all these gears.
- 27:46Yeah, yeah.
- 27:47It, it, it, it's been, it's unimaginable among the things we have to do underwater.
- 27:53The stuff that you need, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Um, again, so that is that with the c- scrubs, the prop changes.
- 28:00Yeah.
- 28:00Yeah.
- Um, ever so often people misread the GPS and end up on the rocks.
- 28:10So we're at home, 3:00 in the morning, and you hear, "Mayday, we're sinking."
- 28:16Yeah.
- 28:16So I have
- 28:17Know what I did?
- 28:18I just bought a big box truck like, like they have in England 'cause I, I, I did some work in England.
- Oh, yeah?
- I did some nursing in England.
- 28:25I was a home care nurse- Oh, right.
- in, in England.
- 28:28So what I saw, when you call the agency, they send this cargo van.
- 28:32Right, yeah.
- 28:32So I, I did that.
- 28:33You saw the, the, the box trailers that- Yes, yes.
- 28:35that you just kind of hook up and go on?
- 28:36Yes, everything is in that trunk.
- Yeah.
- So when I, I park it here- Yeah, I just seen it this morning.
- 28:41Yeah, yeah.
- 28:41So when they, when they say, "Mayday," I jump on it, call all my guys, "Who can meet, meet."
- get down here, we jump in the boat, we head out- Yeah.
- crash pumps.
- 28:51If it sink, well, then it's not a rush anymore 'cause we'll have to get things together.
- Yeah, yeah.
- 28:56But if they're sinking, they're taking on water
- Then there's a chance to save it.
- 29:00We can save it.
- 29:00Yeah.
- 29:00Which we've done 3:00 in the morning- Well done.
- 29:03some things like that.
- 29:05yeah.
- 29:05So again, I am always the one to jump over the side, swim into that boat.
- 29:11And that is what it is.
- It's no f- I don't want to say there's no fear, but for the- Yeah.
- 29:16For the love- There's a lot of danger.
- 29:17Yes.
- 29:18A lot of danger.
- 29:18For the love of saving and I will go.
- 29:23I will swim through the reef with a rope behind me and attach, find the s- the strong point in the boat, sometimes you have to take the rope right around the boat.
- 29:31Because I've been doing this for years with a guy called John Bentley and my, my job was always the young and strong.
- 29:39So tie 600 feet of, uh, 2inch line around my waist and swim into the reef and then they on the tug and they'll pull and I'm always on a sinking boat.
- So then, but I've learned and I enjoy teaching young 'cause, I mean, things have changed a lot now, you know?
- 29:59Yeah.
- 29:59There's not much for the youngster.
- 30:00They, they're thinking about going other ways and so I, I find it very hard- Yeah, it's fulfilling.
- to, to teaching.
- Fulfilling, there's purpose, yeah.
- 30:10Yeah, yeah.
- 30:10Yeah.
- 30:11So like now I have a 14-year-old and he was being with me from maybe 9, but he's, he's diving, he's pushing his weight with the other big guys, he's doing his thing.
- 30:25When school is out, he's here.
- 30:27I have another young fellow there, he's about 18.
- 30:31He's also, um, doing the thing.
- 30:33And-
- 30:34we teach and we party.
- 30:37That's the next part of Maurice Underwater Service.
- 30:39Yeah.
- 30:40We party.
- 30:40Uh, we- For the boat show and the sailing week and all of that, I'm the best dancer.
- 30:49Yeah, so it's work, it's workout for ya.
- 30:51Yeah, yeah, play harder.
- 30:52Also.
- 30:53Also.
- 30:53Yeah, yeah.
- 30:53Well, now, I've, I've, I've gotten a bit wiser.
- 30:56I'm not saying older.
- 30:57I've gotten a bit wiser.
- 30:58Yeah.
- 30:59So we don't really drink like before.
- 31:02But, um, that's the call of, uh- Have you got to go?
- 31:05No, no, just
- 31:06Yeah.
- 31:08So we realized the ringtone was different from the other, so even- Yeah, I thought, I thought you were about to swing up here.
- 31:12even when the engine is, uh, running, I can hear that.
- 31:15Yeah.
- 31:15Right, yeah, yeah.
- 31:15And so, um, yeah, but, um, all in all, it's been wonderful years meeting people, sharing ideas- Yeah.
- 31:25um, helping and sharing a service.
- 31:28Yeah.
- 31:29And for the Super Yacht Publications, I wanna say very thank you to Super Yacht Publications for what they're doing.
- 31:35I saw they expand right up to the north, to the south, so they spread.
- 31:41Now the books are much thicker now- Yeah, yeah.
- 31:43which means, I call it the yachting bible.
- 31:46Anything you want in there.
- 31:48Also, before I forget, we also offer, because of so much information sharing, I'm calling taxi guys.
- 31:55So my wife now, we're into the tax- taxi business.
- 31:58Oh, right, yeah.
- 31:59So we've got a business, taxi business, and it's called Bubbles Taxi.
- 32:02Bubbles Taxi.
- 32:03Yes.
- 32:04There we go.
- 32:04Yeah, I introduced it to her just now.
- 32:06And then we've built a little apartment on top of the hill.
- 32:11Again, rules of sharing.
- 32:13So we have diversified a little bit, but it's just for the love of humanity.
- 32:20Whatever we do, we just think about other people and their well-doing, well-beings.
- 32:27And so, and that's only how we can help.
- 32:31Along the line, you're gonna be paid.
- 32:33Good man.
- 32:34Maurice, thank you so much for sharing- Yeah.
- 32:35your story.
- 32:35That's awesome.
- 32:36It was a pleasure, yeah.
- 32:37I'm gonna be talking about that quite a lot and showing the video.
- 32:40Oh, I, I will sit here, I will give you stories and stories and stories.
- 32:43It, it, it's, it's, it's, it's never-ending.
- 32:47Yeah.
- 32:47Every day, there's something to tell.
- 32:48Something's gonna happen, yeah, yeah.
- 32:49Something to tell, yeah.
- 32:52During Sailing Week, there was a little boat from there sailing at National Sailing Academy.
- 32:55Yeah.
- 32:566 Antiguans on board.
- 32:58Their whole rudder ripped right out, they were sinking.
- 33:01I was there, over there, the flag.
- 33:04I said my boat is the flag carrier, always the hu- the biggest Antigua flag.
- 33:08If you're looking in any magazine and you see the Antigua flag among the yachts out there, that's me.
- 33:13That's you.
- 33:14And the big pin- pink shirt.
- Pink shirt.
- 33:16Yeah, yeah.
- 33:16With the pink shirt, yeah.
- 33:17Yeah.
- 33:18Who you're taking care of.
- 33:19So what happened, they, they, they, they pull the rudder out and start taking water.
- 33:23And only how I could've saved their lives was I had my wetsuit.
- 33:27I wasn't diving, and yet, I was wearing my wetsuit.
- 33:31So I stuffed that in the hole.
- 33:34Took them on board, saved the 6 young Antiguans, so phew.
- 33:38Good man, Maurice.
- 33:39Stories and stories and stories.
- 33:40Yes.
- 33:40Stories and stories Yeah, yeah.
- 33:41Maurice, thank you so much.
- 33:42Yeah, yes.
- 33:42Thanks for coming on the podcast.
- 33:43Love it.
- Yes, thank you.
- 33:44Carry on doing what you're doing.
- 33:45I'll, I'll see you next year.
- 33:46Hopefully you're still here.
- 33:47See you, I, I hope so, fingers crossed.
- 33:49Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 33:50Yeah, that's great.
- 33:51Everybody, if you enjoy content like this, make sure you're following him to see plenty more of it, all being well.
- 33:56We'll see you again next time.
- 33:57We've been speaking to Maurice Underwater Services.
- 34:00If you're ever in Antigua, come and meet Maurice, come and use their services.
- 34:04Yeah.
- 34:04Why not?
- 34:04They can help.
- All being well, we'll see you again next time.
- 34:07Bye for now.
- 34:08So it's Maurice, AKA Mo-Rice.
- 34:10They call me Mo-Rice because of the phonics of my name.
- 34:13So you will see, if you look from behind, you'll see Mo-Rice.
- If you look in front, you'll see Maurice.
- 34:18It's the same person.
- 34:20There we go.
- All right, awesome.
- See you everybody.
- Thank you.
- 34:22Bye,