Sailboat Runs over DiveFlags at BHB

[jar546]

I see how the politics in this situation can be detrimental to the divers in the long run due to the "big picture" and hope that those involved will be able to smooth this situation out.

I have 2 observations now that the channel usage is explained and I have seen the video.

1) Regardless approval for channel usage, there is still no excuse for any boat to ignore a dive flag, let alone 2 of them.
2) If it is a narrow channel that has barriers on its sides, why are divers in the middle and not crossing further down on the north or south side where they will be spending less time inside the narrow barrier. I don't see why one of them surfaced inside a narrow channel on top of that situation
3) The surface markers used appear to be way too small and if the dive flag is slightly folded, it just looks like a red marker. We use the larger round yellow floats with a larger dive flag on top of that around here. Those 2 small dive flags almost look like channel markers (although one should have been green if they were)

I am not giving an excuse to the sailboat diver with #3 above since I am a diver but those flags/floats are just simply too small in my opinion.

We use these:

 

[jimw]

If there's a desire on the boater's part to have maximum clearance, does going under the bridge at HIGH tide make ANY sense? Low tide would give an additional 2-3 ft of clearance. If depth is the problem, simply looking as a diver under water indicates that the marked channel is deeper. So what's up here!!:shocked2:

 

[jimw]

2) If it is a narrow channel that has barriers on its sides, why are divers in the middle and not crossing further down on the north or south side where they will be spending less time inside the narrow barrier. I don't see why one of them surfaced inside a narrow channel on top of that situation.

The normal marked channel is to the left of the barrier shown, the boat shooting the video has come thru that marked channel. The divers on the surface are in what would have been considered a safe place to be until recently. I had not heard of a secondary channel until the "sanctuary" meeting a few months ago. The bridge is unmarked as to a secondary channel. And, of course, I question it's use at high tide under ANY circumstances.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

The normal marked channel is to the left of the barrier shown, the boat shooting the video has come thru that marked channel. The divers on the surface are in what would have been considered a safe place to be until recently. I had not heard of a secondary channel until the "sanctuary" meeting a few months ago. The bridge is unmarked as to a secondary channel. And, of course, I question it's use at high tide under ANY circumstances.

We make all kinds of consessions to facilitate boat traffic, often it is recreational. Did you ever consider the costs to construct, maintain and operate the drawbridges that stop sometimes hundreds of vehicles just so one rich guy is not delayed on his trip to the ocean? The bridges are generally maned and operated to allow passage of very few vessels.

If you think the feds are going to re-write the laws and demand that a sailboater is going to delay his passage until low tide in order to protect some divers who choose to dive in a channel, you are clueless.

Dan has continued to try to get across the idea that, divers are going to loose access if this situation is escalated. Divers are specifically precluded from diving in designated channels (even with flags) because they can be considered a navigational hazard. We can not dive with a flag in the middle of the Palm Beach Inlet!

The reality of the matter is that divers should NOT be diving in that area, but thankfully the frequency that sailboats use that channel is pretty low. As I mentioned before, "lost" divers venturing into the primary designated channel is a far, far more common occurance than sailboats crossing this eastern "channel" when divers are present. I imagine the USCG and sherrif are getting tired of the calls on Channel 16 about divers and their flags venturing out into the main channel. Not too long ago i saw a cop pulling a flag out of the water from the channel, I assumed there was a diver on the other end of it.

People also need to take a look at the dive flag laws. A boat can be legally operated 2 feet away from a dive flag with the props turning. It sounds like a few people need to educate themselves about the Florida dive flag laws. It does not provide some kind of guardian angel "safety halo" over your head.

 

[DennisS]

Vessel operators must make a reasonable effort to maintain a distance of at least 300 feet from divers-down flags on open waters and at least 100 feet from flags on rivers, inlets or navigation channels. Vessels approaching divers-down flags closer than 300 feet in open water and 100 feet in rivers, inlets and navigation channels must slow to idle speed.

That's the law, they can get close, as long as they are at idle speed.

 

[pygar]

Hey you sure it was a sailboat and not a "bunch of kids on kayaks"? LOL...that might be a real hazard... Sorry, had to get that out. But seriously, how close did it come to the flags?

 

[FWADIVER]

have to say as both a sailor and diver that the boat did nothing wrong here, he is going at idel speed, and even if he did bump someone that small of a boat going that slow isint going to do any serious damage to a person in low seas like that. Maybe in high seas if it lands on someones head. there is another issue that it looks to me he was trying to thread the 2 dive flags, which probably seemed reasonable to him if he doesn't have any diving experience,
reminds me of one time fishing with my uncle "there is a red and a green light what do i do?"
(without looking up) "go between them"

(red and green light were not the channel markers but were an oncoming freighter... made for a little hairy situation)

Edit: also someone is exaggerating a bit, that boat is no more than 40feet long with a mast small enough to be supported with only 2 spreaders

 

[imwright1985]

Vessel operators must make a reasonable effort to maintain a distance of at least 300 feet from divers-down flags on open waters and at least 100 feet from flags on rivers, inlets or navigation channels. Vessels approaching divers-down flags closer than 300 feet in open water and 100 feet in rivers, inlets and navigation channels must slow to idle speed.

That's the law, they can get close, as long as they are at idle speed.

If his boat is capable of fitting under the area between the walls since that is set up as the channel (I double checked that the signage dictates that as the channel if you follow any of the boaters safety rules) and if his boat could navigate through the guided area he didn't make a reasonable effort to avoid them and placed them in danger. Plus the sailboat going under the bridge just after him looks to be a very similar size and it went through the main.

Sailboat owners should take more caution since if that boat was small enough to go through the channel he could have been cited and Divers should be aware being in the channel is a danger and could get you a ticket.

problem is alot of people in the area have an elitist attitude and it leads to a nasty situation which we are on the brink of, and with bombarding cops and politicians people are just going to irritate them where they begin to harass everyone.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

If his boat is capable of fitting under the area between the walls since that is set up as the channel (I double checked that the signage dictates that as the channel if you follow any of the boaters safety rules) and if his boat could navigate through the guided area he didn't make a reasonable effort to avoid them and placed them in danger. Plus the sailboat going under the bridge just after him looks to be a very similar size and it went through the main.

Sailboat owners should take more caution since if that boat was small enough to go through the channel he could have been cited and Divers should be aware being in the channel is a danger and could get you a ticket.

problem is alot of people in the area have an elitist attitude and it leads to a nasty situation which we are on the brink of, and with bombarding cops and politicians people are just going to irritate them where they begin to harass everyone.

Yes the cop should climb up the mast with a tape measure to determine if the boat really needed to go through that portion of the channel. I like the practicallity of some of these suggestions.

 

[imwright1985]

Yes the cop should climb up the mast with a tape measure to determine if the boat really needed to go through that portion of the channel. I like the practicallity of some of these suggestions.

It's not that dumb of a suggestion, you should be able to see the clearance as a witness, and you should know your boat which is why they have a bridge clearance marking on the right side of the channel that shows how many ft you have. Idk if the coastguard plackard would display that info, but on power boats they show weight, capacity, length,..... I would hope they have height marked on something like a sailboat