(6/15/05) Someone tried to steal my float while I was under!

[paolov]

here's one .

we were on a "dive boat" getting ready to dive when another boat with "tourists" on it went straight over a Dive Balloon. it gave me some quivers to think a diver may be surfacing anytime at that point and at the speed he was running, a cracked skull was the least that could happen.

 

[RoadWarrior]

I'm not making a judgement with this statement but.... Last time I dived Panama City was also my first time to dive Florida. My wife and I were not accustomed to seeing fishing boats at dive sites. When we arrived at one of the dive sites there were two fishing boats already there, 2 fisherman each, and I can tell you they were not happy seeing our 6-pack arrive. In fact, a guy on the boat nearest us stood up, shaking his head, and started pulling in his line. Buy the time we were all in the water that particular boat was driving away. My wife and I talked about how we hoped we didn't run into someones hook down there and the thought of a fisherman dragging his hook across my back came to mind a couple of times.

So what do think is proper? Does first come, first serve, mean anything in these cases? If the divers are there 1st maybe the fishermen should look elswhere. If the fishermen are there first maybe the divers should look elswhere.

Hey, that cherry bomb thing is pretty rude. That would start a fight in my house.

I have seen numerous cases of dive flag abuse. I was diving once on the sugar barge near Anna Maria Island on FL gulf coast when 2 fishermen started fishing over our heads. We finally had to return to shore and call the FMP.

Many sport fishermen in Florida do not like divers or the Flag law. Some have told me they don't like divers, because divers and their flags take up all of the good fishing spots.

I have even been told by a dive boat operator in Jupiter that some fishermen have dropped cherry bombs tied to sinkers on divers, to make them leave prime spots.

 

[Jim Ernst]

OMG!
I hadn't realized how often this situation takes place. I thought my instance was rare. Boy how unfortunate it is to find that there are that many boaters and jet skiers out there who don't know the rules (laws?).
I remember a ranger telling my son and I that even jet ski's have to stay 200 feet from any markers and at least 50' from any swimming area.
Aren't boaters required to sign something like the DMV paper when they go to get their licensing for the water craft?

Looks like it's dangerous out there. So let's be careful people!

in the great state of ca anyone 16 and older can operate a boat or jet ski with no license at all, so that tells you a little of the laws here and the fact that there is no required training or licensing for the operators of private crafts as this came to concern for me when i was almost struck by a boat flying by my flote and was confronted by a VERY large and if need be nasty boater friend of mine that was watching out for me while i was on a solo dive!!!!

 

[ShakaZulu]

Time to use my Al Qaeda training on some of these boats..........now where can I buy a car bomb????

 

[scubanick]

well the dive flags will not do a bit of good it ignorant ***** people will drive their boats
up to them i bout one that has a little float that says diver below with the dive flah on top i asked a boater friend of mind did he know what the dive flag looked like
he kinda knew and i asked if he knew how far away he was suppose to stay
he said he figured like 300 feet i like his thinking

 

[Wee Haggis]

Unfortunately, dive flag tampering will continue unless there are consequences. I like the spear gun idea offered earlier in this thread ... but slightly more subtle is a handful of monofilament line around a prop ... especially if it is their own fishing line.

Why must it be so difficult to prosecute offenders?

Jet skis are a particular nuisance because they love to slalom around our flags. Not only are they annoying, they make ascents dodgey affairs. A couple of buddies took care of them one afternoon by hooking their lift bags to some dead heads and rocketing them to the surface. You should have seen the look on their faces when these logs shot out of the water. No one was hurt, but they kept their distance for the rest of the afternoon.

Serious boaters tend to respect the flag, but the weekend cottage warriors are drawn to them like a fat kid on a glazed ham. This is why I prefer the use of a DSMB. Unfortunately, we have little choice but to float our flag during most of our dives.

 

[DiveGolfSki]

Okay, speargun and powerhead may not be enough ....

 

[gfisher4792]

I know it's been posted in earlier threads, but grabbing beer bottles off the bottom (I'm sure plenty of dive sites, especially popular fishing locales, have a few littering the bottom), filling them with air off your octo and shooting them to the surface (like a polaris missle) at offending boats has interesting results (good and bad). I've shot bottles up (not at boats, though) just for fun.

As a fisherman as well, I do understand why popular dive spots are also popular fishing spots (structure = fish), but man, are there a lot of stupid people out there.

 

[simbrooks]

So what do think is proper? Does first come, first serve, mean anything in these cases? If the divers are there 1st maybe the fishermen should look elswhere. If the fishermen are there first maybe the divers should look elswhere.

That was how we did it in New Symrna, we got to the site and looked around for fishermen, if they were there we moved on, if they werent we dove and when we were done the fishermen who waited came in to the wreck site.

but slightly more subtle is a handful of monofilament line around a prop ... especially if it is their own fishing line.

You first getting up close to the whiring blades of death

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I know it's been posted in earlier threads, but grabbing beer bottles off the bottom (I'm sure plenty of dive sites, especially popular fishing locales, have a few littering the bottom), filling them with air off your octo and shooting them to the surface (like a polaris missle) at offending boats has interesting results (good and bad). I've shot bottles up (not at boats, though) just for fun.

As a fisherman as well, I do understand why popular dive spots are also popular fishing spots (structure = fish), but man, are there a lot of stupid people out there.

:evilgrin: thanks for the idea.....