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

[84CJ7]

Hmm, mines, I like that. Someone should rig up a half dozen or so bouy mines and just leave them anchored out there. People will learn not to hit them fairly quick.

Just use a heavy wood float with lotsa nails in it, that would be counter productive for them to hit.

 

[widebody50]

Not exactly a dive flag story...but, we had a dive boat drop anchor right on top of the pinnacle we were diving in Lap Paz, MX. And the boat was from the same resort we were diving with!

 

[dive_lover88]

ouch...couldn't resist that...

 

[PhotoTJ]

she then demanded that i return her lure.
i cut the line with my knife leaving the lure stuck in my wet suit.
i told her to come and get it and then submerged to resume my dive.

I am loving this! Only would have been better if you had yanked her rod out of her hands by the line, and taken that with you.

 

[Scuba_Dooba_NJ]

Washington State also has a law that requires the use of a dive flag for shore diving. Except when conducting classes, we ignore it ... towing a dive flag can be hazardous to your health.

A couple years back I watched as a large (45+ foot) boat plowed through a popular dive site at over 20 knots and ran over a dive flag. The flag was in 20 feet of water, and there was an OW class being conducted directly beneath it. The whole thing was captured on video, and the boat owner and operator was easily identifiable, as he lived in one of the expensive waterfront condos just a few blocks from the incident.

When we reported it to the Seattle Harbor Patrol, they told us there was nothing they could do about it unless the guy hit and injured somebody. As the officer explained "no law was broken". Of course, deciding that it's safer not to use a dive flag is, in fact, breaking the law ... go figure.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Maybe a law wasn't broken, but that's ripe for a civil case settlement.

 

[SHARKBAIT94]

See you all dream about taking action against boaters, well being a boater and a diver you have to remember one thing, your underwater and powered by your feet/fins, the boater on the other hand needs the prop to go any place. I saw a guy do this to a fishing boat that anchored next to the groups dive flag. The diver went over once they started fishing and took the prop, just pulled the cotter pin and took the nut off and swam away with the boats prop. When they went to move the engine revved up and went no where were they p.oed about loosing the prop, once they figured out they lost the prop. They asked the divers on the surface if any one found a prop on the bottom. I laughed so hard I was glad I was in the water when I peed all over the place.

 

[Scubaroo]

To share my experience - any time a diver takes an action against a fisherman (or woman!), it reinforces the fishermen's opinions that divers are "the enemy" and are to be despised/interfered with etc. I've had fishermen try to snare us with squid jigs (evil little lures with about twenty hooks apiece) at a local pier - I later spoke to a diving colleague in my office who proudly bragged about cutting fishing lines there in the past and then tugging on the hookless lines. Needless to say fishermen at the pier have come to loath divers, even though it's a popular training site and one of the best pier dives in the state.

I on the other handhave picked up lost tackle, fishing knives etc and ask the kids on the pier fishing with their dads etc if they want some free stuff - and try and foster a good image for divers.

Sure it's hard when there's d!ckheads about in boats and jetskis, but there's no need to take actions that perpetuate the problem.

 

[Wijbrandus]

The diver went over once they started fishing and took the prop, just pulled the cotter pin and took the nut off and swam away with the boats prop.

I won't be the one to pull that trick. Quick way to lose a hand I'd think.

I will start carrying a six foot length of nylon rope though, if I have to dive where the knuckleheads are boating. I like that one.

 

[fishoutawater]

I was in a LDS once listening to the owner relate his dive flag experience.
He said he was spear fishing in the Lake of the Ozarks back in a cove about 15ft deep. He had his float above him. Some dude in a jon boat comes idling into the cove and cuts his motor right next to his flag, and starts fishing. Guy gets mad and shoots his spear thru the guys hull. He surfaces and asks him if he knows what a dive flag means. Guy in boat startsd yelling at him about hole in his boat. Diver goes under boat and retrieves his spear from boat, he resurfaces and guy is still yelling about hole in his boat. Guy in boat leaves. Guy in boat comes back a few minutes later with game warden behind him. Guy in boat says, "that's the guy that shot my boat". Game warden says to guy in boat, "you didn't see his diver down flag?". Guy in boat says he didn't know it was a diver down flag. Game warden asks diver, "did you shoot a hole in the guys boat"? Diver says, "Yeah, I did. He scared the crap outta me, and I accidently pulled the trigger". Game warden writes a ticket and gives it to guy in boat.
Cool.

 

[rottielover]

hey fishoutawater ...

Sounds like you and I are going to bump into each other sometime, are you talking about the LDS on Main St. in old town St. Charles??