Anchor Almost Dropped on Head - What Would You Do?

[doctormike]

I hooked the anchor back on the chain and then took it under a large overhang and wrapped the chain around a large horizontal rock.

We later observed the boat attempting to free its anchor and then break the rope. Numerous people saw what happened and all agreed with what I did.

I'm sure that they did! Sorry you couldn't find more here, but I guess you found a few....

So, back to my question. What are you going to do to make sure that particular underwater hazard never puts you at risk in the future?

Not sure how thing go in Australia, but here in the US, armed people sometimes escalate things when they feel that they are in the right and they have been wronged. We just had a guy shoot and kill another guy in a movie theatre for texting during a preview and throwing popcorn at him.
I used to do a lot of road biking, and some messenger wannabes used to carry a small metal punch with them. If a car got too close to them, they would ride next to it, and click the punch on a side window, shattering it, then turning against traffic to ride away and escape. Me personally, I don't pick fights like that.

Try to see it from the other side. You may be very attuned to bubbles in the water, but boaters aren't necessarily the same. As far as he was concerned, he was operating completely within the laws of the land (as you feel you were), and some diver stole his anchor. (I mean, I don't think that he saw you and deliberately tried to kill you). Do you think that will make him more or less concerned about divers in the future?

 

[Mike]

I think we will have to disagree about the need to tow a buoy or flag. It is just not going to happen here, or anywhere else in Sydney. In addition, yes, laws within Australia relating to this are controlled by state governments. One of the later posts also appears to quote an Australian government law which would only apply in Australian territories or outside state waters.

I hooked the anchor back on the chain and then took it under a large overhang and wrapped the chain around a large horizontal rock.

We later observed the boat attempting to free its anchor and then break the rope. Numerous people saw what happened and all agreed with what I did.

I guess you won that one.

Hope your luck holds out, cause the final judge will be that a dumb piece of iron that knocks you unconcious and drowns you under water next time won't care how cool you were by avoiding the basic safety protocols used all over the world.

 

[tridacna]

Hope your luck holds out, cause the final judge will be that a dumb piece of iron that knocks you unconcious and drowns you under water next time won't care how cool you were by avoiding the basic safety protocols used all over the world.

My money's on the crazy ozzie. (Unlike his cricket team which will get dumped on by the Proteas starting tomorrow, he'll likely remain unscathed for a long while). :crocodile:

 

[Foxfish]

If there was a history of antagonism between boaties and divers in the area, I'd prefer to remain incognito.

 

[fsardone]

This thread stimulated me in looking up what NSW regs where and in fact there are none.
Digging further I came across a report of the Royal Life Saving Society Australia and link to the full report is here:
http://www.royallifesaving.com.au/_.../0013/4045/Scuba_Diving_Report_Final_2008.pdf
So the State recommends use of the flag, following death of participants some of his coroner recommend regulating and State rejects the recommendation.

All fine in a democratic country that allows citizen to risk their life as they wish.
What I do not understand then is why someone empowered to enjoy his freedom has to mess with private property (I am sure that willfully causing loss of property even in a free State as NSW is considered criminal behavior) and prevent somebody else the same freedom he wishes to enjoy (boating where not forbidden and freedom to drop an anchor where allowed).

Just food for thought

Fabio


======relevant point in the linked report ====
New South Wales
There are no regulations or COP specific to diving in this State. This was investigated following a coronial enquiry in 2002 but rejected.
In 2002, after investigating two dive fatalities, a NSW coroner issued a series of recommendations
regarding regulation of the dive industry in that State. He was very critical of self regulation by the diving industry and of the main diver training agency (XXXX). He stated in part: “… To my mind, it is no answer to say that this is an adventure sport that the participant is qualified to take the risk, that if they don’t know what to do, they shouldn’t be there in the first place, and that in such a sport deaths are going to occur from time to time. The young people I am concerned with in these inquests comprise some of the industry’s most vulnerable participants

 

[drinksfromtap]

As much as I don't want to be fair to the boater - I've done most of my dives (however few) with groups of anywhere from 4-20 people - and sometimes it's rather difficult to see diver's heads (let alone bubbles) above the water, even when specifically looking for them in relatively calm conditions... I feel at least marginally more visible/safer towing a flag than I do without one. Even towing it on a site such as the USS Copenhagen with several other pairs/buddy groups towing flags after swimming from shore, permanent mooring balls/ropes with dive boats hooked up to them, and significant boat traffic managing the flag isn't that bad as long as you pay attention to where it is relative to everything else around you.

 

[Darnold9999]

Both a diver and a boater.

Seems like a passive aggressive response. Surfacing beside the boat and letting the owner know the close call would have educated the boater. Might not have corrected the behaviour, but it might have, particularly if they were acting from ignorance. Wrapping the anchor did nothing but cost the boater money to replace the anchor, chain and line. Unlikely you will have improved their behaviour the next time, probably didn't even consider the connection between divers in the water and a fouled anchor.

I have to take issue with the idea that of course a boater would know that divers were below. How would they know? Most would not even put their mind to the possibility that people might be swimming under the water unless the charts restricted the area. The only clue would be divers on shore and why would a non diver even think to look, and then consider that those people on shore might swim out to where I was anchoring.

Now I am a diver so I would, but many would not.

 

[Jan Kruger]

(Unlike his cricket team which will get dumped on by the Proteas starting tomorrow, he'll likely remain unscathed for a long while). :crocodile:

I agree with you 400 % about the above...Same as when the Boks beat the Ausies in rugby as well...

 

[tridacna]

I agree with you 400 % about the above...Same as when the Boks beat the Ausies in rugby as well...

Dankie Mnr. Kruger, maar dit lyk nie goed op die oomblik nie.

 

[NAM001]

I dont understand the position of posts 56 and 57. The position seems to be is that when boating in waters known to be populated with divers, the boater has no precautionary responsibility so long as they see no ,or can close thier eyes to, bubbles in the water. That means when the wind comes up and roughs up the surface the divers magically dissappear and all is safe to do a 20 knot cruise through the area because no bubbles can be seen. If a diver gets hit in the boat channel it is the divers fault. if the diver gets hit when not in the boater channel it is the divers fault.

Hunters wear orange to be noticed, but it is still the shooters responsibility to know his target. If a diver were looked at like a cripled vessel then the navigation responsibilities for collision avoidance reside with the able vessel. If a wacko goes to a school and starts shooting windows, you dont blame the kids for being in the wrong place at the wrong time because you saw no one in the school yard.

Anyone who would penatrate a diving area wit a boat would never get a surface from me next to them. Who is to say that they would not start up and speed off as they see me surfacing next to them to avoid being reported. We see a lot of that stuff here in the states not just from jet boats bot from fishing boats to cruisers even in areas marked off with bouys to define diving area boundrys.

Im sorry , too many boaters have zero respect for anyone else in THIER waters.