AquaSafari

[Christi]

Up here in puget sound we dive under the ferry lanes sometimes. I'd kind of expect that in an area with high boat traffic that if I had a dive flag up, that it'd probably get run over. The boat operator might be technically in the wrong, but there is a certain amount of common sense that divers need to apply when it comes to diving in areas with large amounts of boat traffic. If you're going to do that as a shore dive, your exit/entrance needs to be clear of boat traffic and you need to treat the surface as a soft overhead since the risk of boat traffic is too high -- or else you simply need to do the dive as a boat dive and have that surface support which can defend the dive site from other boats. In extreme circumstances where dives are being done under the shipping lanes, the coast guard should be involved up front so that containerships, military traffic, etc can be routed around the dive site.

So, it isn't simply true that if you've got a dive flag up that boats should avoid your dive flag... There are some pretty stupid places to try to fly a dive flag and assume that boat traffic will avoid you...

The whole argument really comes down to me as to if the boat could have reasonably expected divers to be in the area. If that is the case then the dive boat did something really inexcusable and tried to cover it up with a smokescreen about guides and permits.

I think you made my point better than I did

However, to the OP's credit...if he was where he said he was...then the boat Captain was in fact in the wrong. And the boat captain's should always do their best to be alert and on the lookout, even if a diver is in the wrong place. That goes back around to the same principle of minimizing risks I placed on a diver's responsibility. the same concept applies. Even if a Captain comes across a diver in the wrong place, they should make all efforts to avoid the situation.

My mind just isn't working properly after these past two weeks...and I'm having a hard time articulating my thoughts...haha!

 

[vshearer]

Since I have no knowledge of the conditions at the site i cannot opine on the captain's initial pass on the flag. It can be easy to miss a flag in chop and sunlight. I am concerned about his allegedly "backing down" on the flag however. There are only three reasons I can see for that.

1.) He bypassed his intended drop point and was backing into position.(Possible setting an anchor?)

2.) He wanted to see if he had any road kill, or was intending to finish the job.

3.) He was attempting to see if he needed to assist an injured diver.

In 1 and 3 he should have been fully aware of the dive flag. Backing down is the proper way to land a billfish, it is not the proper way to assist a swimmer in the water.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Also in the interests of full disclosure, since some have wondered about the underlying intentions of posting this, can you tell us what if any present or past affiliation (employee/friend/guide) you may have with this or any other dive shop on Coz?

I have no affiliation with any shop anywhere in Mexico, nor have I in the past. I have a few acquaintances who are divemasters here, but only to the point that I know their name, not much more.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Since I have no knowledge of the conditions at the site i cannot opine on the captain's initial pass on the flag. It can be easy to miss a flag in chop and sunlight. I am concerned about his allegedly "backing down" on the flag however. There are only three reasons I can see for that.

1.) He bypassed his intended drop point and was backing into position.(Possible setting an anchor?)

2.) He wanted to see if he had any road kill, or was intending to finish the job.

3.) He was attempting to see if he needed to assist an injured diver.

In 1 and 3 he should have been fully aware of the dive flag. Backing down is the proper way to land a billfish, it is not the proper way to assist a swimmer in the water.

1- Could be, except for the anchor part. Boat dives here are live-boat drifts, he killed the engine, dropped off the divers, then backed off a bit and followed their bubbles downstream.

3- He had no divers in the water yet.

 

[The Chairman]

I personally feel that this is no different than "word of mouth" multiplied 1000 fold,

This thread will ultimately probably impact Aqua Safaris positively. Just think, I have never heard of them before this, and now their name is imprinted on my brain. On top of that you have an incredibly responsible and well respected operator who knows them personally come in and say that this does not sound like them. Almost all publicity on the internet is good for the company involved. Let's face it, most people don't trust all that they read (you really had your kidneys harvested???). That might be an epiphany for some, but it is the reality of our cyber existence.

Personally, I love it when people complain about :sblogo: on other forums. It's GREAT advertisement and we get a lot of people who are merely curious. When they get here, they find the complaints to be erroneous and even mean spirited. I get more users that way, so it's all good.

 

[vshearer]

Ok, I'll ask it. Tek do you derive any income from taking "friends" to the park to dive? This doesn't change how the captain allegedly piloted the boat, but it might shed light on the motivations.

P.S.- I was on a 59' sailboat running daycharters (drunk cruises) in Jamaica years ago and we were totally under the radar. Finally got kicked out but the locals protected us as we paid them more in a day than they could make in a week in the hotels to get people off the beach on the boat.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Ok, I'll ask it. Tek do you derive any income from taking "friends" to the park to dive? This doesn't change how the captain allegedly piloted the boat, but it might shed light on the motivations.

Nope. They're actually friends, a few Americans and Canadians who live here on the island.

 

[ggunn]

Personally, I love it when people complain about :sblogo: on other forums. It's GREAT advertisement and we get a lot of people who are merely curious. When they get here, they find the complaints to be erroneous and even mean spirited. I get more users that way, so it's all good.

That's exactly how I found out about ScubaBoard. I was a regular and frequent poster on rec.scuba (Usenet), and some of the more acrimonious denizens therein made some disparaging posts about SB in there complaining about the "netnannies" who "censored" them when they flamed people. I was getting really tired of the abuse Reef Fish (anybody remember that jerk?) and a few others gleefully piled onto anyone whom they disagreed with or in whose posts they could find some nitpicky (alleged) error. A forum where folks had to be respectful of each other or get kicked off? Cool!

Anyway, the rest, as they say, is history. I came over and I never went back.

 

[old gaffer]

Seems to me permit or not this whole thing could have been avoided if the OP had just sincerely apologized for not seeing the flag when confronted by the diver afterall accidents do happen. I think it was the nasty exchange between them that set Tek off.

gaffer

 

[The Chairman]

Anyway, the rest, as they say is history. I came over and I never went back.

This is precisely why I discourage any mean talk about other forums here. But hey, I do allow links in signatures and even more. Most of the scuba related on line forums got their start RIGHT HERE. They all say they are going to be "different", but I have yet to see a difference other than being smaller and way less active.

Herein is a good idea: Please read all of the information about any charter, resort, manufacturer or instructor you might be interested in and then take the average. The incredibly negative and the obsessively positive reviews may have ulterior motives. Then again, they may not!