Beware of boaters

[Rick Inman]

I sent up a safety sausage once from 80' and some boater came over to it, tried to take it out of the water, and we had an 80' tug of war.

I won.

After the dive the guy was taking his boat out of the water and actually came over to us laughing about the whole thing. Thought it was pretty funny.

As to getting ejected from the boat, when we are headed out in the inflatable in rough water, I've had to hold on very tight to the ropes not to go flying off into the water.

 

[Cap335]

I've been running boats off of the Texas coast for close to thirty years and the
only boat that has ignored my flags was another dive boat. They said they saw
the flag but no bubbles so didn't think we were still down. Thier anchor landed close enough to our last buddy team in the water that they saw silt ballon up on the water.
I often have fishing boats slow down while approaching call and ask if I still have divers down.

Randy

 

[Firediver32]

I have had multiple boats and "lake lice" or jet skis fly up to my boat because they thought the flags (I fly both) were distress flags. Others came right up to the boat cuz they wanted to show thier kids the "neat divers". I am considering the flare gun its getting so annoying. By the way, I usually run on Lake Ontario, off Rochester NY.
Seriously though, our local newspaper has an "outdoors" section every sunday. I am gonna try and get them to a story on local diving and ask them to include a section on dive flags and safe boating around them.

Dan Everett

 

[Gilldiver]

For divers flags on floats, I have seen boats, jet skis, sail boats and water skiers using them as turn markers since I started diving in 1979.

I have yet to see a boat, jet skis, sail boat, or water skier ever get a ticket for doing so.

I have seen plenty of divers get ticket for not having the float and flag. I have even seen divers get the tickets as boats were buzzing the flags that were out there in plane sight of the officer giving the tickets.

As for boats that come up on other boats with divers in the water, I can only remember a few times where we had problems. But because of those problems I do have my nice big 25mm flare pistol and will put a big red big ball of flame right infront of the other boats captain if needed. I have yet to put one into the other boat, but I have been on the radio telling them that they will have incomming if they do not vear off.

By the way, Tugs on Long Island Sound tend to need this awarness training more offten then I want to think about.

But the worst case I know of was the dive boat John Jack getting ramed by a commerical fishing boat well off shore. This was while divers were in the water, that fisherman was going to trawl that wreck no matter what.

I also know the Janet on the old Wahoo out of NY did come out of the pilot house with the 12 gage and did point it at the offending boat more then a few times.

 

[Charlie99]

One of the baoters asked why the launch was closed & I explained about the Ecology Dive and pointed out the dive flag. In the conversation that followed it became clear that NONE of the 8-10 boaters knew what the dive flag was or that they were required to stay 200' away.

In some areas divers have gotten together and made informational signs about the Divers Flag that they then install near boat ramps. It sounds like your area could use a few of those.

Charlie Allen
.. it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

 

[bythesea]

I personally am most afraid of the fishermen who troll over me. A boat I can hear but it's damned hard to hear or see that big umbrella rig coming at you with typical New England Viz. It's not completely practical but I'd love to have a 500' length of poly anchored at each end with dive flags every 100'. Deployed at right angles to the beach it might keep them away while we work the shallows.

 

[DennisS]

Something shore divers need to remember is go BIG with their flags and shafts. Those little float and flag combinations are worthless if there is any glare on the water. The boater won't see them.

 

[vshearer]

I suddenly have this strange overwhelming desire to read Jimmy Buffett's "Where is Joe Merchant" again after reading this thread!

hey, good idea! ..gettin my copy now.

 

[vshearer]

....

As for boats that come up on other boats with divers in the water, I can only remember a few times where we had problems. But because of those problems I do have my nice big 25mm flare pistol and will put a big red big ball of flame right infront of the other boats captain if needed. I have yet to put one into the other boat, but I have been on the radio telling them that they will have incomming if they do not vear off.

.

Never had to shoot flares to keep away boats while diving, but I was on a 59' sailboat becalmed (and no engine) off the south coast of Haiti when a small (250-300')Texaco tanker came over the horizon on an intersecting course. After trying for about 30 minutes to get him on the radio, and by that time he was about a 1/4 mile bearing down on us, we did the flare gun trick... actually they can turn those suckers on a dime, don't let 'em fool ya.

 

[DeepDiver36]

I was topside with the boat anchored maybe 40' from where we had three divers in the water with a dive flag on a float. We were on a recreational lake and two jet skiers went screaming by between me (the boat) and the dive flag. I started making a ruckus so they turned around and purposly started doing circles around the dive flag/float while I yelled at them. I was furious and if I could have safely started the boat and chased them down I would have. (Maybe a flair in their direction would have made my point to get away)

It should be a requirement that people obtain additional endorsement to operate watercrafts/atv or any other type of recreational motorized toy. Just immature!

The divers were well below the surface but did notice the commotion above. Our most experienced diver said he ties the line off to his BC. Could you imagine what might happen if they snagged the line and took it with them or if a boat caught it in a prop. Likely would have broke instantly but not before giving a good tug or two.