Cove 2 Divers Being Stupid

[OE2X]

It seems to be the season when divers in Cove 2 are leaving their brains in their cars.

What I'm talking about is basic navigation. As witnessed yesterday on two separate occasions were divers crossing over the boundary line and going into the passenger ferry lane. Come on folks - Grateful Diver and Chen just cleaned the line and it is easily visible!

Yesterday while myself and 5 other divers were going down the line to Olives and at 70' we came across to rototillers that headed north over the line. I caught the second diver and pulled on his fin to get his attention. He stopped and seemed to understand not to cross the line. His buddy stopped briefly twice saw me signaling frantically with my light, but each time seemed to go "Duh" and kept on heading towards the docks. The two Homers left us in a cloud of silt and we finished our dive. Earlier in the day I watched two guys spend 40 minutes under the fishing dock and the ferry had to wait for 10 minutes for them to move far enough north to be safely out of the way. When surfacing they were spoken to and ultimately appologized to the ferry boat captain.

Bottom line:
If you find the line do not go cross it if you are going in a north - NW direction from 0' - to about 80' (it starts to jog NW after this). Another way to remember it is if you are getting deeper keep the line on your left. Or if you are coming up keep the line to your right.

We don't want this site closed down because there are a few people who don't have a clue on how to navigate. If you want to get lost - go do it some place else.

 

[Rick Inman]

Too bad these divers don't read ScubaBoard.

The first time I dived cove 2, I might not have understood the rules had I not had a buddy experienced with the site to 'splain it to me.

No, I'm just being kind. I still would have stayed where I was supposed to.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Too bad these divers don't read ScubaBoard.

The first time I dived cove 2, I might not have understood the rules had I not had a buddy experienced with the site to 'splain it to me.

No, I'm just being kind. I still would have stayed where I was supposed to.

Too bad they don't read the signs that are prominantly posted all over the dive site. Too bad they don't see the large-lettered "PLEASE DON'T DIVE IN THE RESTRICTED AREA" that the city employees painted on the seawall.

Diving and stupidity/carelessness don't mix. These folks are diving in a designated ferry lane ... even to the point of swimming under the water taxi while it's docked there! FWIW - that thing's really LOUD even when you're out in the "legal" part of the dive site. If the noise and vibration ain't a clue that you're someplace you're not supposed to be, I can't imagine what it would take.

If we're lucky, the feds won't decide to get all Napoleonic on us and close the site down on grounds of "national security". If these morons are lucky, they won't decide to surface in front of an oncoming water taxi.

We're discussing the logistics of putting up an 8-foot cyclone fence encircling the restricted area. Most of the folks we see under the fishing pier and taxi dock don't have sufficient buoyancy control to get high enough up in the water column to go above it ... so it just might be what it takes to keep them out of the restricted zone.

For sure, a well marked rope and a dozen or so signs haven't done it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[JDR]

OE2X said

Earlier in the day I watched two guys spend 40 minutes under the fishing dock and the ferry had to wait for 10 minutes for them to move far enough north to be safely out of the way. When surfacing they were spoken to and ultimately appologized to the ferry boat captain.

Let's face it guys - it's going to take some hefty fines handed out by the Harbor Patrol for divers to stop and pay attention. They don't read the signs or check out the divesite before they drop into the water - they just go diving.
8 foot Cyclone fence, Grateful Diver? Sounds good, but I'll let you explain that one to the fishermen. The local tackle shops would love us.

 

[lamont]

We're discussing the logistics of putting up an 8-foot cyclone fence encircling the restricted area. Most of the folks we see under the fishing pier and taxi dock don't have sufficient buoyancy control to get high enough up in the water column to go above it ... so it just might be what it takes to keep them out of the restricted zone.

For sure, a well marked rope and a dozen or so signs haven't done it.

since they're swimming directly over the rope they obviously don't understand what it means.

maybe we need to take one from the cavediver's playbook and have laminated signs every 10' on the line with pictures of divers being chopped to pieces by a propeller blade...

 

[SteveDiver]

Navigation skills are important. The funniest incident that I have ever seen was a couple(husband and wife) surface swimming to each bouy to determine if they wanted to go down to see the object that the bouy was marking....It was funny.. they would go down observe the sunken object then come back up and say hey do you want to swim to that bouy and see whats down there?....

 

[Rick Inman]

Too bad they don't read the signs that are prominantly posted all over the dive site. Too bad they don't see the large-lettered "PLEASE DON'T DIVE IN THE RESTRICTED AREA" that the city employees painted on the seawall....
We're discussing the logistics of putting up an 8-foot cyclone fence encircling the restricted area.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

It's hard to not understand what the signs are saying!

As far as the fence, if I were on of the guys who fishes off the pier, I'd be against anything that restricts the movement of game.

I agree with Lamont that the only solution might be those underwater signs.

It works for caves, doesn't it??

 

[BDub]

I have to agree it has gotten out of hand. From my own observations it seems even worse than last year. Two weeks ago the water taxi had to wait over 15 minutes to pull in to the dock because of 2 divers below. On Saturday morning alone I noticed 3 sets of bubbles inside the no dive area AND a buddy team doing a surface swim well within the the no dive area.

I wish I could say the signs are working. I don't know how they can't be, they are very prominent and numerous, but they're not working.

Bob is right though...the divers who need the fence would probably just end up getting entangled in it.

 

[OE2X]

Perhaps the signs with the maps need to be moved so that you have to walk around them when you come down off the sidewalk at the north and south entrances to the beach.

Wingnut - I think you are right. It seems like more incidents happening this year than last year.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Oh, I know ...

A 6-foot by 12-foot, flashing neon sign mounted above a gate that the diver has to pass through to get to the dive site. In order to open the gate, you must sign a waiver stating that you have read and understood the giant sign flashing above your head.

Fines for each infraction would be $1,000 per offense plus confiscation of your dive gear.

That might get some folks to pay attention ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)