Dive flag and shore diving

[themagni]

Experience can be a hard task master! In 40 years of diving I've been been around only one diver hit by a boat. . . and the boat driver was a diver, on drugs. Many times I've had boaters run over my dive flag (required by Oklahoma Law). Did the boaters know what the red and white flag meant, of course. Their attitude like the boat in your picture, They have the most expensive boat, and we have to move out or their way. $80,000 bass boat, they own the lake. . . ask them.

I always fly a dive flag. . . I always surface some distance away. . . always.

That's why I'm going to make my flag out of an old surplus contact mine.

Alternatively, you could get the same rope as the one you use to secure your flag, and then leave it paid out on the surface. It would foul the props, and there's nothing they could do to prove that it was your fault.

 

[BuoyantC]

As to the original question of diving Bonaire, usually you can hear a boat long before you can see it even in clear water. There is not that much boat traffic in Bonaire, so hearing a boat will get your attention. If you do, make sure you have sufficient depth until it passes. It is not all that uncommon to see a boat pass overhead. And if you need to surface, just do a safety stop and pause listening for traffic before you do. Sailboats would be silent, but are less frequent and generally further offshore.

In high traffic areas, especially on inland US lakes, there may be too many sounds, so best to surface close to your boat, a structure, or shore. Believe the stories about boaters and dive flags!

 

[GrandpaScuba]

Most Caribbean tourist destinations don't require the use of a flag. You may want to consider if there is likely to be boat traffic to warn off. I almost got a haircut from a speedboat in the Bahamas, once.

Otherwise, in the USA, you really should consult the local authorities about what the local law requires.