What Dive Flag Awareness?
If anyone out there thinks they are safe underwater because they are flying a dive flag or pulling one along with them on an upline... think again.
I often believe you're better off without a dive flag/float. Flying one from a boat can't hurt... but here is why NOT to pull a flag / float with you while diving... two stories.
1. While diving, my buddy was pulling a float with a flag sticking out of the top. Some idiot boater pulls up to it and starts pulling it up to see what was attached. Now we were diving in shallow water (30 feet) so the trip to the surface wasn't horrible... but imagine the look on the boaters face when my buddy surface bearing his knife...
This could have been a worse situation... being pulled up from depth... in which cutting yourself free or letting go of a held line would have been the options.. but
Imagine scenario
2. A boat inadvertantly runs over your line and begins spinning it up on their prop shaft. This could be a much faster trip up and with a much messier ending.
Now for the story of how 99% of boaters have either no knowledge or concern for Dive Flags.
I'm sitting on my boat. Flying both the international alpha and diver down flags. I've got a giant Diver Working Below float 50 feet off my bow and another 50 feet off my stern. I'm the only anchored boat within miles... and so...
... here comes the idiot boater (a wind fairy - under power). He cuts across my bow between the bow and the diver below float and damn near decapitates the diver working below in 11 feet of water. If I'd have had a shotgun I'd have put a round in the side of that boat.
Another story... treasure hunting with a float on my back (and my boat anchored nearby flying the two flags) in just 7 to 8 feet of water, I hear a boat motor approaching... so I surface to find a small runabout not more than 10 feet from me. The idiot on board yells over - what you lookin for? Does he realize he could have run me over.
All I can say is forget the flags and floats - they appear to attract idiots more than keep them away...
If anyone out there thinks they are safe underwater because they are flying a dive flag or pulling one along with them on an upline... think again.
I often believe you're better off without a dive flag/float. Flying one from a boat can't hurt... but here is why NOT to pull a flag / float with you while diving... two stories.
1. While diving, my buddy was pulling a float with a flag sticking out of the top. Some idiot boater pulls up to it and starts pulling it up to see what was attached. Now we were diving in shallow water (30 feet) so the trip to the surface wasn't horrible... but imagine the look on the boaters face when my buddy surface bearing his knife...
This could have been a worse situation... being pulled up from depth... in which cutting yourself free or letting go of a held line would have been the options.. but
Imagine scenario
2. A boat inadvertantly runs over your line and begins spinning it up on their prop shaft. This could be a much faster trip up and with a much messier ending.
Now for the story of how 99% of boaters have either no knowledge or concern for Dive Flags.
I'm sitting on my boat. Flying both the international alpha and diver down flags. I've got a giant Diver Working Below float 50 feet off my bow and another 50 feet off my stern. I'm the only anchored boat within miles... and so...
... here comes the idiot boater (a wind fairy - under power). He cuts across my bow between the bow and the diver below float and damn near decapitates the diver working below in 11 feet of water. If I'd have had a shotgun I'd have put a round in the side of that boat.
Another story... treasure hunting with a float on my back (and my boat anchored nearby flying the two flags) in just 7 to 8 feet of water, I hear a boat motor approaching... so I surface to find a small runabout not more than 10 feet from me. The idiot on board yells over - what you lookin for? Does he realize he could have run me over.
All I can say is forget the flags and floats - they appear to attract idiots more than keep them away...