Dive Flag regulations or lack there of.

[tddfleming]

Diving VA Bch this past Sat. We were heading to the tower, but all spots were taken, our boat radioed a dive boat there but no answer, so we moved on to another spot. We were the only boat at this new spot, water was calm, but cold and viz was about 15'. Everything was going great until a private boat kept coming within a 100' of our boat and the capt. had to keep getting on the horn to get them to back off. This private boat decided that it had waited long enough and anchored, ignoring all the capt. attempts to keep them away. We were almost done and had a diver in the water to pull up our anchor when all of this was going on. The private boat also put a diver in the water before we could pull anchor and start the motor. It all went down hill from there. As our capt. was not about to start the motor with in divers in the water and so we drifted and ran over the anchor line of the private boat. The private boat had to cut their own anchor line to free themselves with their diver in the water. So we drifted around waiting for their diver to surface and get picked up before we could start up. What a cluster duck this was. In the end everything worked out, but for another dive boat to be so careless of our divers and their own.

 

[AfterDark]

Incidents involving boaters ignoring divers down flag are almost always delt with after someone is hurt or killed. Most boaters don't even know what the red and green light on their bow mean. Glad everything turned out ok the capt of your boat did a good job of keeping his cool. I might have called the CG.

 

[redacted]

What aspect of applicable dive flag regs did this incident violate?

 

[tddfleming]

The bad part is that the other boat was diving also. They were flying their dive flag. Capt. had pictures taken and I think he was going to report it once ashore. The people on our boat were worried about their diver, as this anchor line was cut, their boat was drifting, any they would start the motor. We waited to make sure, that we did not run over their diver and that there would not be a rescue. As the viz was poor, there was a current kicking up a bit from dive 1. And now this poor solo diver had not reference of where his boat was. As the viz was so poor that when we were ascending you were not able to see the bottom of our boat to swim to the rear to reboard. Their diver surfaced a ways from both boats, again not easy to see him in all black either from the top deck of the dive boat.

 

[tddfleming]

If I am not mistaken, another boat cannot approach another boat within 25 yards of a dive flag flying. Someone correct me if I am wrong. But I think that is the regs for the state of VA. As the did, when they started bumping into our boat and scaping paint from it.

The Code of Virginia, § 29.1-734.1. Skin and scuba divers, states:


No operator of a vessel under way in the waters of this Commonwealth shall permit such vessel to approach closer than twenty-five yards to any structure from which a diver's flag is then being displayed.

 

[Ana]

It sounds to me this is the result of following rules without context.

My husband and I dive from our boat. We do drift dives; one person dives, the other person operates the boat. The boat flies a big flag and the person diving sometimes also tows a smaller flag on a float. The boat moves around either that float or the bubbles when there is no float. Obviously the person operating the boat is careful and pays attention to: a) not tangle up the line that is towing that float, and b) when the diver is almost up and finally up.
Now if another boat is barreling down following a collision course with my diver, I use my vessel as a shield to stop it from going over the flag and possibly over my husband. But if a boat is carefully idling in my direction or the direction of the diver I will just approach and find out what they want. At this point I will be annoyed because I rather not deal with people in general, but as long as they acknowledge the presence of a diver and operate their vessel accordingly that wouldn't be an issue.

Granted I am in Florida, but staying alive is valid in all the states.

If it would've been my boat in your situation either I or my husband would have leave the area at a very slow speed, hopefully spotted the location of the diver and go around it. Drifting into the lines of the other boat does not sound like a safe alternative.

 

[tddfleming]

It sounds to me this is the result of following rules without context.

My husband and I dive from our boat. We do drift dives; one person dives, the other person operates the boat. The boat flies a big flag and the person diving sometimes also tows a smaller flag on a float. The boat moves around either that float or the bubbles when there is no float. Obviously the person operating the boat is careful and pays attention to: a) not tangle up the line that is towing that float, and b) when the diver is almost up and finally up.
Now if another boat is barreling down following a collision course with my diver, I use my vessel as a shield to stop it from going over the flag and possibly over my husband. But if a boat is carefully idling in my direction or the direction of the diver I will just approach and find out what they want. At this point I will be annoyed because I rather not deal with people in general, but as long as they acknowledge the presence of a diver and operate their vessel accordingly that wouldn't be an issue.

Granted I am in Florida, but staying alive is valid in all the states.

If it would've been my boat in your situation either I or my husband would have leave the area at a very slow speed, hopefully spotted the location of the diver and go around it. Drifting into the lines of the other boat does not sound like a safe alternative.

The boat we were on was a commerical diving boat. Not as easy to just start up and leave. All on our boat including the crew were trying to find the bubbles of their diver, but were unable to see them. Better to be safe than sorry in these days and ages.

 

[Zieg]

The boat we were on was a commerical diving boat. Not as easy to just start up and leave.

What?, have to feed the squirrel first? So if you had an emergency you couldn't just start up and leave?

All on our boat including the crew were trying to find the bubbles of their diver, but were unable to see them. Better to be safe than sorry in these days and ages.

So instead of finding the bubbles the boat casts off and drifts into the other boat, endangering it, causing it to cut its own anchorline. So I'm not so sure who the dangerous captain is in this case.

 

[tddfleming]

What?, have to feed the squirrel first? So if you had an emergency you couldn't just start up and leave?



So instead of finding the bubbles the boat casts off and drifts into the other boat, endangering it, causing it to cut its own anchorline. So I'm not so sure who the dangerous captain is in this case.

Have no idea what squirrels have to do with anything

Maybe I am missing something here. Last time I checked propellers and humans are not a good mix. This boat was warned several times during the day and did as it pleased, it seems at that point, this person should take most of the blame for the outcome. Maybe we can get a boat capt. or two to chime in and gives us some feedback.

 

[tddfleming]

What?, have to feed the squirrel first? So if you had an emergency you couldn't just start up and leave?



So instead of finding the bubbles the boat casts off and drifts into the other boat, endangering it, causing it to cut its own anchorline. So I'm not so sure who the dangerous captain is in this case.

Zieg:

Coming back to this: Spoke to husband and showed him your comment. He used to be in the riverine part of the marine corp, so he has some experience in boats, marine and navagation. He agrees with what you had to say. He did mention that it started when the boat ignored all attempts from our capt to stay back while we had a diver in the water. The other boat then put their diver in the water while we were trying to get out of there. Husband mentioned that we should have just sat there until: a) their diver surfaced and was back on the boat or b) they left.