A Perth diver says he was hit by a boat off Rottnest Island over the weekend and left with a gash to the head, after its operator ignored dive flags requiring vessels to stay 50 metres away.
Damien Mcateer was diving at Jackson Rock on Saturday afternoon, when he was hit by a boat as he was about to surface.
Three other members of the Underwater Explorers Club of WA were diving beneath him at the time.
"I popped up out of the water and saw a boat disappearing."
Large, bloodied gash on head
Damien Mcateer received a head wound and required stitches after the boat clipped his head. (Supplied: Damien Mcateer)
The other club members, including president Jen Pryor, helped Mr Mcateer back to the their boat and gave immediate first aid to a large gash on the top of his head.
He was later stitched up at Armadale Hospital.
Mr Mcateer said the incident "scared the s**t out of me".
"I thought it was a jet ski — it was moving really quick, and normally you hear a boat coming, but this was on me before I heard it," he said.
The boat did not stop and Mr Mcateer said he was not sure they would have even been aware they hit someone.
He is appealing to boat owners to take more care and observe the requirement to maintain a 50m distance from a vessel displaying diving flags.
Divers stress 50-metre rule
Ms Pryor said others who were on the club's boat were able to describe the vessel that ran over Mr Mcateer, and the incident had been reported to police.
"It was about a 5m-long white boat with a green or grey stripe down the side of it with a white canopy," she said.
"We estimate that they were about 20 to 25m away from our anchored dive boat — which was flying a dive flag — and going way too fast to even think about what was in the water in front of them."
Ms Pryor said it should have been clear that divers were present nearby.
"We've got a 12-foot boat, we've got large lettering down the side that says Underwater Explorers Club," she said.
"We have a dive flag which is at the top of the boat — it's very visible, and we're at anchor.
"The rules and regulations are that no vessel is to come within 50m of a dive flag.
She said she was concerned that boat owners were not aware of the rules.
"These are people's lives that you're playing with," she said.
"The 50m gives us enough space that if we do need to come up close to the boat, we know that we can do that without being in danger."
Incident reported
Ms Pryor said the incident had also been reported to the Department of Transport.
The department's marine safety guidelines require that vessels must keep at least 50m clear of boats, buoys or areas showing a dive flag, and where that is not possible, all vessels must proceed at safe speed and with due caution until well clear.
The department also recommends that, where possible, skippers maintain a distance of more than 100m from a vessel or buoy displaying a dive flag.
Mr Mcateer said he was conscious of how much worse the incident could have been.
"It's scary for a diver to know that it could have been a couple of inches away from the prop where I hit, which would have made a bit of a mess," he said.
"There would have been a different story altogether."
The Department of Transport said it was aware of the incident and had started an investigation.
It urged anyone who saw it or had further information to contact them.
"There has in the past been fatalities and serious injuries in WA resulting from surfacing divers being hit by vessels," a spokesperson said.
"Anyone found guilty of careless or reckless navigation could face significant penalties for dangerous navigation occasioning death or grievous bodily harm."
Those penalties include a fine of up to $36,000, minimum disqualification of a recreational skippers ticket for three months and possibly imprisonment up to 36 months.
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