Diver safety bill moving ahead

[MXGratefulDiver]

I've posted this on ScubaBoard before ... the dive boat is anchored, the buoy you see on the right edge of the photo marks the reef, and divers are in the water somewhere between the two. There was absolutely no reason for the sailboat to be in there ... except that he wanted to ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Littlerayray]

Well that's cuz sailboats think they own the waterway

 

[Pinecube]

I took the course and holy man I learned a whole lot it also made me a safer boater

Ontario has the mandatory course but, if I recall, it's online and you're allowed to retake the multiple choice test as many times as you need to pass. You're also able to open a second browser and just google the answers without having read any of the knowledge. I have no doubt you learned a lot, just as I did when I took it, the problem is that it's too easy to get through without doing any actual work. I guess it is better than nothing though. It's harder to plead ignorance when you have a card saying you were made aware of dangers.

See: Boating Safety Education FAQs

In order to operate a motorboat of ten (10) horsepower or greater, Florida law requires anyone who was born on or after Jan. 1, 1988 to successfully complete an approved boating safety course and obtain a Boating Safety Education Identification Card issued by the FWC.

Do sailboats count as greater than 10 horsepower?

 

[Littlerayray]

I believe if a sailboat has no motor it is not classified but anyone who is sailing with sails should know maritime laws as it is something you pretty much need to be taught
Yes I took the online course but I did not open browsers for the test I wanted to see how much I actually retained but I do see your point

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Well that's cuz sailboats think they own the waterway

Dunno about that ... I spent a decade racing sailboats in that size range, and while we certainly had our share of stupidity on parade, most sailboat operators were pretty well-informed on the right-of-way rules. Much more so than the majority of the local power boaters ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Ontario has the mandatory course but, if I recall, it's online and you're allowed to retake the multiple choice test as many times as you need to pass. You're also able to open a second browser and just google the answers without having read any of the knowledge. I have no doubt you learned a lot, just as I did when I took it, the problem is that it's too easy to get through without doing any actual work. I guess it is better than nothing though. It's harder to plead ignorance when you have a card saying you were made aware of dangers.



Do sailboats count as greater than 10 horsepower?

Some ... our sailboat (J-36) had a 25-horse diesel engine. Of course, we mostly didn't use it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Littlerayray]

Dunno about that ... I spent a decade racing sailboats in that size range, and while we certainly had our share of stupidity on parade, most sailboat operators were pretty well-informed on the right-of-way rules. Much more so than the majority of the local power boaters ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I'm not saying all sailboats think they own the water way their are idiots in every aspect just like some dive boats think they can drop anchor in a narrow chanel and still expect people to keep the legal required distance when that distance would end up with most boats bottoming out it all requires common sense
Nothing will ever be perfect
I mean honestly cars have been around for over a century and we still get millions of people causing legal infractions every hour and roadways are much more heavily policed then our waterways so until people start taking responsibility for their actions and start being more responsible as a whole things like this will continue to occur and will not stop