Zieg
Contributor
We must be very very careful when raising our voices... for example, part of the Alabama law already on the books reads:
"Scuba divers and snorkelers should not place a flag in an area already occupied by other boaters or where their diving operation will impede the normal flow of waterway traffic."
This wording is intended to keep divers out of the middle of narrow channels, where it would be impossible for boats to (legally) proceed were there a flag in the middle, but it could easily be interpreted by local LE to simply mean you can't dive where there's commonly a lot of boat traffic.
It's a matter of "who decides?" - and we need to remember there are far more boaters in LE than divers.
Rick
Totally agree Rick and very good point. i was hoping my point would be taken more toward not just assuming drunkeness or lack of knowledge by boaters. Maybe I should also say don't assume that everyone sees your flag.
I almost ran down a boat being operated by a well known S. Fla. Dive Instructor. I was running the boat, guarding the flag with my divers, he was running along the coast, talking to the guy standing next to him, obvious to the world. He didn't hear the horn but saw the black smoke from the stack as I hit the throttle.