Divers vs boaters

[REII]

I dive off Boca Raton / Deerfield Beach Florida a lot, and I have had the close call with fisherman a few times. I was in the boat one time with divers underwater, and had a boat drift within a few feet of me fishing. I asked the guys if they had any idea what the cool looking red flag on my antenna was and they said yeah but they were drifting without the motor on so it was ok.

I wics law enforcement was around to deal with stuff like that.

TOM

 

[BKP]

Divers MUST use good control when dealing with some idiot boater's. Control is the key word here. If you lose control you get nothing done and the boater goes on to attack others.

So for good control, grip the weapon securly with both hands. Get a good site picture then squeeze the trigger gently, do not jerk it or you will miss the target.

Practice on PWC's they need thinning anyway.

Gary D.

I'm a boater and a diver...

Boating came first, however, I have no patience for some self-professed "boaters" that never took a moment to pick up a book on boating rules and etiquette, much less took the Aux. Coast Guard course on boating (which I think should be *mandatory*). They don't know a hazard buoy from a channel marker, or the difference between a diver down flag, and their board shorts. If they were forced to get a minimum "boating certification," as we do as divers, perhaps we'd have fewer accidents, fewer guided missiles at the wheel, and fewer boats on the water in general...

The difference is... screw up on a boat and you injure someone else... screw up on a dive, and you injure yourself...

PWC's???? Ohhhhh... a whole 'nother story... Where's my shotgun...

 

[Nemrod]

I am amazed that most divers are not boaters. Mostly I think divers are often not even water people. Most of them come and go from the sport anyways. Most divers who have joined ranks since about 1970 are vacation divers. They fly to a tropical resort and get led around by a dive master. So, since they do no local diving they need no boat, most don't know stern from bow.

Another problem for boater/divers is that most boats are not suitable for diving from. A bass boat or a water ski boat or water sports boat is mostly not a good dive platform. A wakeboard boat with the boom boxes up on the arch playing gangsta rap is not much of a dive boat, they are just a fashion statement for the tatoos and piercing crowd. The currently popular bow rider and naugyhyde with carpet covered thingys are not generally suitable diver boats either. Dive suitable boats need certain attributes most popular types of boats do not have.

Since PWCs invaded the waterways things have gotten bad, especially for divers. The things are a danger to all "normal" people and boaters. They zoom around running into one another and occasionally a boater and have grabbed my dive flag a taken off with it thinking it would be fun-it wasn't! PWCs are not boats and they are not boaters. I cannot count the number of times we have been nearly hit by PWC operators and only because I manuvered to avoid the collision. It has been real close several times. We have been nearly hit while anchored and one fellow went under my anchor line and got closelined. Fortunately other than rope burns on his neck he was OK. He got angry at me so I called the authorities and he was arrested, drunk, yep, drunk as a skunk. Did I mention the constant noise, arrrhaaarrrrrrrahhrarrrraaaaaaaaarrrrrhhhhhhh from them, get real old.

Fisherman, I try to give them the benifit of the doubt, they are trying to do something so I try and accomadate them and hope they will do the same with me. Divers and fisherman often think they are naturally at odds. I think that both types need to realize that they are natural allies for the environment, water use and access and anti-PWC lobbying and should join forces on the water and the ballot box. N

 

[The Horn]

I am currently looking for a small Zodiac to enhance my diving but would also like to fish and possibly tow the kids around in a tube or something, cost is a big issue. Maintaining any water craft costs a bit of money, not to mention fuel costs etc. I suppose as well that even using your boat for diving you steam out, tie on or drop the pick and then dive once or twice and then make for the dock, sort of a purposful mission. Boaters/fishing sort of toot around willy nilly looking for fish or to see how fast they can go, completly different mind set and purpose.

AS for the reckless abandonment for divers, personal water craft operators should be hit with heavy fines for blatent disregard for a divers safety, however, not many law enforcment agencies have the manpower or resources to pursue.

 

[Gary D.]

I will say that fishermen do act like they have first dibs on any given location of water at any given time. Everyone else needs to steer clear of them. I'm not sure why this is.

They DO. Who else ties a string to the bottom to keep if from getting away.

Gary D.

 

[DennisS]

I think that boating, fishing and diving all go together. Go out do a dive, do some drift fishing over the reef, hit the stream for some dolphin, do a dive to cool off after a day in the sun. My boat's part of my dive gear.

 

[Nemrod]

"I think that boating, fishing and diving all go together. Go out do a dive, do some drift fishing over the reef, hit the stream for some dolphin, do a dive to cool off after a day in the sun. My boat's part of my dive gear."

That is a good statement and is how we do. We do all of those things. Sometimes we just explore around and never get wet or see something on the sonar and cannot resist. Sometimes we just fish and other times we just ride around and sometimes if the water is right I like to put the hammer down and see air under the hull. Rarely is diving the specific mission but sometimes--yes--it is.

When I was a 12yo boy I would put my scuba set on and go off the boat and dive the grass lines out of Keaton Beach or wherever. My dad was there to fish and I got to dive when they took a break. My mom would sit on the bow in her cute sailor outfit and yell down at the water for me to come up, if I was down more than a few minutes she would get worried--lol. They still come along with us, my dad fishes and my mom yells down at the water for me to come up.

JJiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, come up right now you heeeeeaaaaaarrrrrrr meeeeeeee or else!

N

 

[altitudemike]

As a diver & boater it gives me the ability to chase down the boaters who are uninformed & enlighten them as to what they did. If they are sorry & understand I go away. If not I invite them to shore to discuss the matter further. Most people just don't know what a dive flag is. I had to give our marina sign's that explains what it is but it has not helped.

 

[caymaniac]

I grew up by Lake Michigan, here in Michigan if it has anything to do with water I do it!
I've sailed since I was 10 years old, I bought my first power boat when I was 27. Before 27 and since I've water skiied, boarded, tried barefoot, tubing, fished, camped, overnighted in the middle of a lake, dunes, docks - in my Vberth. I've been scuba diving for over 20 years, I also wind surf. On frozen water I still ski down hill, crosscountry and have iceskated (played hockey and other games). Only two things I can think of I haven't tried, that would be para-ski, and iceboating.
For the last twenty years diving has been my fav sport. We have dove Lake Mich but mostly go on a couple of dives trips a year to see the reef in a warm climate.

So, I guess this would make me a boater/diver!
Do I have friends that do the same?.......no, nobody else that I know does this boater/diver thing....what's the deal? I did have two friends that were boater/divers but one sold his boat the other has his boat for sale and has given up on diving. :>(

 

[Tortuga James]

I think that the fishing community gets pissed when a boat flying a dive flag stakes out a "given" spot on the ocean. It's only 50' here in NC and we all know that that is a tiny radius to dive on, making the necessity to fall and to ascend on the anchor line a must. We all compete for "hard bottom" at least inshore, and I try to make certain that I don't pull up on a fisher boat and drop in. As diving continues to increase in popularity with the boating crowd, here in Coastal NC, it is going to become more and more an issue.