Free diver, no flag, struck - Florida

[DandyDon]

Diver struck by boat off Palm Beach coast | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

A diver was struck by a boat Sunday afternoon off the coast of The Breakers and sustained cuts to his leg, police said.
Palm Beach Capt. Curtis Krauel said the man, George Coba, 48, of West Palm Beach, was free-diving at around 2:30 p.m. without a flag. He was hit by a 25-foot boat and suffered lacerations to his leg.
“He was able to contact a friend who picked him up in his boat and took him to West Palm Beach,” Krauel said. Coba was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
The incident was turned over the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission for investigation.

 

[dive!]

Sad to hear about harmful incidents that could have been prevented with basic safety precautions. I hope the diver recovers quickly.

 

[DandyDon]

As is often the case with news media, this story is tottally different - in that he had a flag!

Jorge Caba: Diver in serious condition, FWC looking for hit and run boater who struck him

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - Florida Fish and Wildlife Investigators are looking into an incident about a mile off the coast of Palm Beach near the Breakers that left a freediver in serious condition.
Investigators say Jorge Caba is out of surgery with a gash on his leg and a broken pelvis.
Caba said he is in a lot of pain.
Investigators say a boater ran him over off the coast and took off.
They say Caba had a dive flag and didn't do anything wrong.
"They were completely in the right. They were anchored. They had their dive flag and their divers that were in the water were marked with buoys," Officer Amanda Phillips with FWC said.
Phillips says they are actively looking for the boater.
Experts at Florida Freedivers say boaters need to constantly be on the lookout for dive flags, especially when freedivers are involved.
"When you are freediving, you don't have as much time. You are coming back to the surface because you are out of air. You don't always have time to stop, look, listen, and wait," Jonathan Dickinson with Florida Freedivers said.
Freedivers in the area Caba was hit say they realize there are risks involved, but they say boaters need to be more careful.
"There are a lot of dangers out there, but you can do it safely. There is no way people should be getting hit out here," Freediver David Hartung said.
Officers say when they find the boater he could face changes of hit-and-run and not rendering aid.

 

[danvolker]

When we free dive off of the charter boats in Palm Beach....Narcosis, JASA, and several of the other boats cater to Freediving groups as well as divers, so with free divers in the water, we have a big charter boat with a professional captain, running the boat around a safe perimeter outside of where we are free diving--guarding this perimeter...and if any drunk or ignorant boater comes blasting toward the guarded area, the Charter boat will take a run at it, like playing chicken--and this is incredibly effective at running off the ignorant

 

[iamrushman]

wow..sad news....keep us informed.

 

[DandyDon]

This followup story says they chased the hit & run boat, it wouldn't stop, but they got it on video, and the authorities have the boat & driver.

Jorge Caba: Diver hit by boat speaks out