Here's your easy question for the day -- it seems so simple I can't bring myself to ask at the LDS (I've already made my stupid mistake for the month and don't want to go over quota).
So far I've dove in areas where there are no boats, OR with a group where someone else had some sort of device to signal divers in the area (flags, floats, etc.).
But I need my own as I'm going out with one or two people more often, and I like to be ultimately prepared.
So... um... how do these things work? I assume you get a reel that's appropriate for your depth of dive, you attach it to the floatie dude and then to yourself and away you go, right? I admit the first time I saw a reel I thought, "I'm totally going to mess THAT up and find myself tangled up in my own line."I've not really played with the reels, so how do they not just unspool and have line all over the place!?
Just choosing one is a challenge... there's so many. I admit I like the Mares Torpedo Buoy... it's cute.
I checked the Dive Flag Awareness section, and also searched, so perhaps I'm just dumber than the average bear, but I figure if I'm wondering about this, I can't be the only one so I'll just put it out there and ask. =-)
We are from Oregon and dive the Pacific NW. I've noticed that most divers don't use a dive flag in the NW. When jetty diving, however, I do - and I'm the only one I've ever seen at Newport, Oregon/Yaquina Bay/South Jetty to do so. I throw a flag with a 25 foot line off the jetty. I do so for a number of reasons. 1. It shows the brave (idiots) boat operators who get too close to the jetties that divers are down there. 2. It lets jetty fishermen know, so they move on/don't cast their sharp little/big hooks into me. 3. It lets fellow divers know that we're down there and they can decide to join/watch out for our spears or move on 4. I have been yelled at by the Coast Guard (no flag law/requirement in Oregon) when I surfaced a bit out in the channel and I could at least sheepishly point at my little flag about 100 miles away
. For the Crab Hole/Alsea - don't use a flag. However, when diving other areas of Waldport, Oregon/Alsea Bay - we put down a couple of flags to mark the area we are crab diving in. BUT, idiots have come over (with my buddy down) to the flag and yelled "I'm a diving too". I scream at them to go to - to get away. The diver down flag seems sometimes to attract idiots like flies!!! But, hopefully it keeps intelligent boat operators away.
For Clear Lake (freshwater/no motorboats), we don't use a flag. For freshwater reservoirs - I would never dive without them! I even have one on my boat and float another off a line to designate the area.
As far as the Hood Canal area (Washington), we do not use a dive flag in the regular diving areas - Octopus Hole, Sundrock, Mike's Beach, etc. But when boat diving or diving away from the beaten track - use a flag!
I would almost never tether/drag around a flag!!! Too dangerous with idiot boat operators. But listen to the local experts. In a bay drift dive, I might drag a flag, but actually, I would (unless drifting the jetties) be with a dive boat who's drifting along with me with the skipper screaming at idiot boat operators.
By the way, I'm an experienced skipper/owner of a 25 foot ocean/offshore boat - many boat operators are not idiots - but most are. Boat's for sale - see craigslist! I'm enjoying scuba too much to keep chasing those halibut/tuna 30 miles offshore.
