Hey all, I'm new to living in (mainland) Florida. Dealing with rude/jerk people in the water is new to me, and figuring out the local and state rules is not so black and white as I'm used to.
I snorkel a lot off the beaches between West Palm and Lauderdale. If I'm away from an unguarded beach I use a dive flag (lifeguards don't want me in guarded beaches with a flag for some reason they have yet to explain).
Anyways, every once in a while I get these jerkface kids in kayaks sidling right up alongside my dive flag and screaming and hollering. They are a safety hazard. I want them to stay clear of my flag. Sometimes they get directly over me. My question is, how broad a protection does my flag afford me (legally)? Can I legitimately tell people in unpowered kayaks to stay the #$%^ away from my dive flag? And if so, how far away?
Any help would be *greatly* appreciated.
I snorkel a lot off the beaches between West Palm and Lauderdale. If I'm away from an unguarded beach I use a dive flag (lifeguards don't want me in guarded beaches with a flag for some reason they have yet to explain).
Anyways, every once in a while I get these jerkface kids in kayaks sidling right up alongside my dive flag and screaming and hollering. They are a safety hazard. I want them to stay clear of my flag. Sometimes they get directly over me. My question is, how broad a protection does my flag afford me (legally)? Can I legitimately tell people in unpowered kayaks to stay the #$%^ away from my dive flag? And if so, how far away?
Any help would be *greatly* appreciated.