Puget Sound - second fatality in a week ...

[Bob DBF]

Towing a dive flag is not practical here at many dive sites, due to depth, current, kelp, or any number of other reasons. Technically it's required ... but virtually nobody ever does it. The law is not enforced ... nor is the one requiring boaters to maintain a distance from a dive flag those few times when they are used. I've before told the tale of video'ing a 40-foot boat literally running over a dive flag in 20 feet of water, while an OW class was being conducted directly underneath it. When I offered the video to the Harbor Patrol, the officer told me that unless someone was injured, there's nothing they could do about it. If they offer no benefit, why use one?

May be with the use of an Alpha flag, the USCG would not be as understanding as the Harbor Patrol.


Bob

 

[lavachickie]

This seems to have been quite a bad year for diver fatalities in our area. Very sad, and the environment is such that details are usually not released or shared (at least not openly).

 

[nimoh]

May be with the use of an Alpha flag, the USCG would not be as understanding as the Harbor Patrol.


Bob

Wouldn't you only use an alpha flag when diving from a boat? Doesn't sound like this diver was.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Wouldn't you only use an alpha flag when diving from a boat? Doesn't sound like this diver was.

In NJ -

 

[nimoh]

In NJ -

View attachment 210612

Right, according to your post you would never tow an alpha flag as it is required "to be displayed from all boats conducting diving o p e r a t i o n s"

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Right, according to your post you would never tow an alpha flag as it is required "to be displayed from all boats conducting diving o p e r a t i o n s"

[-]I don't remember saying towing an Alpha Flag - I said towing a flag - meaning red and white - since there was not mention of a boat and this accident - I assumed he was shore diving and needed a flag...[/-]

Now I get it - you were responding to Bob... Never mind...

 

[nimoh]

I don't remember saying towing an Alpha Flag - I said towing a flag - meaning red and white - since there was not mention of a boat and this accident - I assumed he was shore diving and needed a flag...

I was referring specifically to "The Federal government requires the "A" flag to be displayed from all boats conducting diving operations". I am assuming the blue text refers to the blue flag and the red text refers to the red flag, however this is getting way off topic and going into more detail to describe what I meant is really irrelevant.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Diver found dead in Saratoga Passage - Stanwood/Camano News : News

 

[mcguiver]

Wow, I knew him and dove with him a few times. He dove double 100 cylinders in a BPW configuration although I do not believe he was tec trained. He used the configuration for the air capacity and the bottom time it allowed him. the last time I saw him in the water he was testing out a pair of Pegasus thrusters, he had attached one to each side of his pack. He had been diving for at least 30 years although he began diving much more frequently starting a few years ago and I would always see him with some new piece of equipment. Sorry to hear about this.

 

[TSandM]

I wonder if this was VooDooGasMan . . .