Ran over at LBTS

[scubadada]

Even if you're lucky to be missed, retribution is not the answer. Boater behavior over the reefs must be changed.

 

[DennisS]

Even if you're lucky to be missed, retribution is not the answer. Boater behavior over the reefs must be changed.

It's not just over the reef, they will blast by small skiffs fishing, almost capsizing them, they will speed through a no wake zone, damaging boats against the docks and have no regard for manatee zones. It comes down to lack of courtesy, it's their boat, their water and they will do as they damn well please. Let me know how that changing behavior thing goes. I've just seen it get worse over the last 30 years

 

[Twisted Bones]

Guess my last post was too harsh. Lol

Flags and laws should be posted all over boat launches and docks. Boat operators should suffer same consequences as drunk drivers and the boats should be confiscated. I personally have no respect for most boaters as they think they own the water. If it is such an issue in that area then the Coast Guard and police need to pay extra special attention to it. I didn't see the flag should not be accepted in any instance. The only reason this is happening is because they know they can get away with it. Fix that, take few boats, put them in jail and the rest might get a clew up in their half empty intoxicated heads.

Matt

 

[SavageRon]

Guess my last post was too harsh. Lol

I for one have no problem with harsh.
You and I both do a lot of our diving in Venice where issues like this are also a significant regular problem.
I might have missed a post though, and it seems a lot of people don't use the like button as freely here as they do on facebook.

Extreme boundaries give negotiation points, and the reality is never going to be as extreme as we may want, but I think a strong public example could be a good step.

---------- Post added July 18th, 2014 at 09:41 AM ----------

would be manslaughter

It would probably be plead down that way, but aiming for the buoy gives a decent case, and from my perspective I'd kinda like to see murder one stick. Just once!! Nothing would get the public’s attention and cause some behavioural changes as much as an execution. ;-)

---------- Post added July 18th, 2014 at 09:46 AM ----------

Boaters aren't out there intentionally killing divers, they are just clueless and inattentive.

Aiming for a marker may not be inattentive.
If a prosecution would push it it could set an example.
I'd just love to see an extreme response. Especially since the standard response now is what; a $50 ticket??

The legal system in this country has ceased to resemble a justice system; and that is as much at fault as boater negligence. (Even if this forum isn't really the place to address that.)

 

[Twisted Bones]

Moderator removed my initial post. Lol
Was just offering an option illegal or not.

I get buzzed over the reefs in Venice. Sad when you get used to it.
Matt

 

[drbill]

Sport fishing boat? Hmmm. Don't want to stereotype, but we do see a lot of sport fishers out with plenty of alcohol in their coolers. You might arm your scooters with mini-torpedos as limpet mines are hard to attach to a fast moving hull in my experience!

Understand the anger. I've had similar occurrences with boaters running over us in shallow water ON THE OCEAN where they had plenty of room to by pass our boat with the dive flags flying.

The worst case was when two rental outboards entered our roped off dive park and went over my head in about 12 ft of water. The operators couldn't understand why I was yelling at them when I surfaced. Then again, we recently had another rental boat incursion into the roped off dive park and 50-75 of us were yelling at the idiot to get out of the park and he continued to do 180s and actually seemed to aim at divers on the surface.

 

[agilis]

My limited experience in Florida (and elsewhere) is that law enforcement is much more lenient with boaters, while monitoring the activity of divers with a particularly sharp focus. You tend to get the impression that there is a general attitude that the activities of boaters are more legitimate, and that divers are in some vague way interlopers.

 

[EL Pistoffo]

The legal system in this country has ceased to resemble a justice system;

In many ways more of a revenue system.

 

[RickI]

I've been run over dozens of times with a flag up, twice while free diving which was memorable off SE Florida. When the flag law first came out, I refused to fly one for a couple of years as they attracted boaters consciously or otherwise. Boat traffic was lighter decades back of course. These days you would be crazy not to fly a flag with the density of boating traffic.

When I scooter scuba dived off the beach to the third reef off Deerfield Beach, I used a weak link to attach the flag reel to reduce the odds of getting embolized if a boat snagged the line at speed. Despite flags, laws there are still accidents, really bad ones. Boater awareness is poor and needs to be improved. Government loves regulation, why not require boater training including a good module on divers flags or at least stick something in with registration renewals?

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

A few years ago, a bunch of us from SB did a reef ID fish count. We went in at Datura St. I decided to bring my lobster gear along.. just in case. Upon exit, there was a FWC officer wanting to see lobster licenses. Sure. No problem. Drop my gear down. Open the trunk of my car. Show him my license. He gave me a warning because it was not physically on me (this was in the days when the license was still paper, not waterproof like now).
We go back out to do a second dive. Boat splits our flags.. where was FWC then?
I can't tell you how many times I've seen prop wash while displaying my boat sized dive flag. Here and in Venice. And somebody getting hurt doesn't seem to encourage enforcement. Every few years we hear of some diver / freediver getting hit by a boat.. nothing happens.
Every year this conversation comes up on SB..how do we educate /inform boaters of the dive flag... Every year.