river diving

[ralawrence]

I often dive in rivers (used to be snorkeling in the 1960's now scuba). Of couse rivers have current. floating a dive flag does not help a lot as you are swept along (and away from it) by the current. How do I let the surface folks (mostly hot boats) know there is a diver in the area?

 

[lord1234]

use a flag on a line that you bring along with you...

 

[OliveBone]

Carry the dive flag with you in your hand, do not attach it to you. I've had friends almost go water skiing after a boater picked up their flag and took off down the lake.

By the way, how wide is the river? You may be technically preventing boats from travelling past you if it is less than what your local law requires boaters to stay away from a dive flag. Anywhere from 100 -200 feet.

 

[crisis_12]

I tie off my line to a carabiner using a clove hitch and wear the 'biner like a knuckle -duster. I carry the rest of the coiled line in a tight fold in my hand and feed it out through the clove hitch as I go deeper. (I used to clip it to my bc on a reel, but saw too many stories about the flag thieves and water skiing incidents.)

I dive in Susquehanna at the head of the Bay, so depth isn't much of an issue thus the line I carry in my hand isn't all that much of hassle......

Slight comfort as the flag is in terms of boaters actually paying attention to them, It really is better than nothing at all. For what its worth, after the drunk idiot runs over your buddy despite the flag, at least you'll have the legal protection of having had the flag out.

Good call on the width of the river....

 

[MikeC]

The dive flags that we used in the Niagara River had a plastic handle that doubled as a line holder. It was easy to slip knot the line to keep the line the length you needed.

Hmm, I wonder if they still make my old style holder/handle??

 

[Scubaguy2]

I went to Canadian Tire (any harware store should do) and picked up for $2.99 an extension cord holder its flat and has prongs on either end to hold the cord on. I can dole out or wrap up a foot of line at a time, and it has a nice sized handle on it than my gloved hand fits into! I always carry it with my when we dive in rivers, again most boaters think they do not have to pay attention to it, I had a buddy hooked ny a fishing lure once, while we were diving in the river.

See you on the bottom

Mark

 

[ralawrence]

I went to Canadian Tire (any harware store should do) and picked up for $2.99 an extension cord holder its flat and has prongs on either end to hold the cord on. I can dole out or wrap up a foot of line at a time, and it has a nice sized handle on it than my gloved hand fits into! I always carry it with my when we dive in rivers, again most boaters think they do not have to pay attention to it, I had a buddy hooked ny a fishing lure once, while we were diving in the river.

See you on the bottom

Mark

I found a thread where a fellow diver used a self reeling dog leash to control his flag line. Any of you tried this?

Russ

 

[AquaHump]

I found a thread where a fellow diver used a self reeling dog leash to control his flag line. Any of you tried this?

Russ

boy you guys are really making me feel good about my up comeing fist river dive

 

[OliveBone]

boy you guys are really making me feel good about my up comeing fist river dive

It's great, and easy just go with the flow, and see were you end up. And if the current is really ripping bring down an umberlla with ya!!

 

[MikeC]

boy you guys are really making me feel good about my up comeing fist river dive

Rivers are fun. The only thing to watch out for are near bridges. Construction debris, from the bridge's building, can end up in the water and can be a hazard. Older bridges are more likely then newer PC bridges to have these hazards.

Check the weather upstream of where you will enter. If it rains real hard a day or two before your dive day, you may have bad viz. Of course, the speed of the water may increase as well.