Scuba diver injured by powerboat off Boca Raton

[paddler3d]

Now I have a new thing to worry about. I mean no disrespect to the people involved and hope for a speedy recovery, but as someone who has not done much Florida diving, I am curious how this sort of thing happens. Obviously I hope to avoid it. I've always felt like I was adequately cautious if I just look up on my ascent and make sure the surface is clear and that I don't hear props. Obviously if you are already on the surface and a boat comes fast, you can't really outswim it, but it seems like on the surface you should be fairly visible. Any thoughts or tips for divers?

There are areas in Florida where if you waited till you didn't hear props, you'd run out of air. Molasses Reef comes to mind. Fortunately people are divers with boats so they are very slow, careful and deliberate.

I would not at all assume that since you are on the surface that you are visible to a boat.

I've been nearly bowled over a few times by power boaters will paddling an 18' long yellow sea kayak with white paddle blades and a yellow vest. Pretty visible, right? White blades can look like white caps and it is easy to disappear into the sun.

I've been the gun driving the boat how has unexpectedly come upon large objects in the water and have to do a sudden turn to avoid contact.

From a boaters point of view, it is easy for things to disappear on the water.

I think the answer is to slow down, but I doubt that is going to happen.

I also think the problem is ignorance.

While on a drift dive off of Bimini, our chase boat wasn't follow us close enough. We had a yellow 6' Carter SMB deployed and upright. A twin screw fishing boat, not commercial, literally ran over our SMB. Fortunately it didn't hit the props or anything and we were around 100fsw.

If you were looking, you couldn't have missed it.

For divers, I suggest you come up on the line to your boat. If you can't deploy a SMB from SS depth and ascend on that and hope for the best!

 

[DandyDon]

I guess my idea of towing a kayak on my reel is out... :silly:

 

[ironmen150]

I remember diving with a bud. we had a dive flag and everything. Of course Montana boaters dont know scuba divers exist here, but we had some idiots jetski right around are flag.

 

[Ayisha]

Boats and jet skis sometimes use dive flags as slalom courses around here, too. The dive flag is unfortunately sometimes seen as something to take a closer look at and investigate. Some divers float an empty bleach bottle instead. It signifies a rock or something to stay away from and it seems to work.

 

[Ana]

Why not require a boating license to own/operate a boat in Florida. Or better yet convert that ticket of "operating a Vessel within close proximity to a dive flag" to "attempted manslaughter." A boat with propellers is a deadly weapon that can kill anyone who is in the water with it. An argument could be made that operating said deadly weapon in close proximity to those who are in the water is an attempt at causing an accidental fatality or at the very least attempted grievous bodily harm.

If I drive my car on the sidewalk which clearly has pedestrians on it I can see myself getting charged with attempted grievous bodily harm or worst.

This shouldn't be viewed as a ticket-able offense; serious harm can be caused to other people as a result of violating territory around the dive flag.

Additionally on the flip-side: Why not ticket divers/boats who show a dive flag when no-one is in the water? Even if a dive flag is displayed at worst it is an inconvenience to other boats, but no-one can die as a result of it being displayed.

See I read your post and the vision I get is of way too many LEO's in the playground.

Make no mistake, if we manage to get more Law Enforcement in our waters there will be some regrets. Right now you can decide to dive exactly ANY place you want outside the inlets. There isn't a square inch of the coast from 0 feet deep to the deep dark blue where you are not allowed. Start bringing enforcement and you will have designated areas to dive, which will make things easier to enforce.

Right now you can get a ticket for undersize snapper because the evidence or your crime is right there in your cooler. LEO can see it, take a pic of it and send it to the court if needed. If Joe Diver calls LEO and "accuses" Tom Boater to run 3inches off his flags is just a "he said-he denied", how can LEO produce a ticket that will stand in court?

I may be jaded about reality, but looking at all the money operating rec boats... I just see divers getting the wrong end of whatever changes may come after this battle. The fact Florida does not require boaters license is no oversight or accident. This is by design because big money wants it that way.

 

[Daniel Moninger]

I always displayed the divers-down flag along with the international Alpha flag, and it only acts as a magnet for many weekend boaters. The penalties for this type of incident can't be too tough in my opinion!

 

[DandyDon]

I always displayed the divers-down flag along with the international Alpha flag, and it only acts as a magnet for many weekend boaters. The penalties for this type of incident can't be too tough in my opinion!

Jet skiers seem attracted to floating dive flags don't they? I always try to listen for motors and hope that gives me an enough time to look on surfacing before they get too close, but I worry about sail boats too: No props but they can sneak up on you so easily and hit you hard.

I remember one sail boat gliding between dive boats on Molasses Reef off of Key Largo FL my last trip. I called him every vile name I could think of, altho I'm out of practice, and he could hear me well - but looked confused. :silly:

 

[ramasule]

Naval mine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Portable versions of these maybe?

 

[DandyDon]

I'm sure that towing a flag like this would be more effective, but probly not allowed...

 

[bleeb]

I still think a bleach bottle makes a good float for your dive flag. (Most boaters are afraid of bleach bottles since they normally mark things they don't want to hit, for fear of damaging their boat.) Maybe with 5-10' of half inch floating poly as a 'tag line' to catch any props that get too close, attached to the float with twine so that it'll break away from the float if caught up.