cdiver2
Contributor
Divers' float markers provide scant protection
By Katrina Hays
For The Bulletin
Dave Meyers was scuba diving in Cultus Lake when the line connected to his dive flag float was ripped out of his hand. Looking up through 25 feet of water, he saw the bottom of a ski boat, and watched as his float and flag suddenly disappeared.
The clear, cool waters of the high lakes call to many outdoor enthusiasts: water skiers, fishermen, kayakers, swimmers and scuba divers. The popularity of these beloved lakes can lead to user interaction that is not just unpleasant, but potentially fatal.
"It really freaks you out to hear a boat prop when you're underwater it raises the hair on the back of your head," says Meyers.
A beginning scuba diver, Meyers, 31, was at Cultus practicing his new sport. Unfortunately, he made a dive that he'll remember as a truly terrible experience.
Meyers contrary to recognized dive training and practice was diving alone, just outside of the marked swim area south of the boat launch at the lake.
"I was absolutely not near the boat launch, or in a heavily trafficked area," he insists.
Nonetheless, he says, on that hot afternoon several motorized vehicles harassed him.
As he had been trained, Meyers was towing a "diver down" flag above him while he dived. Bright red with a diagonal white stripe, it tells boat traffic that there is a diver below the surface.
As he drifted through the water, his line began to be yanked in his hand. When Meyers looked up through the water, he saw three jet skis using his float and flag as a slalom obstacle, cutting in and over the flag repeatedly.
After the jet skis departed, a ski boat circled Meyers' float several times and stopped, and then the flag and float were taken out of the water.
Meyers surfaced to find a woman and her son with his float and flag in their boat. After they returned his safety equipment, he decided to descend again, in hopes of enjoying a peaceful dive.
Instead, shortly after he was back in the water breathing compressed air and floating weightlessly, his line was again yanked out of his hand. Meyers saw the bottom of another boat and again watched his float disappear from above his head. And once again he ascended.
"It never occurred to me that there would be a second boat," he said.
Under water, sound is amplified, making it difficult for a diver to tell from which direction a boat might be approaching. Focused on rescuing his dive float once more, Meyers never saw the boat that almost hit him.
"I was looking up, watching the boat on top of my float, and I just never saw the other boat," he said.
The spinning propeller of the moving boat came within inches of Meyers' face. If he had been any closer to the surface of the water, he could have been killed.
In the state of Oregon, boaters are not required by law to stay away from a dive flag. In other states, such as Washington, Idaho and Florida, it is illegal for boaters to get within 100 to 300 feet of a displayed dive flag. Oregon's law states simply that boaters should exercise caution when they observe a dive flag in the water.
Oregon implemented a mandatory boater education program in 2003. This requires all boat operators to possess a boater education card, confirming completion of a boating safety course.
Tom Wells, a marine deputy with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department, teaches the course. He says boaters need to stay away from dive flags.
"I'd like to see a minimum distance of 200 feet between boats and dive flags," he says.
Wells says that the charge for any sort of harassment of a displayed dive flag is "unsafe operation of a motorized boat" and carries a fine of $421.
Randy Henry, spokesman for the Oregon State Marine Board, says there is a problem with setting mandatory setbacks from dive flags.
"A buffer from a dive flag can heavily impact the ability of boaters to traverse narrow waterways," Henry says.
Walt Bolton, who teaches the scuba training courses for Powder House, a diving equipment and instruction shop in Bend, says he agrees with this policy.
"The waterways are a shared resource, not one to be controlled totally by either boaters or divers," says Bolton. "If there is a hard set back' rule, I would foresee there would be channel areas and landing areas that would totally exclude divers."
There is specific information and a test question about dive flags in the Oregon boating safety course.
Mike Wolff, manager of Powder House, says the problem is a lack of education.
"The boaters of Central Oregon simply don't know what a dive flag is," Wolff says.
Unlike boaters on the coast, who encounter divers and dive flags on a regular basis, local boaters may have never seen the red-and-white dive flag and may not know there is a human being floating in the water under their propellers.
Henry, Bolton and Wolff all agree that boaters and divers need to be educated about each other.
"I see it coming down to one thing: Both groups must be aware of each other," says Bolton.
Henry notes that several relevant publications are being revised in the coming months, giving Oregon the opportunity to incorporate language that will help educate boaters specifically about dive flags.
For a shaken Dave Meyers, this is good news. While he says he has yet to go back in the water, he did order new safety equipment: a larger dive float, and a bigger dive flag that will read: "Diver Down."
He wants more clarity for everyone.
"I don't think that water should be off-limits to everyone except scuba divers," he insists. "I just want the rules to be clearer."
By Katrina Hays
For The Bulletin
Dave Meyers was scuba diving in Cultus Lake when the line connected to his dive flag float was ripped out of his hand. Looking up through 25 feet of water, he saw the bottom of a ski boat, and watched as his float and flag suddenly disappeared.
The clear, cool waters of the high lakes call to many outdoor enthusiasts: water skiers, fishermen, kayakers, swimmers and scuba divers. The popularity of these beloved lakes can lead to user interaction that is not just unpleasant, but potentially fatal.
"It really freaks you out to hear a boat prop when you're underwater it raises the hair on the back of your head," says Meyers.
A beginning scuba diver, Meyers, 31, was at Cultus practicing his new sport. Unfortunately, he made a dive that he'll remember as a truly terrible experience.
Meyers contrary to recognized dive training and practice was diving alone, just outside of the marked swim area south of the boat launch at the lake.
"I was absolutely not near the boat launch, or in a heavily trafficked area," he insists.
Nonetheless, he says, on that hot afternoon several motorized vehicles harassed him.
As he had been trained, Meyers was towing a "diver down" flag above him while he dived. Bright red with a diagonal white stripe, it tells boat traffic that there is a diver below the surface.
As he drifted through the water, his line began to be yanked in his hand. When Meyers looked up through the water, he saw three jet skis using his float and flag as a slalom obstacle, cutting in and over the flag repeatedly.
After the jet skis departed, a ski boat circled Meyers' float several times and stopped, and then the flag and float were taken out of the water.
Meyers surfaced to find a woman and her son with his float and flag in their boat. After they returned his safety equipment, he decided to descend again, in hopes of enjoying a peaceful dive.
Instead, shortly after he was back in the water breathing compressed air and floating weightlessly, his line was again yanked out of his hand. Meyers saw the bottom of another boat and again watched his float disappear from above his head. And once again he ascended.
"It never occurred to me that there would be a second boat," he said.
Under water, sound is amplified, making it difficult for a diver to tell from which direction a boat might be approaching. Focused on rescuing his dive float once more, Meyers never saw the boat that almost hit him.
"I was looking up, watching the boat on top of my float, and I just never saw the other boat," he said.
The spinning propeller of the moving boat came within inches of Meyers' face. If he had been any closer to the surface of the water, he could have been killed.
In the state of Oregon, boaters are not required by law to stay away from a dive flag. In other states, such as Washington, Idaho and Florida, it is illegal for boaters to get within 100 to 300 feet of a displayed dive flag. Oregon's law states simply that boaters should exercise caution when they observe a dive flag in the water.
Oregon implemented a mandatory boater education program in 2003. This requires all boat operators to possess a boater education card, confirming completion of a boating safety course.
Tom Wells, a marine deputy with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department, teaches the course. He says boaters need to stay away from dive flags.
"I'd like to see a minimum distance of 200 feet between boats and dive flags," he says.
Wells says that the charge for any sort of harassment of a displayed dive flag is "unsafe operation of a motorized boat" and carries a fine of $421.
Randy Henry, spokesman for the Oregon State Marine Board, says there is a problem with setting mandatory setbacks from dive flags.
"A buffer from a dive flag can heavily impact the ability of boaters to traverse narrow waterways," Henry says.
Walt Bolton, who teaches the scuba training courses for Powder House, a diving equipment and instruction shop in Bend, says he agrees with this policy.
"The waterways are a shared resource, not one to be controlled totally by either boaters or divers," says Bolton. "If there is a hard set back' rule, I would foresee there would be channel areas and landing areas that would totally exclude divers."
There is specific information and a test question about dive flags in the Oregon boating safety course.
Mike Wolff, manager of Powder House, says the problem is a lack of education.
"The boaters of Central Oregon simply don't know what a dive flag is," Wolff says.
Unlike boaters on the coast, who encounter divers and dive flags on a regular basis, local boaters may have never seen the red-and-white dive flag and may not know there is a human being floating in the water under their propellers.
Henry, Bolton and Wolff all agree that boaters and divers need to be educated about each other.
"I see it coming down to one thing: Both groups must be aware of each other," says Bolton.
Henry notes that several relevant publications are being revised in the coming months, giving Oregon the opportunity to incorporate language that will help educate boaters specifically about dive flags.
For a shaken Dave Meyers, this is good news. While he says he has yet to go back in the water, he did order new safety equipment: a larger dive float, and a bigger dive flag that will read: "Diver Down."
He wants more clarity for everyone.
"I don't think that water should be off-limits to everyone except scuba divers," he insists. "I just want the rules to be clearer."
