Fat_Tony
Registered
Is a Surface Marker Buoy Needed in Prescott Divers Playground?
Surface Marker Buoy Needed in Prescott Divers Playground?
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JimC
Contributor
By law you must fly a dive flag when your in the water, and you must be within I think 30 feet of it. My experince has been in many cases flying a dive flag is unsafe or down right foolhardy. One particular ocasion a jetski forced me to abandon the flag as he was doing circles around it. I carry an SMB and shoot it prior to comeing up in most cases now.
If you're heading out on the "rope" course, you should have a float with you, boats (some very large ones) have come in to use the dock to the west of the "diver entry" dock. If they don't know you're in the water, they won't know to avoid you.
If you're in the water with the OW classes, and they have floats, you "could" probably not take one, as with their floats boat traffic will know there are divers in the water.
Prescott docks is known as an OW location (they get classes from all over the area -- Ottawa, Prescott, Ogdensburg, Montreal....), so floats are common, and recognized for what they are.
I have never had a problem with water craft operators at Prescott. At other locations I have -- from the slalom racers, to someone who gave me a tow (until he must have realized the float had something attached to the other end).
If you're in the water with the OW classes, and they have floats, you "could" probably not take one, as with their floats boat traffic will know there are divers in the water.
Prescott docks is known as an OW location (they get classes from all over the area -- Ottawa, Prescott, Ogdensburg, Montreal....), so floats are common, and recognized for what they are.
I have never had a problem with water craft operators at Prescott. At other locations I have -- from the slalom racers, to someone who gave me a tow (until he must have realized the float had something attached to the other end).
Kevin R
Guest
Jim, You wouldn't happen to know where this law is written would you? I ask because I have heard so many people state that it is or is not law, and I would like to find out if it actually is or if those quoting it do not know their facts. I actually do not know of a written provincial or local law refering to dive flags on the St. Lawrence. The Prescott police once threatened to charge me for diving wilthout a flag, but I never received a summons, possibly because they could not find this law. I never found out why.
Kevin
Kevin R
Guest
Sorry Jim, after rereading that, it sounded rather terse. I am not trying to stir up debate, I am giving you the benefit of doubt that you know of a law in trying to asertain weather or not there is a law.
Please don't take offence to the unintentional tone of my previous post.
Kevin
Please don't take offence to the unintentional tone of my previous post.
Kevin
JimC
Contributor
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I did some searched on http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/index.html or http://192.75.156.68 and aperently there are only a few laws regarding recreational scuba. Mostly about not diveing near damns, locks and shipping channels.
None of which mention anything about a dive flag.
Unfortunatly the coast guard web page search function is broken. But it apears that there are no dive flag laws.
Seems you only need to fly a flag if your running an operation, charter, doing research, etc.
Very interesting.
I did some searched on http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/index.html or http://192.75.156.68 and aperently there are only a few laws regarding recreational scuba. Mostly about not diveing near damns, locks and shipping channels.
None of which mention anything about a dive flag.
Unfortunatly the coast guard web page search function is broken. But it apears that there are no dive flag laws.
Seems you only need to fly a flag if your running an operation, charter, doing research, etc.
Groundhog246
Contributor
Even with the commercial operations, there's confusion over what flag(s) to fly. It's almsot always a good idea to fly the largest practical diver down (red/white) flag. Collision regs call for flying an Alpha flag (blue/white with a triangle out of the blue end) which means a vessel with restricted manueverability, ie divers in the water, on a vessel with divers in the water. However, they mean surface supplied air and it does not necessarily apply when scuba divers are in the water. 
Since the boat can still maneuver (leave?). I don't think there's anything quite as confusing as Maritime Law.
I think some of the notion on Dive Flag laws comes from Tobermorry, where "Park" regulations require a dive flag.
Since the boat can still maneuver (leave?). I don't think there's anything quite as confusing as Maritime Law.I think some of the notion on Dive Flag laws comes from Tobermorry, where "Park" regulations require a dive flag.
Brockvegas
Registered
Why don't they just put up a white buoy or a keep out buoy and post it?
Groundhog246
Contributor
It would be a good idea, if you could get approval. A private party can't just mark part of a navigable waterway as "private". You'd have to get government approval (CCG?) and possible pay the CCG to install maintain the buoys.
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