hey, i have spearfished occassionally for years on kauai, currently vacationing on maui. was told offhandedly that i need a flag buoy to do so legally. i have never used one before and never had trouble ftom anyone. i fish for small fish near the surface rarely diving deep or for long intervals. in essense i dont do anything very different from a snorkeler, and i dont see anyone making them drag around flags. also from what ive read referencing the state law, flag is required when diving in "navigable waters", and to call shallow reef areas and rocky outcrops "navigable" seems ambiguouus at best.
can anyone shed any light on this or is hawaii law simply fuzzy on this area and leaves you vulnerable to citations depending on how some random official feels towards you or chooses to interpret your activities?
would love some clarity! would hate to upset anyone or get fined needlessly, but dont care to drag a float around all the time and dont consider it worth it purely for safety reasons (if anything, less safe because i have gotten tied to a rock by accident using a float line once) for all the reasons already mentioned.
mahalo nui!
can anyone shed any light on this or is hawaii law simply fuzzy on this area and leaves you vulnerable to citations depending on how some random official feels towards you or chooses to interpret your activities?
would love some clarity! would hate to upset anyone or get fined needlessly, but dont care to drag a float around all the time and dont consider it worth it purely for safety reasons (if anything, less safe because i have gotten tied to a rock by accident using a float line once) for all the reasons already mentioned.
mahalo nui!