Worried Onlookers

[Hockeynut]

This thread fits here, kind of.

The Great Escape!

 

[seawraith1]

It is your life. swim a far as you want. and as deep as you want. we are all divers here we all know the risk of being in the water. you can get into a pinch at 5ft or 300ft.we spend lot's of money on the sport we love. I have well over 2100 dive's in the commercial feild. 850 of the dive's were by my self. we all train very hard. so as for law's and rcw code's it not up to them it is your choice to dive solo. so let the onlookers stand in awe.

 

[timegan]

I'd just say "have you seen the guy I was with?" When they say no say "Oh well I didn't like him much anyway!"

Jim....you da man.

 

[derwoodwithasherwood]

Just as an aside, here in Ontario, there is no law requiring you to float a dive flag, unless you're diving from a dive boat (in which case the boat has to fly the flag). In fact, it's against the law to float a dive flag "buoy" that interferes with boat navigation.

I was going to let this go, but then saw the thread has been resurrected once already, so what the hey...

The Canada Shipping Act actually specifies that the dive boat must carry a rigid representation of the international code "A" flag -- the blue and white one -- if the boat has divers down and cannot maneuver. The red and white diver down flag is not recognized for use on the boat.

A buoy is not against the law, and is an option if it meets the specifications set out in the regulations. The Canadian Aids to Navigation (TP 968) recognizes the use of the red and white flag on a buoy, and the Private Buoy Regulations (SOR 99-335) provide the specifications for the buoy itself.

Read together a diver's buoy must be:

White, with yellow retro-reflective striping, a minimum of 15.25cm (6") across and 30.5cm (12") above the water, bearing the letters "PRIV" on opposite sides in large black lettering and displaying the owner's name and contact information prominently. It must be flying the red and white diver down flag, which must be square and 50cm (20") on each side, with the white stripe extending diagonally from the tip of the hoist down to the bottom of the fly.

Don't worry -- you don't have to tow it, it must be securely moored.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I think if you read what you quoted again you will see that DB did not say a dive buoy is against the law. What he did say about interfering with navigation sounds about right to me.

 

[derwoodwithasherwood]

I think if you read what you quoted again you will see that DB did not say a dive buoy is against the law. What he did say about interfering with navigation sounds about right to me.

Actually, ALL buoys can be said to interfere with the navigation of a vessel -- in a way ;-)

I think it has to be read in context, bearing in mind that it is not specific to dive buoys -- it applies to all private buoys regardless of type. The specific clause is:

"No person shall place or cause to be placed in any water a private buoy that interferes with or is likely to interfere with the navigation of any vessel, or misleads or is likely to mislead the operator."

Placing a hazard buoy or navigational buoys is not deemed to be "interfering" where there are actual hazards. Neither is placing a dive buoy where there are actual divers.

FWIW: Two years ago (after the original post) I became responsible for the placement of private buoys on behalf of our lake association and have spent WAYYY too much time working with DFO and Coast Guard officials to correctly mark the hazards. I'm not trying to nitpick or critique the original post, just clear up any misconceptions that might be out there. Specifically:

1. the regulations apply to all of Canada, not just Ontario.
2. there is no choice of flag to fly. The boat flies "A", the buoy flies the red/white flag.
3. the buoy must be moored, not held by the diver.
4. most -- if not all-- of the floats sold at local dive shops do not meet the required standards.

BTW: in a related note, the latest (2009) copy of the Safe Boating Guide issued by Transport Canada merely recommends operators keep clear 100m (328') from either flag. There's still no actual requirement for other vessels to stay away. My country can be so dang stupid sometimes.

 

[AfterDark]

Well this is my 1st post on a particular subject on this forum so he goes. The only time I ever fly a dive flag is from a boat. When diving from shore I do take one to my entry point and anchor it in about 10' of water. I enjoy my dive (which is almost always a night dive) and when done I grab my flag and head back to my car. Why you ask? If the enforcement guys (LEO's) see a diver de-gearing after a dive and he/she does not have a flag then that diver is fined $50.00. The 1st time this happened I told the LEO that I'd lost it and came right in when I'd realized the loss. The 2nd time the same LEO didn't by the story and fined me $50.00. So now everyone is happy I dive alone and free without a flag and the LEO's think I use one. I've managed to stay out of the way of boats while diving for 40 years now, IMO the use of a flag is way over rated. I do however like the cell phone on the float idea. I'm seriously rethinking not using a float now, thanks a lot Doc Intrepid! As for worried onlookers I wouldn't worry about them or try diving AfterDark there's usually nobody around then!