Diver killed- (and update)

[Skeeter_D]

Horrible accident, but I can't pass this one up. Lets not allow the driver to reproduce!

Give the guy an IUD!

Serious now: There is no substitute for boater education. I have seen jet-ski pilots try to slalom around diver down flags. Unfortunately, there are just not enough officers to catch the offending power boaters. I stay several hundred yards away from any diver-down flag that I spot while boating, and throttle down in the process. I have had passengers ask why, at which point they get a good earful of diver biased education. Just doing my part.

 

[Ben_ca]

This is a good reason to have shore support armed with a video camera... another tool with high powered optics would probably be frowned upon. The news crews would pay pretty good for some stock footage of some idiot doing sloloms with your dive marker.... :11:

 

[Orlando Eric]

I am going to have to look into getting that red an blue strobe for MY BC!

 

[CBulla]

Serious now: There is no substitute for boater education. I have seen jet-ski pilots try to slalom around diver down flags. Unfortunately, there are just not enough officers to catch the offending power boaters. I stay several hundred yards away from any diver-down flag that I spot while boating, and throttle down in the process. I have had passengers ask why, at which point they get a good earful of diver biased education. Just doing my part.

Totally!! Thats why I've been working (way to passively) on creating the Florida Watersports Safety Council (non-prof educational org).

If you visit http://www.tropicalpc.net/reef/ and look at photo's 55-60 you'll see law enforcement disrespecting the flag law as well as harassing flags of divers who are out doing a REEF Fish ID count.

As a side note - I've watched those 'ski's flying around over my head in 15-18' of water. I've also watched the spinning prop of an outboard and twin screws of a sport fishing boat making passes at my dive flag. This is all while in a well known location for diving where dive flags were visible in numerous locations both directions away from me on the shore line. Mr Sportfisher finally hit a dive flag to.. the next group up from me had 3 flags and on one of his passes he hit the flag that was farthest to the west. In all this terrorist activity not one law enforcement boat was around. There is also no land between the beach entry and Mexico 2000 miles away.

Ben_ca - The camera goes with us every time we go to dive.

 

[netmage]

I'm thinking a self defensive compact kevlar mesh net to muck up the props and limpet mines....

 

[HowardE]

Tuesday's Sun Sentinel says...

"As a boater, you are responsible for maintaining constant vigilance." Pino said in open water, boaters must keep 300 feet away from a dive flag.

Investigators recovered a 12- by 12-inch dive flag, which is the size required by law to warn boaters that there's a diver down. -


I read before in this thread about a strobe on the flag (as an additional precaution)... that probably wouldn't have been a bad idea for the snorkeler. The light at that time must have been diminishing... I would use every caution possible when diving in busy boating areas.

 

[DennisS]

One of the problems with diving that area is that 100-150 yards out the first reef starts. It's sand to that point. There is a distinct color change from light to dark and boats frequently run down the color line figuring that its dark and that's deep water. It's about 10-15 ft, more than deep enough for any pleasure boat. It's particularly bad if there are seas running further out and its calmer close to shore. They use that color line as a highway. Someone standing up in a center console can see what's going on, someone sitting in one of several models is looking at their bow.

I install marine electronics, I've started noticing a real scary trend. Auto-pilots in center console sportfishing boats in the 25-30 foot range. They're finished fishing for the day, set a way point and start washing down and putting away gear as they head up the coast. Very bad, very illegal, impossible to enforce unless there is an accident.

Get a BIG dive flag and mount it high, morons may use it as a slalom marker but the daydreaming boater has a lot better chance of seeing it. Tiny flags a foot above the water are worthless.

Boaters are not prohibited from approaching within 300 foot of a dive flag.

Vessel operators must make a reasonable effort to maintain a distance of at least 300 feet from divers-down flags on open waters and at least 100 feet from flags on rivers, inlets, or navigation channels. Vessels approaching divers-down flags closer than 300 feet in open water and 100 feet in rivers, inlets, and navigation channels must slow to idle speed.

They just have to slow down-to the point you can't hear them. Always look up and around before surfacing.

Idiots in cars are dangerous, idiots in boats are dangerous, unfortunately they are out there. Hit and run makes them a criminal. I hope they find out who did this.

 

[netmage]

Get a BIG dive flag and mount it high, morons may use it as a slalom marker but the daydreaming boater has a lot better chance of seeing it. Tiny flags a foot above the water are worthless.

Somewhat of a hijack - but definately related... Can you recommend a specific good industrial strength dive flag bouy?

When I go down to flordia or check online - all I see are these puny flags with styrofoam balls, that stick up maybe 2'. Certainly not something that could take a bit of abuse, or catch anyones attention at 100yrds....

 

[DennisS]

I made mine out of an old fender, broken pole spear and cable weight. I painted the fender international orange. There's a thread on scubaboard where someone made a nice one out of pvc.

 

[CBulla]

Somewhat of a hijack - but definately related... Can you recommend a specific good industrial strength dive flag bouy?

When I go down to flordia or check online - all I see are these puny flags with styrofoam balls, that stick up maybe 2'. Certainly not something that could take a bit of abuse, or catch anyones attention at 100yrds....

Just a note - try towing a larger flag with a breeze. Its a solution in the waiting I tell ya.....