Etiquette or legality?

[pasley]

If the captain has a dive flag flying it means STAY AWAY! Not troll slowly. A boat or propeller meeting a divers head or leg is not a good thing no matter the speed. An electric trolling motor would be very quiet and a diver could easily surface in front of it, or under it (if they are not doing their look up, look around when surfacing).

Laws very by country, state, county, city etc. So it is hard to say. I am not familiar with this location. I do know that in some places I have been, particularly in preserves, parks etc, a guide (DM) is required by local law to be in the water. This is to ensure the divers/snorkelers, swimmers observe the look but don't touch rules and to create more jobs for the locals from the dive/snorkel tourist industry. I believe Belize for example mandates a DM in the water. This could have been the captains issue. Dive boats sometimes also take snorkelers out and charge for this, so he may have been pissed about the missed revenue.

 

[Wookie]

If the captain has a dive flag flying it means STAY AWAY! Not troll slowly. A boat or propeller meeting a divers head or leg is not a good thing no matter the speed. An electric trolling motor would be very quiet and a diver could easily surface in front of it, or under it (if they are not doing their look up, look around when surfacing).

Laws very by country, state, county, city etc. So it is hard to say. I am not familiar with this location. I do know that in some places I have been, particularly in preserves, parks etc, a guide (DM) is required by local law to be in the water. This is to ensure the divers/snorkelers, swimmers observe the look but don't touch rules and to create more jobs for the locals from the dive/snorkel tourist industry. I believe Belize for example mandates a DM in the water. This could have been the captains issue. Dive boats sometimes also take snorkelers out and charge for this, so he may have been pissed about the missed revenue.

It doesn't mean that in Florida, or any other jurisdiction in the United States of America. I wish it did.

 

[100days-a-year]

Pretty much every day( only about 2000) on the water in S.Fl and the Keys I would see something illegal,unsafe or just plain stupid.It is like the Mecca of nautical chicanery and tomfoolery.

 

[wcgator]

The Sombrero mooring balls are to the south of the reef. You are supposed to approach the balls from the south. All the divers and snorkelers are basically north of the boats swimming on the reef. When I see some googan approach the balls from the north and motor over the reef and divers it makes me wonder how fng stupid can a boat driver be. On good days the water can be full of swimmers traveling from their boats to the reef and snorkeling the reef. Many with no experience. So while approaching the mooring balls from the unsafe direction is bad. Trolling thru the area should get you shot. Especially from a flats boat with a silent motor and no visibility for the boat driver. I do not think the Dive boat captain was worried about trolling for lobsters he was worried about the couple hundred people some inconsiderate idiot just put in danger.

 

[drbill]

It doesn't mean that in Florida, or any other jurisdiction in the United States of America. I wish it did.

Maybe not in Florida, but in California my understanding is that a boat is to stay 100 yards out from a dive boat with a dive flag up. I could be wrong.

I don't understand the situation the OP presented. It stated that he was on a surface interval but I didn't read whether other divers from the dive boat were still in the water or not. If they were, here in California it would be considered a violation.

Personally I find the practice of towing snorkelers behind a powered boat pretty stupid, but at least in our waters they would be considered great white shark bait.

 

[ReefGuy]

Just to avoid all the guesswork and wrong information:

[h=2]For Divers in Florida[/h]The following is from Chapter 27 of the 2003 Florida Statutes:

327.331 Divers; definitions; divers-down flag required; obstruction to navigation of certain waters; penalty.--

(1) As used in this section:

(a) "Diver" means any person who is wholly or partially submerged in the waters of the state and is equipped with a face mask and snorkel or underwater breathing apparatus.

(b) "Underwater breathing apparatus" means any apparatus, whether self-contained or connected to a distant source of air or other gas, whereby a person wholly or partially submerged in water is enabled to obtain or reuse air or any other gas or gases for breathing without returning to the surface of the water.

(c) "Divers-down flag" means a flag that meets the following specifications:

1. The flag must be square or rectangular. If rectangular, the length must not be less than the height, or more than 25 percent longer than the height. The flag must have a wire or other stiffener to hold it fully unfurled and extended in the absence of a wind or breeze.

2. The flag must be red with a white diagonal stripe that begins at the top staff-side of the flag and extends diagonally to the lower opposite corner. The width of the stripe must be 25 percent of the height of the flag.

3. The minimum size for any divers-down flag displayed on a buoy or float towed by the diver is 12 inches by 12 inches. The minimum size for any divers-down flag displayed from a vessel or structure is 20 inches by 24 inches.

4. Any divers-down flag displayed from a vessel must be displayed from the highest point of the vessel or such other location which provides that the visibility of the divers-down flag is not obstructed in any direction.

(2) All divers must prominently display a divers-down flag in the area in which the diving occurs, other than when diving in an area customarily used for swimming only.

(3) No diver or group of divers shall display one or more divers-down flags on a river, inlet, or navigation channel, except in case of emergency, in a manner which shall unreasonably constitute a navigational hazard.

(4) Divers shall make reasonable efforts to stay within 100 feet of the divers-down flag on rivers, inlets, and navigation channels. Any person operating a vessel on a river, inlet, or navigation channel must make a reasonable effort to maintain a distance of at least 100 feet from any divers-down flag.

(5) Divers must make reasonable efforts to stay within 300 feet of the divers-down flag on all waters other than rivers, inlets, and navigation channels. Any person operating a vessel on waters other than a river, inlet, or navigation channel must make a reasonable effort to maintain a distance of at least 300 feet from any divers-down flag.

(7) The divers-down flag must be lowered once all divers are aboard or ashore. No person may operate any vessel displaying a divers-down flag unless the vessel has one or more divers in the water.

(8) Except as provided in s. 327.33, any violation of this section shall be a noncriminal infraction punishable as provided in s. 327.73.​

[h=2]For Boaters in Florida[/h]The following is from Chapter 27 of the 2003 Florida Statutes:

(6) Any vessel other than a law enforcement or rescue vessel that approaches within 100 feet of a divers-down flag on a river, inlet, or navigation channel, or within 300 feet of a divers-down flag on waters other than a river, inlet, or navigation channel, must proceed no faster than is necessary to maintain headway and steerageway.​