Florida Marine Patrol makes stuff up

[HowardE]

Why would I make up the story? it's too wacked out which is why I told it.
Are you a cop that thinks all us so called civilians are liars? Yup that's what I did I spent my time making up a story just for fun. I've got nothing better to do so I wanted to come here and get insulted by you. I'll bet the number of dives you have listed is false.

There are old divers,
There are bold divers,
There are No Old Bold Divers!

Am I a cop? Hardly. That's actually pretty funny.

Me... and my diving credibility? Ask people on this site. Ask my dive buddies who have hundreds of dives with me individually. You think I'm a liar? I am a working diver. Ask my boss, John Chatterton.

Also... look back, apparently, I'm just one of many who thinks this story is lacking some credibility.

Maybe your friends related the story to you incorrectly? Maybe your friends mis-spoke on some words?

The problem with third party information is often that it's incorrectly relayed.

 

[Rogersea]

My buddy was stopped...
Don't be intimidated by the Florida Marine Patrol know you diver rights and laws. They are just looking for an excuse to write tickets.

I have had a lot of experience with Florida Marine Patrols as well as their counterparts in several states and countries mostly while fishing but also while diving,

the vast majority of my encounters have been positive and left me thinking what a good guy/gal doing a ****ty job. I have no doubt your buddy relayed the info to you but I also question the accuracy of it....

I do know my rights and they have never been violated by these guys (unlike others such as TSA, and other overzealous agencies.....)

Cheers,
Roger

 

[John from the burg]

One time when i was running late to meet everyone at gandy beach i cut across the flats no wake area in front of weedon island knowing full damn well it was illegal. What looked like just another flats boat was indeed a fwc patrol, i had 2 pit bulls, my wife, cooler of beer, and no registration. He was not happy at first obviously but i gave the typical yes sir, no sir, im sorry sir i thought that was the flats marker over there sir answers and he was fine, asked bout the pups and sent us on our way, nice guy.


Bout a year before that i was out on the jet ski going thru pass a grille channel toward shell island. There were 2 other skis with me and we were just cruising thru to get around to ft desoto. Not jumping wake, not cutting in and out of the channel, not going faster than 40 mph and in single file on the right side, basically doing everything we were supposed to do. In flys 30 feet of twin 250 powered center console coming within 10 feet of me at 40 mph on a ****ing jet ski, i bust a 180 and stop dead like is so easy to do on a ski. After a big loop the first thing they say is HANDS!!!!! (they are both on my bars in plain sight) Then in seconds they grab me by my jacket and yank me on deck leaving my $12,000 ski drifting off. Now i am hand cuffed to the cleat and they are tearing my ski apart, "may i ask what you are looking for?", "Shut up" the youngest one says to me. Boss man finally decides the ski is assembled correctly and comes over, "we saw you jumping wake in the no wake zone in front of the tierra verde marina". I say "Sir" (the only word they want to hear) "my dock is on the west side of vina del mar so i never even passed th T.V. marina." He gets up and they pow wow on deck for another 20 min with me hand cuffed to the ****ing cleat. You need to slow down and stop jumping wake they say finally freeing me. "Yes sir" I dive off the back and swim to my ski to meet my friends at the wave pool. Found out later someone had a ski get stolen from right around there that same day so my guess was they thought it was me, found out it wasn't and had to cover their tracks with the BS wake story.

Good cop and really bad cop, are they normally dicks? I don't think so but can they be? Hell yes.

 

[Chris Brown Tech]

One time when i was running late to meet everyone at gandy beach i cut across the flats no wake area in front of weedon island knowing full damn well it was illegal. What looked like just another flats boat was indeed a fwc patrol, i had 2 pit bulls, my wife, cooler of beer, and no registration. He was not happy at first obviously but i gave the typical yes sir, no sir, im sorry sir i thought that was the flats marker over there sir answers and he was fine, asked bout the pups and sent us on our way, nice guy.


Bout a year before that i was out on the jet ski going thru pass a grille channel toward shell island. There were 2 other skis with me and we were just cruising thru to get around to ft desoto. Not jumping wake, not cutting in and out of the channel, not going faster than 40 mph and in single file on the right side, basically doing everything we were supposed to do. In flys 30 feet of twin 250 powered center console coming within 10 feet of me at 40 mph on a ****ing jet ski, i bust a 180 and stop dead like is so easy to do on a ski. After a big loop the first thing they say is HANDS!!!!! (they are both on my bars in plain sight) Then in seconds they grab me by my jacket and yank me on deck leaving my $12,000 ski drifting off. Now i am hand cuffed to the cleat and they are tearing my ski apart, "may i ask what you are looking for?", "Shut up" the youngest one says to me. Boss man finally decides the ski is assembled correctly and comes over, "we saw you jumping wake in the no wake zone in front of the tierra verde marina". I say "Sir" (the only word they want to hear) "my dock is on the west side of vina del mar so i never even passed th T.V. marina." He gets up and they pow wow on deck for another 20 min with me hand cuffed to the ****ing cleat. You need to slow down and stop jumping wake they say finally freeing me. "Yes sir" I dive off the back and swim to my ski to meet my friends at the wave pool. Found out later someone had a ski get stolen from right around there that same day so my guess was they thought it was me, found out it wasn't and had to cover their tracks with the BS wake story.

Good cop and really bad cop, are they normally dicks? I don't think so but can they be? Hell yes.

Wow. I guess they cant win really. They probably did think it was you and realized they'd screwed up when they cuffed you. Problem is, you'd be happy they tried if it was your ski that had just been stolen wouldn't you? Maybe, maybe not.

Trust me, the law enforcement situation in the US is sooooo much better than in the UK. I cant even start to convey how bad it is over there at the moment.

I agree with you. Generally speaking most do a good job. There will always be the dicks and your "yes sir!" approach is probably the best all round

 

[cybdiver]

I'm not sure how your being a professional diver makes my story untrue? for that matter I could easily go and point out I've been diving for many years more than you and that means what?
So fine I won't tell you the time I got threatened with a ticket for swiming out too far off Hollyweird beach without a dive flag, but I wasnt diving.

 

[HowardE]

I'm not sure how your being a professional diver makes my story untrue? for that matter I could easily go and point out I've been diving for many years more than you and that means what?
So fine I won't tell you the time I got threatened with a ticket for swiming out too far off Hollyweird beach without a dive flag, but I wasnt diving.

Wow... I'm touched that out of 35 other responses (also questioning the validity of your statements), this had turned into a conversation between you and me alone. lol

 

[John from the burg]

Wow. I guess they cant win really. They probably did think it was you and realized they'd screwed up when they cuffed you. Problem is, you'd be happy they tried if it was your ski that had just been stolen wouldn't you? Maybe, maybe not.

Trust me, the law enforcement situation in the US is sooooo much better than in the UK. I cant even start to convey how bad it is over there at the moment.

I agree with you. Generally speaking most do a good job. There will always be the dicks and your "yes sir!" approach is probably the best all round

You are totally right, if my ski was yanked off the lift i would want them to stop every "white kid in a blue jacket riding a blue yamaha" they saw. What scares me is how they stopped me and what they tried to pull after. What if i didn't say no i wasn't even there, would they cite me? Effectively making up a ticket between 3 officers over what, saying shut up? Maybe they were rough or shouldn't have cuffed me but all i cared about was catching my friends to jump waves and lying over it seemed excessive. At the time i was just happy to be out of there but later the more i thought about it the less i understand.

 

[bilsant]

---------- Post Merged at 08:25 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:23 PM ----------

Cops are liars...I was arrested and charged with battery on an officer and resisting arrest with violence. I was tased 6 times....reason neighbor complain that I was playing music too loud . This cop also tased my wife 10 times and I was screaming "leave my alone alone...you are hurting her". Before she started tasing me she elbowed my wife in the head causing a concussion. We were both arrested on very severe charges. Cost us $15,000 to stay out of jail...we can't sue because of the wording of the plea bargain.

I never question the veracity of another's post, but seeing as a Taser has to be reloaded after three discharges, I am curious. Did the officer reload five times or have six Tasers with her?

​

 

[Orlando Eric]

Cuffed to the Cleat!?! -- that is a MAJOR NO NO NO!! -- Everything else fits with a Felony stop for Grand Theft but cuffing anyone to anything is Verboten. I do not think they'd fire him but he'd get remedial training and have no problem expelling corn for a few weeks..

---------- Post Merged at 04:00 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:57 PM ----------

PS-- I also call Shenanigans on the OP story. Too many suspcious whacker things about it.

PSS -- As much as I hate to say it Howard is a excellent diver and all the things he previously posted

 

[cybdiver]

Am I a cop? Hardly. That's actually pretty funny. I thought so too

Me... and my diving credibility? Ask people on this site. Ask my dive buddies who have hundreds of dives with me individually. You think I'm a liar? I am a working diver. Ask my boss, John Chatterton. Never called you a liar, just didnt believe you anymore than you did me. See how that works as I ask the guy in charge of Marketing....:cool2:
Also... look back, apparently, I'm just one of many who thinks this story is lacking some credibility. And they were all there to witness the event? It was meant as a fun story to tell. Was not aware that there was a scrutiny patrol.

Maybe your friends related the story to you incorrectly? Maybe your friends mis-spoke on some words? I have no reason to doubt them or think they mis-spoke, I know these folks a very long time. You don't know me yet you assumed the story was not true.

The problem with third party information is often that it's incorrectly relayed.

No third parties, I got the story directly and have no reason to note believe or even embelish it. The story was good on it's own.


(Quote from Master instructor) "I have had a lot of experience with Florida Marine Patrols as well as their counterparts in several states and countries mostly while fishing but also while diving"
Grew up and hung out with lots of cops, and I took my certification with NYPD search and rescue, went on a week long vacation to Providencial with a close friend also a cop, so big deal just folks and excellent dive buddies.

I also have an autographed photo of a whale shark hanging on my wall signed by a Costeau but I don't care if you think I do or not I know I do.

Is this the part where we are having fun? I don't know about the rest of you but I see a dive coming my way.
:cool2: