Sea Otter on dive float

[Steve_C]

R Most diving is in kelp beds so boats steer clear.

No way I would want to have to drag any kind of floating object through a kelp bed. Pretty quick entanglement.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 09:38 PM ----------

Sincere question: Why?

I think, if i remember correctly, for some of the OW classes a descent line is required. I have only assisted in more advanced classes so going on memory.

 

[Akimbo]

No way I would want to have to drag any kind of floating object through a kelp bed….

Yep, pretty much impossible.

I think, if i remember correctly, for some of the OW classes a descent line is required...

For real? Is that universal across agencies (question to all)?

 

[NorCalDM]

No way I would want to have to drag any kind of floating object through a kelp bed. Pretty quick entanglement.

You're not draging it through the kelp I think Akimbo was just stating that boats tend to stay away from kelp and we here in California tend to dive in it. The float is used as a point of reference for a class or a tool for AB diving etc.

 

[Steve_C]

Checked the manual. During the PADI OW dives there is supposed to be a line when the student performs the CESA exercise. The student does not touch it but the instructor is supposed to have it there in case they have to stop a student during their ascent. This requires the line to be anchored or have a weight at the bottom so not a towed line.

 

[Wookie]

Now, I haven't taught an OW class in a lot of years, but you used to have to have a ascent /descent line for the student to hang on for OW1, to use as a visual reference on OW2, for the instructor to use for CESA on OW4, and not at all on OW5.

 

[descent]

The two best descriptions of otter issues I have run into in the last few years are a TV show and a newspaper article.

Here is a long article written after a series of interviews with a sea otter hunter, which seems to cover every side of the issue.

The description of the life of a subsistence hunter in those waters is accurate. As far as I remember, it is not not overly embellished or downplayed, with maybe a single exception. The extreme poverty is perhaps sharper and uglier than depicted here. It changes the way you think in lasting ways. An example: the worry about fuel. When you are in a remote location, the anxiety about having enough gasoline to power your small, old outboard motor gnaws at you like a physical hunger.

You can see the entire lifecycle of sea otters and get a fairly good picture of how a community of otters works by watching the incomparable PBS production Saving Otter 501. If you aspire to do marine biology, this nature documentary can serve as a platinum example of how to do research at the highest level, document it, and then share the results in a way that is not condescending or Disney-fied. (Also on YouTube and Netflix)

Both pieces are equally well-researched, and will probably leave you with strong feelings on the subject.

I am curious to hear opinions from anyone, and from any point of view, as a reply or PM.

 

[Akimbo]

Checked the manual. During the PADI OW dives there is supposed to be a line when the student performs the CESA exercise...

OK, required. Between sea otter squatting and bursting inflatable floats it sounds like a cherry buoy is worth considering. They tow with less resistance than an innertube and don’t hang up in kelp. Examples:

Taylor Made Products 2015 Catalog

 

[Akimbo]

... I am guessing you are primarily talking about Monterey… yeah, that place with a zillion tourist cameras pointing at those cute little buggers.

I ran across this ad in a National Geographic this afternoon and I thought it was interesting… OK, and it’s cute.

https://porelplanetaphoto.com/noticias/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/coypu.jpg

Note the stats... interesting.

 

[jaycanwk]

What if you surface near your float looking away? Or just get under it and blow bubbles? In neither case would it be clear cut this was will harassment to casual observers. Anybody could accidentally get near one. You are required to have a working float and are at risk to run out of gas and be stranded without one at risk from boaters. Seems unlikely to result in prosecution under those circumstances. You can accommodate the otter to a point, but eventually must gain possession of your float.

Thank you for injecting a bit of reason into the discussion drrich2.

There is the letter of the law and then there is the spirit of the law. I'm pretty sure that gently and non-aggressively reclaiming your float from the otter would not be a problem, and if you want, heck, even do it when nobody is looking, I'm sure it would be a non event.

 

[Akimbo]

Thank you for injecting a bit of reason into the discussion drrich2.

There is the letter of the law and then there is the spirit of the law...

I can see how it is very difficult for someone outside the US to appreciate how unreasonably the environmental laws are sometimes applied here, especially in California. Unfortunately justice is not blind and is influenced by public sentiment. A few photos that look much worse than they really are can cause tremendous expense and anguish even IF the [-]letter[/-] spirit of the law ultimately prevails.