Shore diving safety?

[danvolker]

As an added measure of safety, would you bring a small inflatable raft to tow along with your dive flag so boaters could easily spot your location, and avoid you?
You would obviously connect the raft and dive flag

Or is this just unnecessary?

This is a topic that really should get more awareness....If I were to shore dive virtually anywhere along florida's east coast, without a boat following me--the towing of a dive flag is going to have next to zero safety significance...in other words, it is a moronic law, that can't possibly help keep a diver safe that does not have protection of his own boat.

You pull a nice 12 to 18 foot long, but narrow and low drag, kayak, behind you with a dive flag on it, and all the drunken and ignorant boaters will avoid it ---- to avoid damaging their own boat. Maybe the flag will register with some

One reason you "pay" to dive with a charter boat, is so that the captain will "run off" any boats headed in a line toward your dive flag or float.

In all fairness to the boaters....with seas over two feet, if the boat is going 25 mph or better, even a sharp eyed boater may not see your dive flag by itself, until the boat is almost on top of the flag ( at this speed). It is one thing to have a personal motor boat, or a charter boat, with a big dive flag, standing by within 100 feet of you--and you towing your tiny little dive flag....speeding boats running the reefline will see the standing boat, then as they approach closer, they will see the tall dive flag.....then they will typically veer off, or slow way down. Your tiny flag is the last thing they will see, if they ever do see it.
I used to paddle out to the 60 foot reefs with a bright yellow 19 foot racing surfski, then tow it during my freediving...all the boats could easily see my kayak, and towing this kind of boat is far less drag than one of the useless dive float/flags ( useless except for charter boats to keep track of--they are perfect for this).

 

[spectrum]

As an added measure of safety, would you bring a small inflatable raft to tow along with your dive flag so boaters could easily spot your location, and avoid you?
You would obviously connect the raft and dive flag

Or is this just unnecessary?

A raft would be a lot to pull especially if current or wind are working against it. That being said some inner tube creations that support a flag and ancillary items are used. Often these get anchored a distance off shore and then the divers depart UW. They can be used to carry cameras through the surf zone or to have weights handy for weight checks.

The next issue pull a flag or not. First criteria is local regulations. In some location it's required, period. I know of one locale that requires 1 per diver!

Assuming the flag is used at you discretion I find it desirable in places where I know I will have boat traffic. Despite the fact that some idiots will take it for a slalom buoy you are better off surfacing aside a dive flag. One supported by a simple foam buoy with a small weight below the water line to keep it plumb works for me.

If I do not pull a flag I will always have a DSMB with a finger spool. If I have any suspicion of boat activity and I need to surface off shore I will shoot it and surface there.

Pete

 

[RabbyTat]

We did a lot of shore diving in Guam. We would use an inner tube type raft and tie it off near where we planned to surface with the flag posted a bit higher. (We also carried sausages in case we had to come up elsewhere.) Towing was not a serious issue for us and we had some currents at some places.

The raft was partly to stay legal, but also to help with the newer divers and to keep boaters a bit farther away. We generally were not bothered. I guess it depends on where you are and how careful the boaters are.

RT

 

[elmer fudd]

I'd just try to surface where the boats won't be, (or at least where they can't move quickly). If you come up in pilings, rocks, or shallow water, if the boats are there they're very unlikely to be hauling *ss.