Dive Flags

[D M I]

Hello

I'm 100% convinced now that all boaters are absolutely stuped when it come to identify a divers flag. I had another flag removed from our dive site and thrown onto the beach today by a boater. I wish the hell they would start making dive flags again that actually say "DIVERS BELOW Don't touch this Flag", for the mentaly challenged boaters and jet skiers out there.

D M I

[Groundhog246]

I can't agree with the ALL boaters or even all PWC owners/operators. That's like saying all the other drivers on the road don't know traffic laws. Yes, there are a few (too many) who don't have a clue. The Operators Proficiency Card for baoter was supposed to eliminate (or at least reduce) the number of uninformed, but has not, as far as I can tell, made any real difference. For good or bad, here in Ontario (in fact I think all Canada), we don't have a law requiring dive flags be set by divers or repected by boaters. Yes the CCG material says a boat "should" stay at least 100ft from a dive flag (which for a set flag is way too close), but there is no law and no punishment for failing to do so. As well there's no real enforcement of most of the boating laws anyway. The only one I see the OPP actively doing anything about is alcohol. I've seen more than one OPP vessel weave through a marked anchorage full of boats leaving a generous wake behind and for that there is a law.

Having had flags "depart" on their own when the wind shifted (my fault), how was your flag tethered? Any chance it had broke loose and some boater picked it up and returned it to the beach? I find it odd, that a boater with enough courtesy to put the flag on shore, would remove it in the first place.

[D M I]

Hello

Well! ok maybe I'm being a little nasty calling all boater dumb there are some excellent capt out there. My dive flag was cut and thrown onto the beach because the boater wanted to anchor were dive flag was place just about 1500 feet off shore. I did get the flag back and yes I had a major confrontation with that Jerk, I almost belted the guy for being so ignorant and mouthy. This happened one other time with a Jet skier who grabbed our fag with his hand and drove off with my friends reel at the end of it. I can't wait for the fall when the algae and pollen die off and the water becomes super clear and most of all the boaters vanish.

D M I

[Groundhog246]

D M I once bubbled...
My dive flag was cut and thrown onto the beach because the boater wanted to anchor were dive flag was place just about 1500 feet off shore. I did get the flag back and yes I had a major confrontation with that Jerk,

In a case like that, I might be very tempted to a little anchor "harvesting". Or go down and look for a place to securely jam the anchor under a rock, etc, so he can't retrieve. I had one boat early this summer, I was going to go remove his prop, but my buddy talked me out of it.

I've heard more than one Jet Ski story, including one where the diver had 1/4" line from the flag tied to his BC and the jetskier was pulled of his machine when the line went tight. It was apparently an interesting encounter when the divers surfaced with the "offender" still in the water swimming back to his ride.

[JJ1]

I looked up once to see 2 jet ski's doin 8's around my flag and a channel marker.........from 100 feet down it looked kinda neat - although I still wish I had a spear gun :D

[simcoediver]

I usually use my own boat when I dive and I know that Groundhog 246 does as well. I always have a dive flag on my boat and a person on the the boat to watch for other boaters coming too close,which has happened a few times, but they usually move away when my boat attendant waves the flag. But Ive always wondered if I reported to the OPP the registration number of a boat or seadoo that completly ignored the dive flag If the OPP would act upon it?

[Atticus]

Last month I had a boater "rescue" my SMB while I was deco'ing on it. I was about 15' from the dive flag that I had attached to a buoy (practicing playing with the new SMB).

As you can imagine, I was none too happy when someone started pulling my line up from the other end.

Fortunately they tossed it on the beach - when I finished my deco and came up they were no where to be found, but a couple that was laying on the beach described what happened.

I've cursed under my breath more than once about water skiiers that like to cut inside our dive flag at high speed...

[Groundhog246]

I think my conclusion from all this, is it's best to be diving in groups and keeping one or more persons topside. Perhaps keep a flare gun handy in case they really need to get the other boats attention (flares will go sideways too, not just up).

[Atticus]

What a marvelous idea! :flame:

I've _talked_ about dragging a pellet gun up to the lake, but you're right - a flare gun would be much classier.

[bottom_sucker]

There was great post here a few months back about building a Sidewinder Missle look-a-like to mount on your dive boat to 'discourage' problem boaters. Was pointed out to me by Butch103.

May work for you......

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sailor570/pwchelp.htm


:D

Dave

[divedude]

Atticus once bubbled...
What a marvelous idea! :flame:

I've _talked_ about dragging a pellet gun up to the lake, but you're right - a flare gun would be much classier.

THINK..........Paint Ball Gun.........

They shoot nice messy paint and for the most part won't hurt.... "much" they shoot about 500 ft. The distance boats "should" stay away from dive flags. They look great on a pure white sail too.

note to the moderaters:
This is a joke only a joke, stop taking life so serious

[DivingGal]

divedude once bubbled...
THINK..........Paint Ball Gun.........

They shoot nice messy paint and for the most part won't hurt.... "much" they shoot about 500 ft. The distance boats "should" stay away from dive flags. They look great on a pure white sail too.

note to the moderaters:
This is a joke only a joke, stop taking life so serious

I'll only take is seriously if you show up with one next wek :D

[sparky30]

I like it.. This has the most potential.. I wonder if a Paintball gun could be considered a weapon .. LOL
That would knock someone clean off a jetski. :)
I've had a few people come close to my boat while diving.... I always have someone on board, and i am just upgrading my dive flag to the new size as specified in the col regs.. it'll be a big rigid (read plywood) replica of the flag.. I'll still fly the original as well.. It'll be hard to miss.. Personally I thin the new boat licensing hasn't made any difference. Some people behave just as goofy as they always have.

[Atticus]

I actually have a couple of paintball guns left over from a previous hobby .... Yeah, I think I'll take one on my dive tomorrow. Should make for interesting conversation. :wacko:

[Groundhog246]

sparky30 once bubbled... Personally I thin the new boat licensing hasn't made any difference. Some people behave just as goofy as they always have. [/B]

We've had motor vehicle licenses for years. Does it keep the idiots off the road. Lots keep on driving even if it's suspended (I think we should suspend them for a while).
Only those born after 1985 or piloting boats under 4M need a card yet. The rest have until 2009. And lots of the small boat crowd, including PWC's are happily motoring around without them.

Divedude... While I agree 500 feet would be nice, the CCG literature, such as it is, says stay 100 feet away. I also sail and from a boaters perspective, the average 12" flag floating less than 2 feet off the water is not going to be seen much more than 200 to 300 feet unless your really looking for it, less if your upwind or downwind of it. I've had difficulty locating a yellow caution buoy that's 3 feet in diameter and 5 to 6 feet tall and 500 yards away.

[pufferfish]

One of these works quite well for PWCs in close range:wacko:

Spud Gun (http://spudtech.com/detail.asp?id=26)

[Scubatooth]

sorry to hijack your thread but i will add my texas .02

for when im diving in the major lakes i take my float with me that reads all boaters the riot act on texas marine laws, and my flag is a pretty big one and at the bottom the large lettering says "Stay at least 200 feet from this flag" well if they are dumb enough to come on the float and read whats on top of it, it says the same thing again, except for in fine print it says in round terms, that any damage resulting from you breaking the law isnt my fault (ie i slam my tank into your hull and famage it theres nothing you can do.

also i carry a waterproof flare gun with me at the same time so if theres a boat buzzing my flag when im surfacing i will send one up (since they have a rocket motor on them) to warn them , and before surfacing i reload. i have shot a couple from underwater and they normally leave but onetime i had a jet skier who thought i was joking and decided to make a chicken run at me so i fired a shot right by his head, and he turned and started to run, and at aboutthis time a lake ranger stopped him and ticketed him for wreckless operation of a watercraft and for intruding on a dive flag. after ticketing the skier he came over to me to make sure i got out of the water safely and commented that was the first time he had seen that done and thought it was a good idea, but he said forget aiming for the head aim for the ski a burning flare and fiberglass dont mix (think burning flare intruding onto engine space) and i replied thanks for the idea i remember that next time.

i would still like to know if the skier needed to check his shorts after that.

later