Boats Close to Shore

The thread on the Catalina fishing boat doing its thing at the Dive Park has got me thinking about the boats that regularly go speeding over, and even inside, Deadmans' Reef. Or pulling to within 30 ft. of the shore at Crescent or Shaw's.

I did some quick searching, and the only relevant California boating rules I could find are these:

"Every owner, operator, or person in command of any vessel propelled by machinery is guilty of a misdemeanor who uses it, or permits it to be used, at a speed in excess of five miles per hour in any portion of the following areas not otherwise regulated by local rules and regulations:

Within 100 feet of any person who is engaged in the act of bathing. A person engaged in the sport of water skiing shall not be considered as engaged in the act of bathing for the purposes of this section.

Within 200 feet of any of the following:
A beach frequented by bathers.
A swimming float, diving platform, or lifeline.
A way or landing float to which boats are made fast or which is being used for the embarkation or discharge of passengers."

It doesn't say you CAN'T get too close to shore in a boat, only that you can't go faster than 5 mph close to shore.

Anyone know of anything else which might limit boats from parking 20ft. off the beach at Crescent and dropping their fishing lines? Or just coming close to shore to check things out? This seems even more heinous than fishing just outside the Casino Dive Park, since the possibility of hitting a swimmer or diver is a factor.

mccabejc:

Anyone know of anything else which might limit boats from parking 20ft. off the beach at Crescent and dropping their fishing lines? Or just coming close to shore to check things out? This seems even more heinous than fishing just outside the Casino Dive Park, since the possibility of hitting a swimmer or diver is a factor.

Click to expand...

It would seem that if swimmers are visibly present or a dive flag is properly displayed, any respectable boat operator, fisherman or not, would use common sense, but we know that is not always the case. If a diver down flag is not properly displayed by those shorediving, is it totally the boaters fault. And I know very few fisherman who will "regularly go speeding over" any area close to shore. If they are close to shore they are metering the area and that cannot be done at high speeds. I would imagine that most of your speeders are recreational boaters out for a fun cruise.

I was on the back side of Catalina a few weeks ago and came across a boat backed into the kelp no more than 25 feet from the shore. This boat was flying a dive flag, showing me that it is not just fisherman who come in close. It seems that both parties have guilty members.

Divers and fisherman need to stop fighting and start working together, since we both enjoy what the seas have to offer. And if we are not careful we both may be restricted if some extreme environmental groups get their way.

Tim

normantr:

I was on the back side of Catalina a few weeks ago and came across a boat backed into the kelp no more than 25 feet from the shore. This boat was flying a dive flag, showing me that it is not just fisherman who come in close. It seems that both parties have guilty members.

Click to expand...

I am assuming that the concern about "boats coming in close" has to do not with shore proximity, but proximity to shore divers. Was that likely in this location? Or were the divers in the area off of the boat? Did they anchor too close to you?

I think the rules differ for private and commercial vessels. You might check for the latter, Jim.

Back in the "daze" when I had my own boat, I would often bring it in close to shore (although back then there were so few divers, or anyone else, in the waters around the island... especially in winter when I did a lot of diving).

Dr. Bill

normantr:

...Divers and fisherman need to stop fighting and start working together, since we both enjoy what the seas have to offer. And if we are not careful we both may be restricted if some extreme environmental groups get their way.
Tim

Click to expand...

Tim- Wonder what you'd consider an "extreme" environmentalist group. Hope you're not referring to the proposals to set aside 10-30% of some regions as marine reserves.

I like fish... underwater and baked. Well, maybe not garibaldi!

Dr. Bill

Yeah, Tim, most of what I've seen is recreational boaters who apparently don't have a clue, and are full throttle out near Deadman's and Seal Rocks, and much closer to shore. They are the ones I have a problem with. While I have seen fishing boats camped right on top of, and inside (closer to shore than) Deadman's Reef, since most divers out there seem to rarely fly a flag, I guess it would be our own fault if anything should happen. I still think we should put a permanent dive flag out there...

Apparently it hasn't been an issue, which kinda surprises me. But I guess there are a few things on our side: we usually don't surface out there, and instead return along the bottom (well, on second thought, I've seen a lot of folks surface way out there); also, a lot of the diving is done early in the morning when the boats aren't out yet (well, on second thought, there's a lot of folks diving during the day). Hell, I don' know...

When I say extreme, I mean the groups that want almost total closure to fishing, diving, kayaking,...etc. I am in full support of the creatioin of reserves/preserves of select areas that will help protect the future of our oceans. I also believe there should be stricter size and possession limits on many of our local species. I also think that it is necessary to address the use of gill nets in our waters, as these do more damage than anyone can imagine. And when they are lost they continue to kill for years.

I made reference to the boat on the back side just to address the issue that it is not only fisherman who anchor close to shore, not that he had done anything wrong. It was our belief that he was an urchin diver, although we were shocked he was so tight to the shore considering the swell present that day. I feel one of the big problems is that most boaters have little or no training when it comes to operation of a boat. And it is these yahoos who give the majority of the users (fisherman, dives, pleasure) a bad name.

mccabejc:

since most divers out there seem to rarely fly a flag, I guess it would be our own fault if anything should happen. I still think we should put a permanent dive flag out there...

Click to expand...

I think what it comes down to is that all parties need to use common sense. Being both a fisherman and a diver I feel I am more alert to what the other is up to. But I know people who could care less about the "other" person. And that is the problem. There are dives who hate fisherman and fisherman who hate divers, and there are those of us stuck in the middle.

As a diver I will say that most shore divers I know to not display a diver down flag when they are shore diving, and that really concerns me. Especially when diving in areas not normanlly frequented by divers.

normantr:

As a diver I will say that most shore divers I know to not display a diver down flag when they are shore diving, and that really concerns me. Especially when diving in areas not normanlly frequented by divers.

Click to expand...

This can be problematic in "kelpy" sites with the entanglement issue.

and thats part of the problem,I have a boat and dive (although not lately),I think a mandatory boating safety class would solve a lot of problems, you can buy a boat learn how to start and shift,put it in the water and go being totally ignorant to any signs,flags or safety in general. A class wouldnt solve everything but it sure would help,A lot of these things happen from people just not paying attention anyway.

mccabejc:

Yeah, Tim, most of what I've seen is recreational boaters who apparently don't have a clue, and are full throttle out near Deadman's and Seal Rocks, and much closer to shore. They are the ones I have a problem with. While I have seen fishing boats camped right on top of, and inside (closer to shore than) Deadman's Reef, since most divers out there seem to rarely fly a flag, I guess it would be our own fault if anything should happen. I still think we should put a permanent dive flag out there...

Apparently it hasn't been an issue, which kinda surprises me. But I guess there are a few things on our side: we usually don't surface out there, and instead return along the bottom (well, on second thought, I've seen a lot of folks surface way out there); also, a lot of the diving is done early in the morning when the boats aren't out yet (well, on second thought, there's a lot of folks diving during the day). Hell, I don' know...

Click to expand...