Boaters Inattention

[Aardvark]

Where I live (NSW, Australia) you need a boat licence if you're going to skipper a vessel at 10 knots or more, except for PWC (jetskis, etc) for which a license is required at all times. Dive flags are covered in the handbook you need to study and it's your responsibilty to keep clear of swimmers (snorklers, swimmers and divers) in the water. Boats from which divers are diver must display the alpha flag and it's recommended for those diving from shore. If you find yourself cut up by a prop when diving in a waterway without a flag you're unlikely to get a lot of sympathy.

I'm a little puzzled by the objection to licensing. If your actions have no consequences for others then do what you wish, if you want to be in charge of a vehicle easily capable of causing injury or death then it's reasonable to ask that you prove you can operate safely, or at least understand the basics of safe naviagtion, before using it in public.

[k ellis]

I think one of my most interesting dives was on a local lake where I put the larger then life (HUGE) dive flag up and went down. It was near a cliff where kids always jump off and well there were no boats as it was rather chilly to be partying let alone jumping in the water. Me and a fellow diver went down and hear some boat traffic and waited till we could not hear it before we surfaced for safety. Too my amazement with only 10 minutes of bottom time there was about 10 boats all over the place and within 50 feet of us in any direction. One of which was 10 feet away from where we surfaced.

On this boat the guy leans over the side (With beer in hand of course behind the wheel) and yells "Hows the diving? I go diving all the time too and was wondering what it would be like here."

Talk about wanting to curse some one out so bad I could taste it. Now not only was he drinking and driving but if he was trully a diver he should have known better then to anchor 10 feet off of my boat with a 5 foot long by 2.5 foot high dive flag flying.