I understand you're required to have a dive flag in Florida but do you have to tow it or can you leave it at the entry exit spot?
Dive Flag Laws in Florida
- Thread starter Al Mialkovsky
- Start date
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DennisS
Contributor
You have to tow it if you're doing a shore dive. If you're diving off an anchored boat the boat flag should be good enough. Drift dives, it's a good idea to have a towed flag for the boat to track.
OP
Have to tow it, that just sucks 
Thanks
Thanks
Divergirl4U
Contributor
Yes it is important to have a dive flag once outside the swim buoys it is required, but you can have 3 or 4 divers for one flag. The boats are supposed to stay 1000 ft. away from our flags, but I have had them right over my head many times. So be safe and bring your flag.
Have fun
KP
once outside the swim buoys it is required, but you can have 3 or 4 divers for one flag. The boats are supposed to stay 1000 ft. away from our flags, but I have had them right over my head many times. So be safe and bring your flag. Have fun
KP
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Sometimes on weekends here in the Keys I am not sure if a flag serves as a warning or a target!!
DennisS
Contributor
Double Post
DennisS
Contributor
Yes it is important to have a dive flag
Have fun
KP
1000 ft would be nice but they must make a reasonable effort to stay 300 feet away, IF they approach within 300 ft they have to go slow
(6) Any vessel other than a law enforcement or rescue vessel that approaches within 100 feet of a divers-down flag on a river, inlet, or navigation channel, or within 300 feet of a divers-down flag on waters other than a river, inlet, or navigation channel, must proceed no faster than is necessary to maintain headway and steerageway.
OP
Once while teaching a class in Oregon I placed two dive flags and had my students doing skills in between the flags. A few minutes into the dive a jet ski decided to use the two flags as racing buoys. Honestly I was afraid to surface for awhile.
I do hate the idea of dragging a flag around. I'm fine with setting one up and coming back to it. On the other hand I hate paying fines. Are they pretty keen on busting divers in the keys who are doing shore dives with an anchored flag?
Divergirl4U
Contributor
What if you have to surface, now you are out there with no flag and the boats can not see you. The shore dives around here are shallow 15 to 20 ft so you will not have a lot of drag from the flag. Never clip your flag to your BC you will need to be able to release it quickly if a boat gets tangled in it.
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First, the greatest threat any of us really face when diving is boaters. Here in South florida, off of Palm Beach, on any given weekend you could have dozens of drunken boaters nearly running right over your head. Having a dive flag is one of your primary defenses for these morons. Another, is having your boat captain ready to "take a run" at any boat getting close to your dive flag ( another reason to have a flag--so he can do this). Warding off boats is just one more reason to have a good captain running your boat.
For the people who do not like the effort of towing a dive ball, there is a MUCH better alternative. go to a shop that sells freedive gear, and buy a Riffe torpedo float with a flag on it. It has a weighted bottom, so the flag always points up, and the torpedo has virtually no drag when compared to any float device commercial charter boats use....to get a feel for the difference, imagine ( or try) tossing the float ball or float staff off the boat when the dive boat is going full speed ( say 16 to 25 knotss). With a float ball, you may very well either have it ripped from your hands, or get dragged into the water. If you do this with the torpedo float, the pull is tiny.
When a diver pulls a torpedo float, there is no effort in towing it at all.
Dan
For the people who do not like the effort of towing a dive ball, there is a MUCH better alternative. go to a shop that sells freedive gear, and buy a Riffe torpedo float with a flag on it. It has a weighted bottom, so the flag always points up, and the torpedo has virtually no drag when compared to any float device commercial charter boats use....to get a feel for the difference, imagine ( or try) tossing the float ball or float staff off the boat when the dive boat is going full speed ( say 16 to 25 knotss). With a float ball, you may very well either have it ripped from your hands, or get dragged into the water. If you do this with the torpedo float, the pull is tiny.
When a diver pulls a torpedo float, there is no effort in towing it at all.
Dan
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