- Messages
- 19,967
- Reaction score
- 18,899
- Location
- Philadelphia and Boynton Beach
- # of dives
- 1000 - 2499
Some boats put a guide in the water with the flag. If you ascend with the guide, you are good. If you ascend on your own, you shoot your SMB. These boats have a dive time limit so that everyone is on the surface at a predictable time. This would be Jupiter Dive Center, Narcosis, Walker's, and Pura Vida for me.It's now been over a year since I dove in PBC, but last time I was there the operators required every buddy pair to have a normal flag. The only time I've used SMB's was in other countries. I don't think an SMB meets the legal requirement for towing a flag or being within a certain distance of the boat in Florida.
I recall the captain would just follow the flags.
Usually boats will have loaner flags if someone doesn't have one. Probably common for tourists to not bring their own.
Boats without guides and a flag in the water require all divers or groups to have a flag. These would be Loggerhead and Starfish for me