Palm Beach diver loses arm as group hit by boat - Florida

[Diver below 83]

I can't imagine having that on a boat!

sorry I was going to use for shore diving not boat diving.

 

[Bob DBF]

I can't imagine having that on a boat!

It’s a blow up, leave it deflated ‘till needed.


Bob

 

[islanddream]

Carter's Mother, an incredibly brave person, posted an update on his CaringBridge page. The only "good news" is that he is left-handed and it was his right arm that was amputated by the propeller.

"...Monday, Carter will undergo surgery to repair his left wrist. He is left handed. It will begin with exploratory surgery and may lead to a plate, pins, etc. They are waiting to begin work on his legs as they need to “rest” from the newly installed fixators..."

I am sure that we will all be keeping him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.

Thank you so much for keeping Carter and his family in your thoughts and prayers!

 

[PBcatfish]

Either when I'm out fishing or diving, I can't count the amount of times I've seen divers without flags. Dive Boats are the worst offenders. They will allow divers to go without flags and send up a sausage. Around the beaches and inlets it is common to see snorkelers without flags.

Unfortunately, I too have seen both commercial & private dive boats put several divers in the water with no marker.

 

[tekkydiver]

Although the braid would be strong enough and low drag, I wonder about what happens when it rubs up against the diver, or someone else. That stuff can be pretty sharp with any weight on it.

Never a problem, been using it for years. Love the elimination of flag line drag.

 

[2airishuman]

Many snorkelers don't realize that they also need a dive flag.

It depends on the jurisdiction.

In Minnesota, you need a flag if you have SCUBA gear in your possession, even if you're on the surface with your mask off. But if you are snorkeling, and do not have SCUBA gear in your possession, you do not need a flag.

 

[2airishuman]

Unless they repealed it, if you are under about 40, you are required to take a boaters safety class and get a boater's license to operate anything more than a couple of horse power in Florida waters. Of course it is a once in a lifetime class, and can be completed online with a book so the value is probably pretty minimal.

Go to any of the boating websites and read some of the posts regarding safe operation and rules of the road. Most boaters are clueless and know it. A minority of boaters think they know the rules but get them wrong in important ways. There are very few (recreational) boaters who are serious about safety and getting it right, I would guess fewer than one in ten. It is a cultural thing. The selective, revenue-driven enforcement makes worse. People get ticketed for BWI and for equipment violations and, rarely, no-wake violations, not for COLREGS violations, and certainly not for ignoring a dive flag.

 

[2airishuman]

On the Gulf coast there is almost no shore diving so we have our boats for protection, but if I lived where shore diving was an option I would participate and probably use one of @MAKO Spearguns lifeguard hard floats and a big ass DIY 3D flag.

1) The MAKO Spearguns hard floats are not legal in Minnesota because the flag isn't high enough above the water. This is also a reason to use something else in other places as the elevation makes a big difference in visibility.

2) When boaters see a flag here they are most likely to come over and look at it to see what it is because they honestly do not know. Therefore I ordinarily do not tow one because they attract more boats than they keep away. It may be different in Florida but I am not so sure. I avoid diving areas with heavy boat traffic or dive them on days/seasons/times when no one is out or dive from a boat with a flag on it, which people will avoid.

I have a compliance flag that I use if I am trying to avoid a ticket. I have a big flag that I use if I am trying to avoid getting hit.

 

[CuzzA]

1) The MAKO Spearguns hard floats are not legal in Minnesota because the flag isn't high enough above the water. This is also a reason to use something else in other places as the elevation makes a big difference in visibility.

2) When boaters see a flag here they are most likely to come over and look at it to see what it is because they honestly do not know. Therefore I ordinarily do not tow one because they attract more boats than they keep away. It may be different in Florida but I am not so sure. I avoid diving areas with heavy boat traffic or dive them on days/seasons/times when no one is out or dive from a boat with a flag on it, which people will avoid.

I have a compliance flag that I use if I am trying to avoid a ticket. I have a big flag that I use if I am trying to avoid getting hit.

We usually investigate anything floating on the water. Natural human instinct, though for us it's usually picking up the half dozen or so mylar balloons we find every trip. Nevertheless being divers we would proceed with caution and of course wouldn't invade a diver's down space.

 

[2airishuman]

Are their laws or rules for jet ski drivers in place in most watersport locations? I see them racing around, often young drivers, and frankly they scare me and I usually decided to stay our of the water when they are around.

In most jurisdictions it is not possible to operate a jet ski / PWC / whatever and have fun without violating the law. There are all kinds of restrictions, no wake within certain distances of shore, or certain distances of other vessels (including other PWCs), etc.

So people who have them just ignore all the laws and if they draw a ticket they figure that is part of the cost of the activity. Up here it's like $125 including all the taxes and surcharges, and no matter how many you rack up it will not affect your insurance rates or anything else that matters. No one cares, because the dollar cost of a day on the water on a jet ski is already much greater than that.