Dive flags?

[divingmoose]

I live and dive in Manitoba Canada I've been reading some posts about Dive flag awareness day in Florida What a great Idea.
At home here we have what is jokingly called a "Safeboaters coarse "with we all need to operate a boat in Manitoba. There is a short lesson on dive flags. We are required to steer clear of DIVE FLAGS by 100ft
as we all know that is a joke. In West Hawk lake the Seadoo and boats use our very visable dive markers "permently fixed 3 ft x 2ft FLAGS on floats" as a soloum coarse all the time. If you carry a personal floating marker flag the boats follow it to see if they can spot the divers. there was been a few divers stuck by boat not serios
as far as I know, but a friend of mine was clipped and tried to report it. The Parkies ask him things like did you get the number off the boat,did they see you, has it happened before, well he told them he was trying to stay alive and didnt have time to see any numbers "he thought his own number was up" before "if it happened before he would have reported it, see him "he doubts it he was hit by the rear of the boat" after the interview the Parkies told him they would look into it, that HE should be more careful. He was in a designated Dive area marke by floating Flag markers
What more can we do.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Mk 48 torpedos. If those are a little hard to come by for you I'd suggest a beer bottle launched from 30 ft or so. Hits the bottom of the hull and makes one heck of a thump! Or so I've been told. Or you could carry some kind of disposable rope that could "accidentally" get lodged in their intake or prop.
These suggestions are a joke. But I feel your frustration. Too many idiots.

 

[NudeDiver]

See? If you Canadians had more guns, you could shoot at these evil boaters. At a minimum, you could leave one guy on the boat with all the guns displayed at any enemy boater that gets too close.

 

[Jmarsland]

I know a few people who have done the beer bottle thing, definitely gets the boaters attention!

That always worries me about shore dives, the only thing I can think of is make sure you have plenty of air when you're ready to surface in case of boating idiots.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

See? If you Canadians had more guns, you could shoot at these evil boaters. At a minimum, you could leave one guy on the boat with all the guns displayed at any enemy boater that gets too close.

Guns don't cut it. M70 grenade launcher.

or there's always the two pounder rule: If I can hit you with a
two-pound lead weight, I WILL.

 

[NudeDiver]

Guns don't cut it. M70 grenade launcher.

or there's always the two pounder rule: If I can hit you with a
two-pound lead weight, I WILL.

I was never very good with a shotput - I doubt I'd fare much better with other forms of manually slung weight

 

[Tortuga James]

I have yelled violently at boaters who trolled fishing lures right past the boat while I had divers in the water and they look at me like I am crazy.

The flip side of the coin is dive boats/private boats diving that pull up to an area dense with fishermen and toss and anchor and throw up a flag and expect everyone to steer clear.

I think it takes respect and awareness on both sides.

Coming from someone who spent the first half on my diving career diving under unattended boats, this may be a little hypocritical. This is just one more reason to leave someone on the boat. At least you have someone topside to warn approaching vessels that divers are in the water. It is another reason why divers should always descend and ascend along the anchor line.

 

[NudeDiver]

I have yelled violently at boaters who trolled fishing lures right past the boat while I had divers in the water and they look at me like I am crazy.

They were probably thinking, "why in the hell is that guy yelling violently at us? Doesn't he realize that such actions are ineffective, but if he fired off a few rounds, he would get our attention right away?"

 

[Scared Silly]

Anybody ever work with the LO to set up an enforcement day?? What are the fines if ticketed??

 

[divingmoose]

I know a few people who have done the beer bottle thing, definitely gets the boaters attention!

That always worries me about shore dives, the only thing I can think of is make sure you have plenty of air when you're ready to surface in case of boating idiots.

I've only done a few boat dives the other hundred have be shore dives,at the lakes the problem seems to be they just don't care & if reported it is low on the conservation officers list of problems.
The gun solution works only if you can use it from under water :gun: and the granade :bomb: launcher only if you remember to plug your ears!Now the:shelli:BEER BOTTLES" I guess Because they are all around on the bottom of the lakes where we dive we could carry a mess bag full in case of emergences.WAIT a minute "all over the bottom of the lake" I think I just figured out the dive flag problem the boaters are all DRUNK and they dont care about the divers. Maybe there should be a law that was ENFORCED about operating a boat while Drinking or under the influeince of alchol??? dm