The law in our local Spokane River is that divers must always tow around a dive flag. However, when we drift the river we do NOT take a flag for a couple of reasons.
The fast water drift we do, lasting about 1.5 miles, is in an area with no boats or swimmers (just the occasional fisherman). Towing a flag/line is just not safe! This dive requires complete focus and the addition of a flag complicates things.
If there does happen to be a jet ski on the water, they almost never understand the dive flag, and so they like to do circles around it. This drift dive is shallow (0' to 15') and requires us to surface often for barrings, so a jet ski buzzing your flag is not safe.
The flag is a definite entanglement hazard. The first time I made this drift, the current shoved me down into a deep hole against a huge bolder in fast water, and as I kicked around it, the flag line got tangled on... something, and I was stuck with the fast water banging me against the side of the bolder. The line had gotten tangled around my tank, but as I was going for my knife, the line came loose and I was released. It was hairy for a minute.
This dive is so much safer without the flag! So here's my question to all you law enforcement officials (yeah, you too, Gary D. - although I think you'd just shoot me from the shore ):
If you saw me diving without a flag, would you ticket me?? I've been told that others HAVE been, but I find it hard to believe that reason won't win out.
The fast water drift we do, lasting about 1.5 miles, is in an area with no boats or swimmers (just the occasional fisherman). Towing a flag/line is just not safe! This dive requires complete focus and the addition of a flag complicates things.
If there does happen to be a jet ski on the water, they almost never understand the dive flag, and so they like to do circles around it. This drift dive is shallow (0' to 15') and requires us to surface often for barrings, so a jet ski buzzing your flag is not safe.
The flag is a definite entanglement hazard. The first time I made this drift, the current shoved me down into a deep hole against a huge bolder in fast water, and as I kicked around it, the flag line got tangled on... something, and I was stuck with the fast water banging me against the side of the bolder. The line had gotten tangled around my tank, but as I was going for my knife, the line came loose and I was released. It was hairy for a minute.
This dive is so much safer without the flag! So here's my question to all you law enforcement officials (yeah, you too, Gary D. - although I think you'd just shoot me from the shore ):
If you saw me diving without a flag, would you ticket me?? I've been told that others HAVE been, but I find it hard to believe that reason won't win out.