Literally hooked while diving?

[porgyhunter]

Belive it or not, the same thing happens up north. I HAVE been hooked several times. The jettys I dive are also heavily fished. I skirt the ocean side for lobster and fish, but the inlet side is by far better fishing. I think I have been targeted! Fortunatly I am always in a full wet suit, and feel a tug. I do carry a knife, and metal shears, so the problem is easily rectified. Even hooked in the hood once, I think the fishermen don't know how dangerous this SPORT of theirs is!

 

[diverdoug1]

I fish and dive in the same area as the OP (Sarasota). I have had the unfortunate experience of hooking a scubadiver while fishing. While bottom fishing on a local offshore wreck (Bayronto), there were divers on the wreck diving without a dive flag. Had we known divers were in the water, we would not have fished there. Evidently the diver was trying to do something "cute" with my line (maybe such as the stupid things recommended in the above postings). I felt a tug on my grouper rig, and dragged the unfortunate diver up quickly from 100'. It was very shocking to pull up a thrashing diver when you are expecting to pull up a big grouper! The diver had my hook deeply embedded in his ulna, and had a significant soft tissue injury to his forearm. I bandaged his forearm, but he refused oxygen therapy or emergency evacuation. There are 2 lessons to be learned here. Don't dive off a boat if it is not flying a diver down flag. DON"T SCREW AROUND WITH FISHING LINES WHEN YOU ARE DIVING!! BTW, shears would not have gotten this diver out of trouble, we use heay gauge cable steel leaders that require diagonal cutters to cut.

 

[diverdoug1]

Third lesson woluld be that it is hard to pull your hand out of the way fast enough to avoid getting hooked.

 

[inventor]

Well, being a hillbilly, I don't take offense at redneck references. I have seen one diver, right in front of me, get hooked. But it was a line and hook left in the water. I got it loose, he didn't even know it. The guy behind me, after we got out of the water, told me that he'd done the same thing, after the same line caught me.

 

[diverdoug1]

Having had coal miners as some of my ancestors, I also do not mind being called a "redneck". If people knew how the term was derived, they would not use it as a racial epithet!

 

[Rhone Man]

Having had coal miners as some of my ancestors, I also do not mind being called a "redneck". If people knew how the term was derived, they would not use it as a racial epithet!

I thought it was from people with sun burned necks from wearing John Deere baseball caps whilst listening to country music driving a tractor, but clearly not... ?

EDIT: Wikipedia says that the term was only appropriated later by the UMW which gave it racial overtones, but it is an interesting story. Learn something new every day...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redneck

To avoid racial offence, henceforth I shall use the term "Hillbilly" or "Hick". I would not want to offend anyone when I offend someone!

 

[diverdoug1]

The Wilipedia entry is off a bit. Although It was adopted the the UMW, the origin of the term was the use of red rags being tied around the necks of miners in the Battle of Blair Mountain, in which oppressed miners wishing to unionize fought against mining company henchmen. BTW, Rhone man, why don't you look up "hillbilly" on wikipedia?Although I couldn't care less what people lable me as, you should know your decision to start calling people hillbillies is is a good step in the direction of showing you to be a bigot. People of Appalachian descent often call each other "hillbilliy", just as black people often call each other nig#er. BUT, if you are not a member of said groups, calling someone a hillbilly to their face will probobly get you the same reponse as calling someone a nig#er.

 

[Rhone Man]

BTW, Rhone man, why don't you look up "hillbilly" on wikipedia?Although I couldn't care less what people lable me as, you should know your decision to start calling people hillbillies is is a good step in the direction of showing you to be a bigot.

Just to be clear - I was making a joke. I don't actually go around calling people hillbillies. Except my in-laws.

 

[goonsquad]

You should still look up "hill billy". It's not a negative epithet, unless used ignorantly...

 

[iHeartScuba.com]

While doing public safety dives for the Sheriff's Office in popular fishing spots I've been tangled up in line and hooked several times by lures that got caught in snags and left behind. Never been hooked by a live fisherman though. It seems like in the OP's case these fishermen were violating the dive flag laws. Maybe it's different in Florida, or they just didn't know the law or care. Mentioning the safety zone around the dive flag might help. And carry sheers or a knife when diving in popular fishing spots in case you do get tangled up. Shameless plug - in case you don't have sheers or a good knife we sell them here: Scuba and Snorkel gear

Good luck and be safe!