Sailboat Runs over DiveFlags at BHB

[MXGratefulDiver]

Your points are strong, but the reality is, the LEO's have not patrolled the dive reef areas, where the charter boats are all the time, with any interest at all in warning or ticketing boaters that recklessly endanger divers (by approaching within 50 feet of diver down flags, at speeds often far in excess of 15 mph). However, since the Sailboat incident, the sherriff boats are suddenly doing safety checks on dive boats, even though they are commercial vessels, subject to the much more stringent Coast Guard regulations. Additionally, the sheriffs are now patrolling around the BHB, ticketing any divers they see coming out of the water without a dive flag--this is the MOST RIDICULOUS action possible, as they have already proven that they WILL NOT enforce the dive flag distance and safet zone for boaters in the area.....
Personally, I would enjoy telling them that it would be foolish for me to drag around a dive flag, which boaters can ignore with impunity, and the only thing that will keep me safe is my ability to hear boats coming when I am underwater, and to avoid them myself.
If I have to pull a flag just so a sherrif can keep tabs on my whereabouts and potential "no flag ticket revenue", they can start spending tax payer money right now trying to figure out when and where I am, underwater... .....


Somewhere I seem to remember their motto was "To Protect and Serve".... Where did that go ?

It went out with the concept that governments should live within their means.

Law enforcement has nothing to do with public safety anymore ... it's all about revenue generation. But perhaps that topic belongs in a different forum ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ggunn]

... and this comes from a guy (me) that has been screaming at and threatening ignorant boaters about dive flag violations all Summer.

When I read the reference to "swearing out a complaint" a few posts ago, that's the image that came to mind.

 

[bilsant]

I'm not sure the concept of living within their means hasn't come home with a vengeance to government. Layoffs, pay cuts, reduction in overall workforce. I believe most state law enforcement agencies have been asked to reduce their budget by ten percent...for the third year in a row. There aren't as many officers out there any more and they don't have the equipment and fuel budgets they used to ... most Sheriffs are facing the same cutbacks and "nontraditional" units like marine patrols are being cut back in hours and in fuel allocations in favor of putting patrol officers on the road.

Dan, you seem to keep switching back and forth...lets either discuss what's happening at BHB or what's going on at the reefs.

At BHB there was an incident involving the sailboat. Since then there's been a marked SO patrol boat evident and active almost every dive I've been on. Obviously with a marked boat there, boaters are being more careful around the flags...I certainly haven't heard of any incidents since the sailboat fiasco. While the officers are patrolling there, they're seeing dive flag violations by divers...are they supposed to ignore them? The divers who were cited obviously didn't take the same hint the boaters did.

On the reefs the patrol boats are out, but spread a bit thinner than in past years. Some have been more attentive to dive flag issues than others, but at least in Pompano when a diveboat Captain gets on the radio and complains, the offending boater may not be cited for the flag violation (remember, the officer has to see it occur?), but moves to the top of the list for boarding and a thorough check of papers and safety equipment and citations for anything not in order.

Anyone wanna vote for a property or sales tax increase to bring LE staffing up to where it was say...four years ago? And by the way...unless specifically ordered by the judge (rarely), none of the revenues from the citation fines go back into the LE coffers for operating costs.

You folks are unhappy with a lack of patrol at the bridge. Then you're unhappy with the fact that they're patrolling the bridge but not giving divers a pass on violations. You're unhappy that there's not enough coverage on the reefs, but don't want to have additional funding come from your pockets to provide more officers...and when officers check dive boats along with the other boats, that upsets you too. You've set LE up for a no-win.

Want to sneer at that serve and protect slogan? Go sign up to be a reserve, go to the academy on your own time and get certified, and go ride with the marine units and become a force multiplier to accomplish what you're complaining about.



I now refer to my own signature line, and will go wait to get picked up by the short bus.

 

[SCUBASailor]

Engine running or not, every Captain's first duty is to avoid a collision. There is no disputing that in the law, it's the number one rule of the road. It's a tough call when the sailboat is not abiding by the diver down flags (which it is obliged to do). It's the classic case of the good guy who takes the law in his own hands. If he saves a life, great. If he causes a collision and takes a life, I don't think many juries would sympathize.

 

[Quero]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

As this is not an accident, but rather an "accident waiting to happen," with particular relevance to those who dive in the area, we've decided to merge this thread with the thread describing the original incident.

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[Orlando Eric]

Still beating up the SO for a act which I'd say was unethical but was not a infraction. As to this being a navigational channel it is a area between two land masses aka a "striaght" the sailboater can prove this area is known to have a higher clearance. He was running slowly through the area and was IMO well within the law to do so.

Keep making a stink and be known as those bothersome (female dog) divers and become a thorn to the county commission and this area will be closed to divers. Eventually they are going to get fed up with who started "touching who" first "he's touching me.. no she is touching me" and they will close it completely. It was closed before and I am certain they can look at the historic revenues in the area of that time and not see a blip..

 

[Shcubasteve]

I filled out a sworn written statement with an FWC officer the other day for what I witnessed from the bridge of the Deep Obsession that day. Sounds like they are trying to move forward with charges

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Did anyone else see that yesterday!? I was headed out through BHB area and a 60' sailboat passed to the east of the main channel coming within 5' of at least 4 different diveflags!! A group doing CESAs actually surfaced directly in front of the sailboat and quickly headed back down just in time. Not cool man

If this is what happened, then the instructor was negilent. This is not the place for this type of activity and they should take it somewhere else.

When diving in, or in this case next to, boats or a channel, you should stay on the bottom and not surface for any reason. Divers should use their navagation skills to find their way back to the entry point without surfacing. If you must surface, come up next to a piling for some protection.

If you are uncomfortable diving around boats, then this site is not for you.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

• A dive flag "is supposed to indicate" to approaching boaters, that a diver "may be" immediately under the flag, or about to surface....
• a dive Flag is NOT utilized just to let boaters know that a diver may be on the bottom 60 to 100 feet below.

I think there some confusion about the difference between diving in regular open water situations Vs diving in a navigable waterway immediately adjacent to a boat channel.

You can't take a dive flag into a navigable channel and expect boats to yield to you. It's illegal. You would probably be ticketed by the marine patrol and asked to leave the water.

This is little different, the navigable channel is literally feet away and as someone indicated it's accepted practice for sailboaters use this as a 'go thru'.

If anything, I'm surprised that this area is not off-limits to diving. Normally, this would be a sneak dive type site.

At this site, it's not unusual to look up and see boats passing almost directly overhead at full speed. Deal, or dive somewhere else. They aren't going to make the boaters slow down for divers and probably couldn't even if they wanted to in this location.

Save your outrage for more clear-cut violations...

 

[Tom Winters]

Somewhere I seem to remember their motto was "To Protect and Serve".... Where did that go ?

Ah Dan, sorry to hear that you're having motto problems. This is pretty minor compared to when the aliens come here announcing that they're here "To Serve Man." I feel for you when you go up into the ship expecting maybe a nice back rub or a foot massage and find out what "To Serve Man" really means.
You can reprise Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now moaning, "The horror...the horror..." with "The motto...the motto..."
I bet if you tell them that you're a diver, maybe they'll make you into a nice bouillabaisse.