Today's Dive Flag fun

[Littlerayray]

Boaters in canada must take a course to obtain their boaters licence and they know the flags meaning
@dumpsterDiver no I have never dove a lake or quarry
Just the st lawrence
It is a giant water system with one standard current and eddy's and what not we do drift dive and the captains have no problem keeping track of us when you are ready to surface you shoot your smb do your safety stop surface and the boat is there ready to pick you up the captain uses binoculars and keeps his head on a swivel constantly lookin for SMB's
We have really strong currents in this river and when we drift we travel downstream quite a ways

 

[boulderjohn]

And that's why I don't dive in FL or if I did I still wouldn't I do launch an smb

It's only illegal if you get caught

No, violating the law is illegal, whether you are caught or not. Do you believe it is legal to murder people at random as long as you don't get caught?

Are you arguing that divers should intentionally disobey local diving laws?

 

[Littlerayray]

@boulderjohn do you ever go above the speed limit, have you ever gone through a yellow light when you had enough time to stop, have you ever sated moving your vehicle without the seat belt fastened. These are all laws that I am sure you and everyone else has broken as I have myself in ontario you are supposed to dive with a float and flag I even had the coast guard give us a lecture on it and then we told him our reasoning for not using one he agreed with us and stopped lecturing us he also turns a blind eye to this ridiculous rule just like most LEO's turn a blind eye to minor infractions

 

[Littlerayray]

So to answer your question no I don't believe it is legal to murder someone
And yes I believe divers should argue and change theit state laws now if a charter boat requires a float and flag that is different and I believe a dive boat should fly a diver down flag but I also believe it should be the law that all boaters are required to take a course aND be licence to operate a vessel

 

[tarponchik]

Are you arguing that divers should intentionally disobey local diving laws?

I do this all the time when shore diving. Though not in Florida, in Hawaii. Since the flag is useless when I am below 25 ft, I leave it and go deep, then pick it up om my way back. For emergencies, I carry the yellow sausage.

In your case, with 4 flags per 11 divers, you were asking for a mess when surfacing. The divers need to be very experienced not to get entangled by flag lines.

 

[scubadada]

...In your case, with 4 flags per 11 divers, you were asking for a mess when surfacing. The divers need to be very experienced not to get entangled by flag lines.

This situation is not difficult. The boat drops the groups with reasonable spacing. Frequently, you do not see another group for the entire dive. When you do run across another groups, its quite easy to pass if you pay just a little attention. In over 400 drift dives in Boynton Beach, I've been entangled twice, both times in very strong current with the flag quite far out.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Flags are a PITA, but since by law we have to have one, I carry one. IF I hear a boat I make sure I am not attached any more than a hand hold. Even with a flag above me, I've seen prop wash more than once. Boaters are not required to take any classes or pass any tests to get a license. For Florida being such a dive mecca, you'd think that all boaters would know what a flag is. Unfortunately it's not the case. Then add in the jet skis who like to slalom around dive flags.
Pretty easy to stay clear of others who are also dragging a flag. Only time it's really a problem is at Blue Heron Bridge when you have 40 dive flags (cause it's the law!) and some people let the line out really far. I have been known to accidentally do the same.
Interesting though, go up to Jupiter and they do drift dives sans flags all day long. Maybe because it's a bit deeper up there and the currents can get wonky? No fun getting pulled by the flag going north and the current on the bottom is going south.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Flags are a PITA, but since by law we have to have one, I carry one. IF I hear a boat I make sure I am not attached any more than a hand hold. Even with a flag above me, I've seen prop wash more than once. Boaters are not required to take any classes or pass any tests to get a license. For Florida being such a dive mecca, you'd think that all boaters would know what a flag is. Unfortunately it's not the case. Then add in the jet skis who like to slalom around dive flags.
Pretty easy to stay clear of others who are also dragging a flag. Only time it's really a problem is at Blue Heron Bridge when you have 40 dive flags (cause it's the law!) and some people let the line out really far. I have been known to accidentally do the same.
Interesting though, go up to Jupiter and they do drift dives sans flags all day long. Maybe because it's a bit deeper up there and the currents can get wonky? No fun getting pulled by the flag going north and the current on the bottom is going south.

The "no flags in Jupiter" thing may be out past the 3-mile limit; I remember a discussion with an FWC officer once where he tried trotting out the dive flag argument to our boat and the DM pointed out that we were in federal waters. Most northern Palm Beach County boats will just have one flag on the DM and require the remaining divers to have SMBs. I sure as hell am not towing a flag when I'm 120' down in a current trying to poke around the Deep Ledge for lionfish.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

OOps, yes, you are correct. The DM carries the flag, everybody else follows the single flag.

 

[KJackson60]

Uninformed boaters are not just in Florida. Several years ago a did a couple of dives in Lake Geneva WI. Now first, to even be allowed to dive in Lake Geneva you have to read and sign a Divers Rule pamphlet that outlines all of the things you can and can't do as a diver and how you are to do them. Most of it is common sense so is no big deal. One of the rules is that you must have a Dive Flag on your boat, it must be flying when divers are in the water, and the divers must stay within 100 feet of it, boaters were to stay 150' from it. Not a problem. Went down with my budy and was looking around the bottom, about 25 feet deep, viz was probably 30 feet (really good!). We never lost sight of the down line so could not have been more than 30-35 feet from the boat. As my buddy and I were making a turn to head back to the down line a shadow passes over us and then an anchor hits the bottom between us! Needless to say we got back to the boat as fast as we could and surfaced. I was just amazed at the sight that greeted us. When we went in the water we were the only boat anchored anywhere near the spot we picked. We purposely picked this spot as to stay away from the other boats on the lake. There were no less than five other boats anchored in our immediate area, one of which was within 10 feet of our boat (opposite side of the boat from where we were). All were excited by the fact that we were diving and had stopped to see what we found! All were amazed and angry when the Lake Police Boat showed up and wrote all of them citations. I believe that it would have been more effective if the Lake Geneva Lake Police made THE BOATERS read and sign that pamphlet, not just the divers. .