retpo
Senior Diver
Posts: 63
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Post by retpo on Jun 29, 2015 12:44:30 GMT -8
One summer in the 1970's I was diving with 2 other divers in Green Lake in WI. It was green and vis was about 5'. The other two divers (a couple) had their flag while I decided to trail them with my own flat and float. I began to surface to see where they were, and as my head was about to break the surface, I felt a vibration. I just dove as hard as I could and I was violently spun around and could not feel anything from my knee down. I got hit by a boat. The skegg must have hit my ankle where there was 1/4" of wet suit and 1/4" of wet suit boots. The boater knew he hit something and was circling around like a shark getting ready for the kill. Long story short, I had a dent in my leg that was there for a few decades. If somebody ever finds a Sportsway's fin in that lake, it could be mine.
In MN you need to have a flag, I tie one off when diving in an underwater forest, so I think conditions can be wildly different for the diver. So sometimes a flag is a bad idea, even if it is required by law.
It for sure is never a good idea when a boater goes near a flag, and as a Deputy Sheriff tagged at least one boater for doing so.
Getting hit by a boat made me a little paranoid about boats, so I'm kind of a flag guy now :-)....you mileage may vary.
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Post by SeaRat on Jun 29, 2015 17:42:59 GMT -8
I understand the dilemma. My reasoning for using a float was my age and the fact that boats do use the river. The lifeguards in the area cannot descend further tha n 10 feet too, due to their required PDFs. But, and this is a big " but," I was having entanglement problems on every dive (I dive in current). It came to a point where the "every dive" entanglement hazards, which varied from minor to severe, became an overriding factor. Then, when the current's force ripped a hole in my float,I simply decided not to replace it.
John
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Post by nikeajax on Jun 29, 2015 18:33:28 GMT -8
When my wife and I were diving in Belize my buoyancy was so utterly and completely FUBAR I was having a terrible time trying to stay down, and stay with the dive master. I remember watching a boat go over us, and wondering just how much clearance there was between me and the prop. To be honest, I was imagining it coming in contact with the back of my head: I guess that's what comes of being an artist and writer Thee DM just couldn't understand my fears, "Don't worry, I know where all the boats are..." All the while I'm thinking, "Hey, pendejo, you're the one who's able top control his buoyancy, not me..." That was a really sick feeling--UFF DA! Jaybird
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