Ontario town moves to regulate 'rude and obnoxious' scuba divers

Interesing article. Let's be gracious divers, afterall, we are visitors. (either to the country or the dive sites)

Comments?

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Ontario town moves to regulate 'rude and obnoxious' scuba divers
by LAMAR BENNINGTON @ CDNN - Cyber Diver News Network

August 14, 2009


INNISFIL, Canada — A small town is Ontario, Canada has had enough of rude and obnoxious scuba divers.

Officials of Innisfil aim to regulate scuba divers after numerous complaints accusing scuba divers of obnoxious behavior and dangerous diving procedures in and around the town's public docks.

Big Bay Point Councilman, Dan Davidson, is leading the effort to control mostly out-of-town scuba divers blamed for a series of incidents.

"These people have been obnoxious to the local residents," Davidson said at Wednesday's council meeting. "There were some seniors in their 80s trying to dock their boat and the scuba divers wouldn't let them through. They were told to go dock their boat somewhere else."

Davidson said the situation is completely out of control at the government dock at the end of the 30th Sideroad.

"One fellow who was from another country told me he doesn't have to follow our rules," Davidson said. "We shouldn't have to put up with this type of arrogance."

Davidson also expressed concerns about the failure of scuba divers to exercise proper safe diving protocol including the use of "diver down' buoys.

"About six years ago I witnessed a diver being struck by a boat and she cut her throat," he said. "After seeing something like that it stays with you."

Town officials said they are studying regulatory proposals that will control scuba diving activities around Innisfil's docks while ensuring that local residents are not negatively impacted.

"I just hope we don't end up going after the wrong people," said Councilman Rod Boynton, cautioning that measures such as parking restrictions should not impact on Innisfil residents.

Sounds like an anti-foreigner sentiment. But there are boorish people everywhere.

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." - Plato

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Originally Posted by The Publisher

Sounds like an anti-foreigner sentiment. But there are boorish people everywhere.

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." - Plato

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Agree completely, but aren't there usually rules about diving in and around public docks? Common sense says you should expect other boat traffic and so take appropriate steps to ensure diver safety while not restricting use of the docks by others. I have some sympathy if dive groups are not showing the appropriate flags, I realise many boaters and other users of our waterways have no idea what a diver down flag actually means, but that's not a good reason not to be showing one.

Common sense and good etiquette should prevail rather than a need for more regulatory actions.

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Originally Posted by greenturtle

"About six years ago I witnessed a diver being struck by a boat and she cut her throat," he said. "After seeing something like that it stays with you."

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Humm...but we never heard of that incident...sounds like a bunch of BS entirely. I am sure it was just some argument between some boaters and some divers and now the entire thing has turned into a big stink of he said she said. It seems like some people are just out to start a problem.

Actually a diver was just killed in Cebu by a boat propeller several months ago, so it is more common that that the average diver hears about.

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Originally Posted by The Publisher

Actually a diver was just killed in Cebu by a boat propeller several months ago, so it is more common that that the average diver hears about.

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Here's one of the many links on this story :

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...27/2610415.htm


Boat propeller kills Japanese tourist
Posted Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:16pm AEST

A 52-year-old Japanese tourist has been killed in a freak diving accident in the central Philippines, police said Saturday.

Etsuko Kosaka from Ishikawa was hit on the head by a boat's propeller as she surfaced from a dive in waters off the city of Lapu Lapu in central Cebu province, police said.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital but later died of her injuries.

The waters around Cebu are popular diving spots for foreign tourists but have seen a growing number of incidents in recent months.

In March, two Chinese divers drowned after failing to resurface from a dive in the area.

- AFP

Just because one unrelated story is true doesn't make another one true. Again, I believe this is a bunch of BS and more a fight between a few individuals that is getting out of hand.