Think twice before golfball diving

There are companies that hire divers as indpeendant contractors, then pay them chump change to dive in murky, hazmat waters, offer them no insurance, no equipment reimbursement, no vehicle expenses, no nothing...and yet these companies act like they're offering the greatest job in the world:

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - A man retrieving balls from a golf course lake was attacked by a 7-foot alligator Wednesday morning, suffering minor injuries to his foot, authorities said.

Vernon Messier, who was wearing a diver's wet suit, was standing in waist-deep water on the No. 5 hole of the Timber Greens Golf Course at about 10 a.m. when the alligator bit his left foot, Pasco County sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin said.

Messier told deputies he gouged at the creature's eyes and tried to pry its jaws apart while trying to free himself, Tobin said. Messier refused medical treatment and said he would drive himself to a hospital.

Messier told deputies he was an independent contractor who collected golf balls from the course for resale, Tobin said. A man who answered the phone at the golf course later Wednesday said he was too busy to talk about the incident.

Tobin said he didn't know if alligators had been spotted in the lake before.

"Any time you go into the water in Florida you have to make sure you're extra careful, because alligators are definitely out there," Tobin said. "He was lucky to get away with the minor injuries he received."

New Port Richey is about 40 miles northwest of Tampa.

Just another reason why golf should be outlawed and courses turned into MX tracks.

Matt

That story is very common down here. Every few weeks another story surfaces about a gator attack at the golf courses. Just wait until the mateing season starts or when it is unusually dry, then the attacks start in earnest!! You know it is getting bsd when you start finding gators in your pool.

Actually the biggest threat comes from encounters with moccasins. Most water hazards around golf courses have zero viz, so it really helps to drag the pond first and see what comes out of hiding. Believe it or not there is pretty good money in used golf balls if you do it for yourself.

Quote:

---

actually the biggest threat comes from encounters with moccasins.

---

How are a pair of Indian shoes going to harm a diver?!?!!?

;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iDiveChick

How are a pair of Indian shoes going to harm a diver?!?!!?

;)

---

You're not from the south, are you? LOL:p

Your posts are timed from like 10am to 3am. Do you ever sleep? lol..
What time zone are you in?

Play the Video to find out what Time Zone I am in:

Too funny...

Cheers,
Lars

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iDiveChick

How are a pair of Indian shoes going to harm a diver?!?!!?

;)

---

Gotta say thats what i thought too. What are they? We dont have them here. The only moccies we see here are on the feet of bogans( another Aussie word for the list) in Western Sydney:cool:. Usually accessorised with tight denim jeans an ACDC, Cold Chisel or Holden shirt and Flanno with a Winnie Blue hanging out the mouth. AHHH culture.

Matt

Moccasins.....as in water moccasins. The kind that inspire one to walk on water, not dive below it. Any snake is a bad one in my book. Just ask my buddies I had on a dive at Ginnie........ I gained a VERY healthy fear of all forms growing up in the Pacific.

Ahh we have Taipans and i think its 7 others in the top 10 deadly snake so they dont really bother me.

Matt

The moccasin can be aggressive at times, though not near as bad as most report. The biggest fear lies not in its venom but the bacteria that grows within its mouth, some really nasty critters considering what they eat. I have been bumped by a few while wading across a swamp before daylight and never gave them a second thought, but encountering them underwater I do tend to give them a bit of room. Bumping into one in water with the vis tyupical for most golf course ponds would not be fun. On the other hand, I have been underwater with gators on a number of occassions and they just tend to look at you funny as they wonder what you are. They are more likely to attack you at the water's edge, or if you do something stupid like step on them. I grew up in central FL and used to catch venonmous snakes as a kid to make money (sold them to be milked for their venonm to make anti-venom.) I can't say as I have ever had a real fear of reptiles, but I do hate spiders:eek:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zero

Gotta say thats what i thought too. What are they? We dont have them here. The only moccies we see here are on the feet of bogans( another Aussie word for the list) in Western Sydney:cool:. Usually accessorised with tight denim jeans an ACDC, Cold Chisel or Holden shirt and Flanno with a Winnie Blue hanging out the mouth. AHHH culture.

Matt

---

HUH????????

Its Aussie.

Matt

make more boots, jackets, bags and wallets out of them! lolz joke joke! :p :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BamaCaveDiver

I grew up in central FL and used to catch venonmous snakes as a kid to make money (sold them to be milked for their venonm to make anti-venom.) I can't say as I have ever had a real fear of reptiles, but I do hate spiders:eek:

---

nice! i would like to try that....

i hate spiders too.... very much! much! much! :eek:

I can't imagine living in a place that has big spiders like tarantulas running around everywhere! Yikes!!:eek:

We used to have a medic in our group that had a passion for tarantulas and scorpions, would catch them and play with them. Me, I always enjoyed hearing that loud pop whenever I would drive over one of those hairy monsters.

NO to spiders and jellyfish! :eek: eeeew! :D