Follow up to missing diver
Here is a little more on the missing diver in South Florida.
A couple of things: 1. The multiple boats over a dive site is a HUGE issue
2. The lack of a sausage, signaling device, etc.
3. A little more preparation could have made a big difference!
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jun/...hour-offshore/
Licenses for boat owners?
Firstly, I'm glad this guy was OK, whatever the reason, spending a night bobbing about in the ocean can't be much fun.
With regards to the crowds of boats on the site when he surfaced, anyone with any kind of commercial boating certification or license, even just boating experience, should know the meaning of a dive flag. However, when divers share the ocean with fishing charters and commercial fishermen there will be issues and conflict from time to time. Common sense by all and paying a little attention should minimize the risks for everyone.
Any underwater structure, wreck, reef, rock pile or whatever, attracts fish and other marine life, we know that and that's one of the reasons we dive there. Unfortunately, that's also the reason the fishing boats are in the same area.
Appropriately qualified captains should know better, I don't dispute some are much better than others, but they should all have gone through some level of training and certification. But ...... private boat owners don't need any training, license or certification to take their boat out whenever and wherever they choose. If you took a poll of the boat (or jet ski) owners in any marina in the world, I'll put money on the fact that most of them wouldn't know a dive flag from a doo-rag.
Every country in the world has some sort of official certification before you are allowed to drive a vehicle on the public roads, but as far as I am aware, none of them have any such regulations concerning water craft.
Thoughts anyone?