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Diving Safety, Accidents and Incidents Post here to discuss accidents, incidents, ideas, gear, or anything else to improve spearfishing safety. Memorials and condolences threads should be placed in that separate forum.

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Old 05-12-2013, 09:20 PM   #1
laguna80
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What to do when you hear a boat?

Hey all, with summer coming up and more boat traffic bound to be on the water, I was wondering what to do if I'm underwater and hear a boat? I know that it's almost impossible to know where a boat is while underwater unless you see the motor wash. Should I surface as soon as possible? If it's super loud, should I wait as long as I can before surfacing? I think it'd be a good thing to know. Thanks for your tips.
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Old 05-12-2013, 09:44 PM   #2
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

I was in LJ last year and I heard motor noise getting louder. I immediately pushed my gun away from me and swam away from it and the float line. As the noise got quieter I surfaced and noticed the boat split between my parnter and I. Ive heard many instances where the boat grabs the floatline and rips the gun out of you hand. The gun violently being ripped out of your hand is a situation that you would have a misfire which is no good. I always wanted to shoot the bottom of the boat but something really bad could happen with that.

I had a float with a flag too. We have a lot of lobster buoys part of the year.
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Old 05-12-2013, 09:52 PM   #3
laguna80
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

What about unloading the bands and then coming up with the gun extended first? Hopefully, the people see the gun coming out of the water? IDK if that would create liability issues if an accident were to happen. Plus, it seems to me that it's best to get up as fast as possible to see where the boat is in relation to you, but then you're putting yourself in extreme risk.
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Old 05-13-2013, 06:34 AM   #4
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

Spearfishing the local lakes always puts us in jeopardy of retards running us down. We normally drop to the bottom and make ourselves as flat as possible. There is a movement in this area to get Diver Down Education posters posted at marina's and other public areas in the lake communities in an effort to remind and educate boaters that the colorful float in the lake is not a turn buoy for jet skier and that there is more than likely a diver attached to the other end of it.
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Old 05-13-2013, 07:36 AM   #5
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

If it sounds like it is closing on me, I usually surface to get a bearing on him. I'd rather cut the dive short, sort out the approaching boat, and then return to a relaxed dive once I am relatively comfortable that he isn't headed my way. If one gets on me fast, I always come up gun first. Not because I want to damage the boat, but because it may give me a better chance of being spotted or may give me an opportunity to push off with the gun if he is on me.
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Old 05-13-2013, 07:40 AM   #6
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

I usually use a Flasher on Carter Float and my gun is not attached to the Float, but tossing your gun at the sound of a boat sounds like a bad idea.

First. When I'm diving anywhere outside of inside of the Surf Zone, I treat boats as my number one priority. Fish are #2. I scan the horizon before and after every drop and several times inbetween.. and I don't do a half ass job. If there is a swell and you can't really see in one direction. You need to wait and look in that direction. You also need to scan 360 degrees.

A fast boat can still sneak up on you and so can them damn Jetskis.

As soon as I hear a boat, I swim to my Floatline and I yank on it. this makes my Carter Float Stand Up and Down. I do this as I am surfacing. The best chance you have of not being run over by a boat is being right next to your float. I have had two instances where I stopped and swam back down. In one, the water was clear and I saw the boat coming at me. It went right over me and then I almost got snagged by their trolling lures. They came back after hearing me yelling at them. I pointed my loaded gun right at the chest of the driver and told him if he ever came by my buoy again I'd shoot him in the chest. The other instance was a Jetski. I was Surf diving with a Float anchored right next to me. Three of them came flying through the surfzone. Then they stopped.. Bunch of Russian Surf guides who had been towing in their customers in Uluwatu.. I swam up to them and pointed my gun right at the chest of the leader. There was a girl on the back of the ski with him. She jumped off and swam for shore. The point of my gun wasn't 3ft from the guy. Never saw them again.
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Old 05-13-2013, 11:13 AM   #7
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

Not much you can do when they're suddenly upon you. You gotta get in the habit of looking around you at all times on the surface. If they're moving fast and I still have a good breath, ill stay down but if ya gotta come up theres no way to stop
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Old 05-13-2013, 02:16 PM   #8
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

Jon you are my new Hero! Some of those new 4 strokes are really quiet!
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Old 05-13-2013, 02:25 PM   #9
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

Although it's a good idea anytime you're diving, staying with your buddy and diving one up, one down helps a lot if there are other boats around. You have eyes on the surface then at all times.
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Old 05-13-2013, 05:02 PM   #10
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Behslayer View Post
I usually use a Flasher on Carter Float and my gun is not attached to the Float, but tossing your gun at the sound of a boat sounds like a bad idea.

First. When I'm diving anywhere outside of inside of the Surf Zone, I treat boats as my number one priority. Fish are #2. I scan the horizon before and after every drop and several times inbetween.. and I don't do a half ass job. If there is a swell and you can't really see in one direction. You need to wait and look in that direction. You also need to scan 360 degrees.

A fast boat can still sneak up on you and so can them damn Jetskis.

As soon as I hear a boat, I swim to my Floatline and I yank on it. this makes my Carter Float Stand Up and Down. I do this as I am surfacing. The best chance you have of not being run over by a boat is being right next to your float. I have had two instances where I stopped and swam back down. In one, the water was clear and I saw the boat coming at me. It went right over me and then I almost got snagged by their trolling lures. They came back after hearing me yelling at them. I pointed my loaded gun right at the chest of the driver and told him if he ever came by my buoy again I'd shoot him in the chest. The other instance was a Jetski. I was Surf diving with a Float anchored right next to me. Three of them came flying through the surfzone. Then they stopped.. Bunch of Russian Surf guides who had been towing in their customers in Uluwatu.. I swam up to them and pointed my gun right at the chest of the leader. There was a girl on the back of the ski with him. She jumped off and swam for shore. The point of my gun wasn't 3ft from the guy. Never saw them again.
As dangerous as that is, and who knows what sort of legal actions you could potentially suffer, I love it.

Lesson learned. You may have saved future divers by teaching them a lesson not soon forgotten.
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Old 05-14-2013, 01:32 PM   #11
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

i have a 7' bright orange safety sausage on a 30' finger spool im my pockey, if i get away from the main marker dive bouy, we drift dive mostly, i will launch it on a finger spool while on my safety stop. that way I have a pretty good marker sticking out of the water of where I am at. also have a 50# lift bag I can launch, anything to tell the dive boat or other boats my location. I have one of them loud as dive alert whistles attached to my bc inflator that can give a hell of an audio blast, not much use for a boat on plane going by. hope this is helpful.
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Old 05-16-2013, 10:42 AM   #12
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

I hate it when boats are around normally i check the surface and the distance before i dive down.
But even then when some fast ones around they can comes close.
The worst are the jetski when i came up to the surface one passesd by with roughly 25knots just 5m away from me You can not hear them.
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Old 05-21-2013, 02:59 PM   #13
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

In CA we are mostly diving in kelp beds, and luckily most boaters do not plow through the beds since kelp tangled in their props can cause damage. There are some crazy exceptions though... and it definitely depends on the spot. I have had friends who have been struck multiple times by boats and jet-ski's. It is much worse near harbors and pleasure ports where there are many idiots. I feel like when diving further from harbors (many of my shore dive spots are not particularly close to harbors or launch areas) it is a little better because most of the boaters are more serious fishermen or commercial guys who are aware that there can be divers in the kelp as opposed to drunken yahoos out for the weekend.

And if you are in the habit of diving the outside edge of the beds and into the bluewater then many boaters are certainly not expecting you to be out there. I typically surface when I hear a boat, get a bearing on them, and raise the butt of my gun (it has a bright red pad) a few feet out of the water, and sometimes also raise my floatline. I keep it like that until I sure they see me, then I resume diving.... I suppose if they were on autopilot or something and about to run me over I'd ditch my gun and drop.

When diving in kelp BTW, most guys do not have a float attached to the end of their float line. I frequently inflate a signal float and clip it to something but I can wander away from it.
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Old 05-21-2013, 03:32 PM   #14
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?




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Old 05-21-2013, 03:34 PM   #15
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Re: What to do when you hear a boat?

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