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Video: Boat drives over divers. Authorities do not write ticket.


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#1 Racer184

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Posted 27 August 2011 - 07:24 AM

Unbelievable.
When you watch this, please note that the sailboat (sails down) is running on engine; he is just east of the boat channel. The divers were NOT in the boat channel. The boat from which the video was shot was going through the boat channel. Listen in the beginning you can hear them calling the coast guard.

The offending vessel just cleared the end of the fishing pier.



A fellow divemaster got a $76 ticket for not having a dive flag while standing in waist deep water waiting for the instructor who went back for the flag at this location. I am going to encourage him to file a federal lawsuit for unequal protection under the law.

#2 Racer184

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Posted 27 August 2011 - 07:49 AM

This local television station presented this story.

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Posted 27 August 2011 - 07:59 AM

Unfortunately, most boat owners are completely untrained. It does not take a "license" to skipper your own recreational class boat. There are certification classes, but they are kind of like scuba certifications. You can do it on your own without a C card and it's completely legal. If the boat is not registered in his name there is no guarantee that he has ever even seen the laws.

Most law enforcement also don't know the laws as as they pertain to divers.

At least that is my memory from the USCG sailboat certification classes I took in Galveston Bay. They made that very clear to us while explaining that we shouldn't assume the other boaters will follow the rules we were being taught. But that was 10 years ago so things may have changed.

#4 BettyRubble

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Posted 27 August 2011 - 03:20 PM

This is one of those issues that we as divers need to make more of a stink about with our local officials and regulators. The laws are on the books, they should be enforced and fines issued. Very frustrating.




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