To Be Seen or Not To Be Seen

By Dave Metrano

Just about all the divers I know have at one time or another cursed that float, with its five foot skinny fiberglass pole attached to a red flag with its white stripe. Don’t forget those 300 feet of nylon line. Yes, that line that always gets tangled on the first stage, at the most inopportune time.

Many times entanglements occurred because the diver has entered the water and not had proper control of the dive float. I teach my students to let out 6 or 8 feet of line while entering the water. This lets the float trail behind the diver without getting hung up on the diver. When we get to waist or chest deep water, we can go below the surface and let out more line as we descend.

I also caution my students to never secure the line to the body or wrap the line around a hand to hold on to it. I wouldn’t want my equipment be attached to the flag or wrapped in my hand when a careless boater runs over the flag and takes it for a high speed ride. A diver could get seriously injured. Never take for granted that a boater will stay a safe distance from the flag, they may actually get closer to examine the flag!

As the diver descends, he should play out enough line to keep the float on the surface and above him if possible. Caution, if to much slack is let out; there could be an entanglement problem. Divers should be constantly aware of the position of their float and flag.

When ascending, continue to reel in the line to prevent entanglement. Remember the purpose of the dive flag and float is to warn boaters that there is a diver below the surface. If you do not reel in the slack line while ascending, a boater could go right over you and not realize it. Always be aware of your surroundings. Safe diving!

	To Be Seen or Not To Be Seen
By Dave Metrano Just about all the divers I know have at one time or another cursed that float, with its five foot skinny fiberglass pole attached to a red flag with its white stripe. Don’t forget those 300 feet of nylon line. Yes, that line that always gets tangled on the first stage, at the most inopportune time. Many times entanglements occurred because the diver has entered the water and not had proper control of the dive float. I teach my students to let out 6 or 8 feet of line while entering the water. This lets the float trail behind the diver without getting hung up on the diver. When we get to waist or chest deep water, we can go below the surface and let out more line as we descend. I also caution my students to never secure the line to the body or wrap the line around a hand to hold on to it. I wouldn’t want my equipment be attached to the flag or wrapped in my hand when a careless boater runs over the flag and takes it for a high speed ride. A diver could get seriously injured. Never take for granted that a boater will stay a safe distance from the flag, they may actually get closer to examine the flag! As the diver descends, he should play out enough line to keep the float on the surface and above him if possible. Caution, if to much slack is let out; there could be an entanglement problem. Divers should be constantly aware of the position of their float and flag. When ascending, continue to reel in the line to prevent entanglement. Remember the purpose of the dive flag and float is to warn boaters that there is a diver below the surface. If you do not reel in the slack line while ascending, a boater could go right over you and not realize it. Always be aware of your surroundings. Safe diving!