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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 07-18-2016, 08:09 AM   #1
Freedvrjim
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Run over by boat last week!

While diving my local inlet area last week a newbie recreational boater ran over my dive float w/flag and wedged the line into his drive. I was using a 35ft line attached to the back of my Mako weight belt while drifting in 15ft of water looking for fluke.
I don't remember hearing the boat coming and it happen so fast all I felt was a yank on my belt which dragged me towards the surface. Fortunately the rubber belt ripped at the buckle latch freeing me of being dragged further as the driver of the boat threw the gear into neutral as he realized what he had done.
When I surfaced and realized what had happened I yelled to the boat who responded "Is that your lobster pot?" Are you Fing kidding me??? This guy has a boat and no idea what a dive flag was. He was also motoring through a 5mph recreational inlet marked by white cans marked no wake! He was with his wife and a very young child (grandchild I guessed) so I held back the screaming and cursing as best I could.
I made him give me a ride back to the beach where I was parked and gave him a lecture and education rather than calling the authorities and filing a report. My wife was on stand up paddle not far away and I did not want her to know and end my diving...
Be safe out there guys, Idiots out number us!
Jimmy
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Old 07-18-2016, 10:01 AM   #2
SEATUX
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

That could have ended much worse than it did!
I think he needed a brush with the water patrol to help impress upon him the severity of what he had done!
There really should be some sort of BASIC boating coarse requirements for new ( and some old) boaters!
Glad your OK.
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Old 07-18-2016, 10:28 AM   #3
Freedvrjim
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Thanks. Ironically the coast guard has been boarding EVERY boat in the waterway for the past month with aggressive safety campaign


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Old 07-18-2016, 11:20 AM   #4
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Glad your ok Jim. Why do you have your floating attached to your belt?
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Old 07-18-2016, 11:42 AM   #5
Freedvrjim
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

@mookieo2 less entanglement issues when I drift shallow waters and I was using a pole spear, normally have it attached to gun!


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Old 07-18-2016, 04:49 PM   #6
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedvrjim View Post
While diving my local inlet area last week a newbie recreational boater ran over my dive float w/flag and wedged the line into his drive. I was using a 35ft line attached to the back of my Mako weight belt while drifting in 15ft of water looking for fluke.
I don't remember hearing the boat coming and it happen so fast all I felt was a yank on my belt which dragged me towards the surface. Fortunately the rubber belt ripped at the buckle latch freeing me of being dragged further as the driver of the boat threw the gear into neutral as he realized what he had done.
When I surfaced and realized what had happened I yelled to the boat who responded "Is that your lobster pot?" Are you Fing kidding me??? This guy has a boat and no idea what a dive flag was. He was also motoring through a 5mph recreational inlet marked by white cans marked no wake! He was with his wife and a very young child (grandchild I guessed) so I held back the screaming and cursing as best I could.
I made him give me a ride back to the beach where I was parked and gave him a lecture and education rather than calling the authorities and filing a report. My wife was on stand up paddle not far away and I did not want her to know and end my diving...
Be safe out there guys, Idiots out number us!
Jimmy
Jimmy:

Glad you are alright.

As many are aware, MAKO has a policy that we will replace (at our cost) any MAKO belt and/or weights which are lost during an emergency – if the customer shares the story and thus provides everyone a safety reminder.

This is a somewhat unusual circumstance, but I think it falls into the "emergency lost" category.

This incident serves as a good reminder why we recommend that a floatline be attached to a gun, polespear or even hand carried, but attaching a line to the person (even via a quick release belt) does present some vulnerabilities with regard to diver safety.

Clueless boaters are probably a bigger danger than anything else we might encounter on the water.

Please send me a pm with your contact and shipping info and I will get a replacement belt shipped out tomorrow.

Dive safe

Dano



MAKO FREE REPLACEMENT/SAFETY POLICY


To our valued customers: MAKO Spearguns recognizes that diving (both freediving and SCUBA) are potentially dangerous activities. We have all heard of tragic accidents where a diver is found on the bottom while still wearing a weight belt. We hope and pray that should any of our customers find themselves in a situation where ditching a belt may be necessary, that there is no delay and the belt is dropped immediately.

In many situations a belt is recoverable, however if your MAKO Spearguns belt and lead and/or Tinman weights are ditched (and lost) in a true emergency…. I will replace them at our cost.

The last thing we want is our customers considering the cost of a lost belt in an emergency. The only thing we ask is that the individual shares with us (and our friends and customers) some sort of write-up about how the situation developed and how it was resolved. That way, we can all learn and be reminded to keep safety in the forefront of our minds.

Dive safe,
Dano


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Old 07-18-2016, 04:59 PM   #7
Freedvrjim
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Thanks for the courtesy Dano, you and your company provide an invaluable service to the dive community and while you take jabs here and there you are always a stand up guy in the end!
Pm sent, thanks again!
Jimmy


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Old 07-18-2016, 05:42 PM   #8
Alashaman
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Wow Dano extreme customer service. Amazing and refreshing.

Thank you
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Old 07-19-2016, 06:58 AM   #9
Mookieo2
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedvrjim View Post
@mookieo2 less entanglement issues when I drift shallow waters and I was using a pole spear, normally have it attached to gun!


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I kind of figured it was for a pole spear. Glad your ok.
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Old 07-19-2016, 10:24 AM   #10
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Another story about Mako;

I decided to start making my own bands, and the consensus on Spearboard was the two top band materials manufactured were Primeline and Kent Elastomer.
Mako sold all the tools/parts I needed to make the bands, including Primeline rubber, so I placed an order and they shipped it out to me.
Well, I found that the Primeline band material was Terrible! I couldn’t even pull it back, so I checked off ever using Primeline again and found a supplier of Kent.
Months latter ( again reading on a Spearboard gun building forum) it was revealed that Primline had produced a bad batch, the stuff had no stretch!
NO SHIT!
I contacted Mako and they said they weren't aware of that, but they would ship me new material to replace the bad, no fuss/no problem!

BTW..this Primeline does indeed have stretch!

THANKS MAKO!
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Old 11-15-2018, 03:17 PM   #11
rnln
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Good thing is that you are OK
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Old 11-15-2018, 06:04 PM   #12
SEATUX
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Re: Run over by boat last week!

Guys...This thread is from 2016!!!
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