More dos and don'ts re diving in my town

[ScubaLawyer]

[swimjim]

And what ever you do, do not enjoy your experience!

[simonbeans]

WOW, I wonder what they would do if they found out you peed in your wetsuit. Welcome to CA.

[rx7diver]

@ScubaLawyer,

Do you know why these new rules are being set? Is it simply that scuba diving has proliferated in your town and now must be "managed" more? Is it that more non-divers are sharing these same spaces with the divers? Something else?

It's probably a good idea to get some diver representation on the board that makes these rules, ASAP--if there isn't some already.

For years one of my favorite go-to places for a scuba fix was near the visitor's center proximal to Table Rock Lake's dam in southwest MO. One could drive the 3.5 hrs down from central MO (where I live), set up on the lawn adjacent to the visitor's center parking lot, do a couple of single tank dives (or one reasonably long "technical" dive), and return home all in a single day if so wished.

A few years ago, this area became extremely popular. It turned into a bit of a zoo, in fact--no longer the quiet, quick escape for my scuba fix: Gear everywhere. Divers undergoing open water training, everywhere. Little whiny, compressors running everywhere. Et cetera.

Then the area was put off limits for diving while a new visitor's center was being constructed. When construction ended, the area remained/remains off limits for scuba diving. I was told that there were/are Homeland Security concerns about allowing diving so close to the dam. However, I suspect that part of the decision to revoke diving access permanently is in part due to just how out of control things had become. The diving area separates the new visitor's center from the shallower, public swimming area near the old visitor's center, and the new visitors expected to be drawn by the new visitor's center would have had to pass through the diver "carnage" to get to the public beach area.

I wish we longtime divers could have had some say in the decision to remove this once-excellent diving location from our access. I wonder if compromises could have been made, reasonable rules established, to have allowed this area to remain open to us.

rx7diver

[ScubaLawyer]

Do you know why these new rules are being set?

Yup. A very small number of divers over the years who don't respect private property, block driveways, leave trash, shine dive lights in homeowner's windows, destroy the tidepools by walking over the rocks to get to the water rather than going in off the beach, leave dive gear sprawled out all over the sidewalks so pedestrians can't walk by, flash their hairy naked butt cheeks to the kiddies walking by as they change in and out of wetsuits, swimsuits, etc... talk loud and yell late at night and early in the morning to their fellow divers, use their tank air to loudly blow dry whatever,.... and otherwise being obnoxious A-holes. Oceanfront homes in my town sell for anywhere between $6 million and $25 million. Who do you think the city is going to side with when it comes to complaints from property owners?

It's probably a good idea to get some diver representation on the board that makes these rules, ASAP--if there isn't some already.

It's been tried. We are not wanted.

[rx7diver]

Do you know why these new rules are being set?

Yup. A very small number of divers over the years who don't respect private property ...

It's been tried. We are not wanted.

Unfortunately, all this portends more and more restrictions. Reading your VDH posts, you likely have the personality to help smooth things between the homeowners and the divers--at least enough to keep diver access from being threatened even more.

Good luck. (I hope you like politics!)

Later,

rx7diver

[ScubaLawyer]

Do you know why these new rules are being set?

Yup. A very small number of divers over the years who don't respect private property ...

It's been tried. We are not wanted.

Unfortunately, all this portends more and more restrictions. Reading your VDH posts, you likely have the personality to help smooth things between the homeowners and the divers--at least enough to keep diver access from being threatened even more.

Good luck. (I hope you like politics!)

Later,

rx7diver

Thanks for your vote of confidence! That means I now have 1 vote!

I have spoken at more than a few City Council meetings. As of now divers and city officials just eyeball each other trying to make the other one flinch first. I shall continue the good fight!