[ricki]

More from the ongoing dialog with Joe ...

A few more things I should have mentioned. You may be able to rent a dive flag and buoy at Lauderdale Diver or Brownies Dive Shop both on or very near SE 17 th St. near your hotel.

There can be a lot of boat traffic off Ft. Lauderdale and surrounding areas. Usually the later it is on weekends the worse the operators can be. Weekdays in the mornings are usually the lightest times for traffic. On weekends, generally if you get out early many of the idiots are still sleeping last nights festivities off. They show up later in the morning and throughout the afternoon on weekends.

Cigarettes and waverunners are to be treated with particular caution. Cigarettes because at cruising speed you hear them a short time before they are on you and waverunners because there often isn't much awareness or seamanship among operators. That also applies to some of the cigarette operators as well.

You should make a habit out of swimming underwater regularly just below the surface to listen for engine noise. On a clear, calm day you can hear small motor craft over a mile away. With waves that distance is reduced. I make a habit about whenever I hear a boat to surface, figure out where it is and where it is heading. If it is heading towards me I watch it. If I have any doubt about it seeing me or my flag I may splash until they do see me. It sounds like a pain in the butt, it is but so is relying solely on boats for dive transport. You miss a lot of good stuff and conditioning boating all the time.

Last point, for guys that want to do this sort of thing regularly, you want to be an able, independent free diver. This means having strong swimming skills but no matter how strong a swimmer you are sometimes things go wrong. That is where plan B helps, I try to wear a low profile navy swimmers vest. It has little drag and if things really go south far from shore and boats, it might make a difference.