Cooper River Dive Charters - CooperRiverDiving.com

South Carolina does not have a mandatory dive flag law that makes divers carry a flag or surface markers buoys or even stay with a specified distance of a vessel flying such a flag. See the section of this book that covers the SC law for dive flags.

A free-flying flag will caution and alert others in the immediate area of divers are in the water. The flag in turn must then be lowered when all divers are aboard or ashore. If you have a “divers on board flag” fly it when you are cruising down the river to look cool and not fly the divers down flag.

The diver down flag must be flown when divers enter the water from shore or from a vessel.The minimum size should be12 x 12 inches, bigger is always better All divers should carry and deploy a surface marker buoy prior to and while ascending to the surface. Dive vessels may float anchored diver down buoys ahead of the vessel in the direction of travel of the diver(s) to alert approaching boaters. Divers prior to ascent adjust to slightly negative buoyancy and ready themselves by securing loose gear etc. then deploy a surface marker buoy that will break the surface while the diver is a depth of 10 - 15 feet. Perform a safety stop if required. Safety stops should not be made mid-river in fast flowing current. If current is present swim to the near shore where dive vessel is anchored to a shallower depth.