Last I checked, the Atlantic Ocean was a huge body of water. In fact, according to Wikipedia, it is the second largest ocean covering approximately one-fifth of the earth's surface. So one would think with this amount of space, boats could easily share the Atlantic.
Unfortunately, this past Saturday, this was not the case for one fisherman as he proceeded to tell us off and demand we leave the area he was fishing as he was there first. He ranted and raved and yelled colorful things. But my favorite line was "I don't care if I bring up a fish or a diver; I'm not leaving this spot."
Keep in mind that there was no other boat on this dive site or anywhere within our field of vision. Here we were 30 miles off the coast of Charleston, with a kind, gentile fisherman (sarcasm intended) who didn't want to share the water.
Please note that I was on a dive charter with a captain. The site we were anchoring to was absolutely huge. So there was plenty of room for many boats to share. And funny thing is, the confrontational fisherman wasn't anchored at all, nor was he on the site when we arrived. He showed up once we got there.
It reminded me of the funny trick an old friend, Steve, used to pull years ago when we'd go see a movie. The theater would be empty with the exception of one person. So Steve would go up to that one person and say, "Excuse me, you're in my seat." Of course, he was kidding and it did evoke laughter from all parties.
In this present day example, however, the fisherman did not evoke any good emotions. In fact, he was so close to our bouy he could have reached out and pulled it into his boat. Never mind that South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has a state law that requires boats to remain a minimum of 50 feet from diver-down flags.
But even if there wasn't such a law, I just don't get why anyone would behave so poorly. There is no excuse for it. You'd think I wouldn't be surprised by such cantankerous folks in today's "me-oriented" society. But being the Pollyanna type, I keep hoping for the best in people.
By the way, the guy decided to leave after a while and the rest of our time on the water was awesome.
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4 comments:
Hello, just checking to see if this is going through.
Very interesting story about the fisherman. We're enjoying all your dive stories.
Go girl!
"this was not the case for one fisherman as he proceeded to tell us off and demand we leave the area he was fishing as he was there first."
Well... in all honesty, he was there first. Thats the rule of the reef. Gotta think... he spent mad money on gas and bait to get out there, and here comes a cattle boat of divers that expects him to move off HIS spot.
Trust me, fishermen make claims on a reef like dogs on a fire hydrant. Sadly, thats the way it is. I have been on boats where I was waiting for a gun battle to ensue with other boats... Age is no indicator of maturity.
Glad to hear that he left soon after though, so you could get back to diving!
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