I have been resistant when it comes to the responsibility of the dive flag. I don't know why. It's not heavy or cumbersome. It just means you hold a simple rope that is attached to a reletively small red flag with a white diagonal stripe which floats on the surface of the water. It's mainly to let people on boats and jet skis know there is someone there. They must not come within a 150' diameter of said flag and I'll tell you, swimming without one is beyond fucking scary the first time a boat rips past you. Whoa. The other purpose it serves is to hold any fish you spear while diving. The last thing you want is a freshly killed fish in your hand when a shark comes to check shit out. So hanging it from the flag keeps it a good distance away from you. But all in all, it's a rather simple design that I really have no good reason to fight about:
Anyway, I have always somehow gotten away with not carrying the flag unless the scuba team got all "you're the rookie" on me and of course, they win that one every time. But they have this plastic wind the rope up here thing on the end of their flag rope and it's kind of nice because you can just hook your arm through it and away you go without having to worry about it.
SD's flag does not have the line marker so instead we just tie it around our ankle, wrist or waist. He purposefully keeps it a simple rope because when we come across a section of reef we'd like to explore for a little while, he makes a slip knot and anchors the flag. That way if the current is an issue, you can just hold the dive flag rope and still check shit out. It's also awesome because it means totally unrestricted yet safe diving while seeing the coolest of shit and the longer you stay in one area the more everything just accepts you being there and shows itself. So sweet.
But yeah, the other day (when it was super duper clear) I finally persuade him to bring his camera out with us while free diving. Once out in the ocean he starts saying I should man the flag and of course I dig in my heels for no reason but he won by saying if he's going to take the pictures (in his credit this was after I took some totally out of focus shit ball pictures and proved how much I suck with his camera) I should at least man the flag to free him up. There is an Ugh, FINE, clearly I have to do EVERYTHING in this relationship and I begrudgingly take the flag that isn't going to hinder me one tiny bit and feel that same you're a total a-hole feeling I always feel after being petty or trite.
Well well well... I have a whole new view. In scuba I am following the people with weapons and know how so it never occurs to me that I should do anything but stay close and see what I see. While free diving I am... well... free. It's only about 50 yards from the shore and I am an excellent swimmer. It's funny because everyone here uses flippers. I don't know if I have mentioned I am useless with flippers when doing anything besides tank diving. I mean totally 100% useless. So I take along just my mask and snorkel and feel totally unrestrained while doing the deadman float and practicing feeling like seaweed. In the very beginning just about everyone I dive with (tank or otherwise) acted all Nature King and whatnot while making fun of my pool goggles. Now that I am naming marine life and swimming better than all of them combined with nothing but my little girl feets I am getting some recognition. I have also initiated this weird flipperless diving revolution that begins as I can do that too and after one or two dive sessions they have their flippers back on and I have to do the whole hey man, whatever, no one is better than anyone else, we are all on the same team spiel.
Wow I am so off course...
Okay, so yeah, while swimming with the flag I had an epiphany. To be fair it was more some dude talking in a really frustrated tone while obviously winded and sick of chasing me down. Here it is: The holder of the dive flag gets to pick which direction you swim in because apparently when you have the flag and you just swim off (or get dragged off by the current), everyone panics a little with thoughts of being chopped up in boat propellers. Yay! Follow the flag to freedom bitches! I AM THE FEARLESS EXPLORER! YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THE BAREST OF FEETSES AND THE HOLDER OF ALL FLAGS THAT SYMBOLIZES PROTECTION AND EVERYTHING RIGHTEOUS!
Either that or you'll recognize that I am a total space case and handing me the flag is the equivalent of handing it to the epitome of recklessness and irresponsibility.
This is the JH signing out... Diver Below.
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