Tillamook Parks Boat Launch Rules

[haslips]

I am not sure if it was your group or not, but the disrespect from divers on Feb 20th towards boaters at Netarts Bay.....(myself included) prompted me to take action.


Blocking boaters from entering the bay from the launch area, surfacing near boaters accessing the launch area.....flipping boaters off......taunting boaters.......blocking boaters from gaining access to the boat launch with their trailer......etc..... These are all things I witnessed on Saturday. Unacceptable, and in my opinion very ignorant and quite frankly stupid. I've contacted the State Marine Board, the Tillamook County commisioners and Parks Department as well as the Sheriffs Dept.

I found that using the boat launch at Netarts Bay and any other Tillamook Park Boat lauch is in fact a code violation and you can be cited for it.

Please review the following document specifically section 3.40.3

http://www.co.tillamook.or.us/gov/parks ... ance43.pdf

I found the attitude of divers on Saturday to be completely out of line and extremely unsafe and exhibited a complete lack of regard for boaters.

I will be insuring that pressure be kept in the appropriate places to ensure that this ordinace be enforced.

[Joshua Smith]

Hey, there, haslips. Welcome to our site. Sorry to hear some divers were giving you a hard time. Although I've never met Guitarmaker, the Original poster of this dive report, I highly doubt that he would act as you are describing.

That said, although you are welcome here, this site is *not* a place for people to toss out unfounded accusations against random divers. Please take note of this.

I am not sure if it was your group or not, but the disrespect from divers on Feb 20th towards boaters at Netarts Bay.....(myself included) prompted me to take action.


Blocking boaters from entering the bay from the launch area, surfacing near boaters accessing the launch area.....flipping boaters off......taunting boaters.......blocking boaters from gaining access to the boat launch with their trailer......etc..... These are all things I witnessed on Saturday. Unacceptable, and in my opinion very ignorant and quite frankly stupid. I've contacted the State Marine Board, the Tillamook County commisioners and Parks Department as well as the Sheriffs Dept.

I found that using the boat launch at Netarts Bay and any other Tillamook Park Boat lauch is in fact a code violation and you can be cited for it.

Please review the following document specifically section 3.40.3

http://www.co.tillamook.or.us/gov/parks ... ance43.pdf

I found the attitude of divers on Saturday to be completely out of line and extremely unsafe and exhibited a complete lack of regard for boaters.

I will be insuring that pressure be kept in the appropriate places to ensure that this ordinace be enforced.

[guitarmaker]

Josh, thanks for giving me the benefit of doubt. I really do my best to be courteous and conscientious to everyone and anywhere because it’s the right thing to do, every time. To the best of my knowledge everyone in our group behaved in similar fashion last Saturday.

It does, however, pain me to say that haslips concern is not unfounded as I personally witnessed part of a confrontation between a group of divers (I don’t know who they were) and a boater. I also witnessed another group (I don’t know who they were either) that were having equipment problems and were trying to sort it out while partially blocking the boat launch channel. I didn’t personally witness divers being disrespectful to boaters, but some were certainly oblivious to boaters needs not to mention their own safety. I also know that none in our group had a trailer. Point is tho, it doesn’t take many unknowing (hopefully NOT uncaring) divers to make us all look bad.

I think we all need to remember we share resources with a number of other users and need to be respectful and considerate to all; in the case of boat ramps, we divers usually have other places to enter and the boaters do not. Shall we all Be Kinder and Gentler Divers ?

[haslips]

Just to finish my response, I was not accusing Guitaremaker of the offence....

My first line reads "I am not sure if it was your group or not, but the disrespect from divers on Feb 20th towards boaters at Netarts Bay....."

The purpose of my post is twofold...

1.To bring awareness to any diver who was there, of the incidents that occured. Guitarmaker has since admittedly witnessed some of the events. Hopefully it will be shared amongst your community so you can all understand the impact you have on others in the water.

2. To bring awareness to the fact that there is a new ordinance within Tillamok Parks. 3.40.3 No Person shall be permitted to swim, scuba dive, fish, or dive from boat launches, boarding floats, or moorages operated by the County Parks Department.

As of my last correspondance with officials from Tillamook County, signs are in the process of being made and are will soon be posted.

Please share this information with your fellow divers.

I might make one last note......The evening of the 20th, I spoke with the Netarts Fire Chief about the what happened, and he stopped me short. Said he had heard it a hundred times, and the best thing to do was contact the marine board which started my process. If he had heard it a hundred times, clearly this was not an isolated incident.

Lastly, I'm willing to share the bay, but safety for people and property is of the utmost importance..... What I witnessed showed a complete lack of concern for both.

[spatman]

The intent of the original thread was a trip report in one of our general forums. Haslips' discussion about his experiences at an Oregon specific boat launch warranted a topic split. The new topic in now in the Oregon Divers forum.

[Jaksonbrown]

Is there something about this particular place that puts divers and boaters in close proximity? Limited access or something? As a diver, and a boat owner, I have never even seen a diver that was not in my party near a boat launch, much less diving there... around the sound anyway. Fresh water is another story. Boaters drop lots of cool stuff around docks, etc...

On a side note ... I do appreciate your willingness to share the bay with us freshlips.....

[Joshua Smith]

Fair enough. And, although I doubt the divers in question are reading this, I'd like to point out the fact that when divers call attention to themselves in the manner you described, the result is usually an official ban on diving at that location. Lawmakers will favor boaters, and the boating industry as a whole, over divers, and the diving industry. We can't afford to act like jerks, nor should we.

My first line reads "I am not sure if it was your group or not, but the disrespect from divers on Feb 20th towards boaters at Netarts Bay....."

The purpose of my post is twofold...

1.To bring awareness to any diver who was there, of the incidents that occured. Guitarmaker has since admittedly witnessed some of the events. Hopefully it will be shared amongst your community so you can all understand the impact you have on others in the water.

2. To bring awareness to the fact that there is a new ordinance within Tillamok Parks. 3.40.3 No Person shall be permitted to swim, scuba dive, fish, or dive from boat launches, boarding floats, or moorages operated by the County Parks Department.

As of my last correspondance with officials from Tillamook County, signs are in the process of being made and are will soon be posted.

Please share this information with your fellow divers.

I might make one last note......The evening of the 20th, I spoke with the Netarts Fire Chief about the what happened, and he stopped me short. Said he had heard it a hundred times, and the best thing to do was contact the marine board which started my process. If he had heard it a hundred times, clearly this was not an isolated incident.

Lastly, I'm willing to share the bay, but safety for people and property is of the utmost importance..... What I witnessed showed a complete lack of concern for both.

[Beefcake]

Is there something about this particular place that puts divers and boaters in close proximity? Limited access or something? As a diver, and a boat owner, I have never even seen a diver that was not in my party near a boat launch, much less diving there... around the sound anyway. Fresh water is another story. Boaters drop lots of cool stuff around docks, etc...

On a side note ... I do appreciate your willingness to share the bay with us freshlips.....

I haven't dove this area, but my understanding is that the only area deep enough to dive is next to the boat ramp, and the only other entry is down steep rocks. This stinks if they are closing the access to divers. I have friends that dive there a lot, and I've never heard of conflicts or safety problems (once in the water, the divers stay close enough to the rocks to be out of the way of boats; works for everybody). Part of the problem is that this bay has been overrun by crabbers the past few years since people started posting on the fishing websites how good the crabbing is in the winter (very little water exchanged compared to other bays in the area, so the crabs don't head to sea every time it rains). Friends that live down there tell me the crabbing and clamming have been nearly decimated in the past few years due to the bay's new-found popularity. Maybe we can dive there again someday after the crabbers are done wiping out every last sea spider (being sarcastic here; I'll just go anchor and dive... see how they like that! Unfortunately, OSMB doesn't enforce a minimum boating distance from a dive flag...).

[haslips]

I've crabbed Netarts Bay for about 10 years and it (just like any other bay) is hit or miss. Tides, Rainfall, time of year......etc all come into play as to the amount of crab to be had. I've caught my limit severals time in one year, only to get skunked the next....then back to limits again a year or two later. To suggest that the bay has been "Decimated" is pure poppycock if you don't mind my saying. I was crabbing this weekend, but wasn't expecting to catch anything (It is February!), but rather giving the new boat a test run. I guarantee, come Sept,Oct. time frame, that there will be plety of crab to be had by many...In Netarts, Nehalem and all the other bays....

Back to the diver issue.....yes, the only deep section of the bay is directly out from the boat lauch egress and the rocky bank just to the north of the egress area. This is unfortunate for all of you becasue of the amount of boats, but let me tell you.....when you're circling in that area waiting for a spot to open in the boat lauch, and a diver surfaces 30 feet from your position, you heart sinks thinking of the posibilities....It is a very disconcerting feeling!

On a side note ... I do appreciate your willingness to share the bay with us freshlips..... [/quote]
I haven't dove this area, but my understanding is that the only area deep enough to dive is next to the boat ramp, and the only other entry is down steep rocks. This stinks if they are closing the access to divers. I have friends that dive there a lot, and I've never heard of conflicts or safety problems (once in the water, the divers stay close enough to the rocks to be out of the way of boats; works for everybody). Part of the problem is that this bay has been overrun by crabbers the past few years since people started posting on the fishing websites how good the crabbing is in the winter (very little water exchanged compared to other bays in the area, so the crabs don't head to sea every time it rains). Friends that live down there tell me the crabbing and clamming have been nearly decimated in the past few years due to the bay's new-found popularity. Maybe we can dive there again someday after the crabbers are done wiping out every last sea spider (being sarcastic here; I'll just go anchor and dive... see how they like that! Unfortunately, OSMB doesn't enforce a minimum boating distance from a dive flag...).[/quote]

[Beefcake]

haslips- I was mainly venting out of frustration. It is actully the inter-tidal clamming that I've heard has been decimated there. The crabbing complaints that I have heard there are mainly too many boats since all of the internet reports. It doesn't matter much to me; I crab 4 of the other north coast bays.

The problem that I have with your post is that I (perhaps naively) think that we should all be able to get along. I am very active in the fishing community, and I hear all the time how the yachts shouldn't be on the Multnomah Channel, or how the ships should move during fall chinook season on the Columbia so that we can anchor in the channel where the fish run, or how spearfishermen are destroying the lingcod stocks, or how ski boats shouldn't be allowed in the Willamette because it hinders trolling, or how kayakers shouldn't be allowed to use boat ramps because they take too long, etc. The waterways in Oregon belong to all of us - for now. Our state constitution guaranteed all of us the right to use the waterways, but our current Governor is doing everything he can to take away those rights (he tried to repeal the beach bill, tried to eliminate the "common waters" doctrine applied to rivers, single-handedly pushed offshore marine reserves that aren't supported by science, etc.); if we don't start getting along, we are going to lose all of our access rights to the state's resources.

I don't know what happened at the ramp on the day in question, but I bet there are two sides to the story. I definitely don't condone the actions that you say the divers exhibited, but I'm guessing an impatient crabber wanting to launch his boat without a 2-minute delay waiting for whatever gear problem the diver had was the root cause. What ever happened to common courtesy and sharing? You witnessed bad behavior by someone that happens to dive, so you went on a letter-writing compaign to get us all thrown out of your crabbing grounds? Thanks.

[haslips]

Actually, I had already pushed off the dock when the divers in question began to swim out in front of me causing me to stop abruptly.....with another boater putting his boat on the dock the second I pulled out, I had limited space to maneuver to prevent hitting rocks or other boats.....When I explained this to the divers one flips me off instead of apologizing ....WTF is that? Gear problem....hardly......they were swiming from the south jetty to the north jetty through the boat egress....Even is there was a problem they should not have been where they were in the first place.

Then to see two divers simply walk out of the ramp while a boater was backing down the ramp with his trailer, blocking his way and forcing him to stop (not to wait but to stop ), and again no aplogies offered. Backing down a boat ramp is difficult enough but unexpected divers in your path only makes matters worse.

So yes, I went on a letter writing campaign.....Had the divers simply apologized, I might have been more forgiving. Turns out the emails weren't really needed as the many previous incidents between divers and boaters had already been addressed.

I'll say this, and you can take it with a grain of salt....My wife is one of the most forgiving-easy-going-doesn't-let-anything-bother-her-person and even she was appalled and angry with the actions of the divers we saw.

so in response., I ask the same question..What ever happened to common courtesy and sharing? Only the bully butts in front of the line

I don't know what happened at the ramp on the day in question, but I bet there are two sides to the story. I definitely don't condone the actions that you say the divers exhibited, but I'm guessing an impatient crabber wanting to launch his boat without a 2-minute delay waiting for whatever gear problem the diver had was the root cause. What ever happened to common courtesy and sharing? You witnessed bad behavior by someone that happens to dive, so you went on a letter-writing compaign to get us all thrown out of your crabbing grounds? Thanks.

[bugleman]

So hasslips, we know that everyone (the people) have the use of navigable waterways and that right was granted at statehood and that right can not be infringed.

I would assert that scuba divers have the right to use the boat ramp as much as a boaters. Is the ramp at Netarts public?Additionally the marine board only has jurrisdiction over the liscenced users. That would be the regulated "persons" who put little stickers on thier boat. The marine board creates administrative process for those who it has jurrisdiction over and does not create law.
(this is not a legal opinion and should not be taken as advise)

From your last post it seemed like you are saying those coming out of the water with dive gear should wait until you launch your boat as you were there first but safety would demand that you would wait till they assend the ramp. Just like elevator edicate those in the elevator leave the elevator before new people get in.

If someone was dallying at the ramp that would be annoying but as a salmon fisherman myself I have seen idiot pleasure boaters take forever to launch etc. Should I start a letter writing campain to get thier use codified too? That is just life.

[Beefcake]

Thank you for the further description of what happened. It sounds like an unfortunate incident with a lack of understanding on both sides. For instance, you state that backing a trailer takes effort, but so does carrying over a hundred pounds of gear up a ramp after swimming for an hour. Sounds like a little patience would have solved that issue (which apparently wasn't the altercation you were involved in, just something that ruffled your feathers after the original problem). Having done both, backing a trailer is way easier than humping gear... I'd gladly wait for a minute or two for a diver to clear the ramp (Did I mention that I fish a couple of time a week?).

Obviously, the divers shouldn't have flipped you off or been rude if you were polite, and I sincerely apologize on behalf of all divers if that is what happened. Anywhere that congestion like this occurs, everyone needs to understand the other's issues. As a diver, I would try to surface where boats aren't likely to be rather than in front of the ramp. As a boat driver, I have control of my boat, and I wouldn't consider it to be much of an inconvenience to avoid a swimmer / diver.

Let's put this all into a hypothetical scenario that is similar. I drive in downtown Portland quite often. I feel that bicycles should either follow the rules governing pedestrians or the rules governing cars, but that they shouldn't be able to do whatever they want. In the Netart scenario, you as a boat driver would be like a car downtown, and the divers might be similar to a cyclist. Admittedly, bicycles are harder to see than cars and can appear where you don't expect them. However, as a motorist, I avoid running over them. I don't honk and yell at them when they hinder me from making a right turn, so they don't yell at me and flip me off. Pretty simple. On the off chance that they did flip me off, I wouldn't try to get all bicycles outlawed because of one bad apple.

Anyway, I'm done with this thread. This is the most friendly forum I have been involved with, and I don't want to bring it down by continuing this peeing match. I am sorry you had a bad run-in with a diver, but I don't feel it is appropriate for you to then bring us all down as well as trying to limit our access to one of the very few decent dive sites in Oregon.

[Diver Doug]

I dive Netarts probably as much as anybody has. Every two weeks if possible. Having property close by I have seen very few issues between boaters and divers. Everytime I dive I use the ramp but try to help out as much as possible. A little good will now and then doesn't hurt at all. I was diving that morning, although I did not witness the problems because I left before the "club" that was there got started. I also know several of the sherrif deputys that patrol the sight, and have talked to them on many occasions. I have asked them personally about ramp use, and been told that everybody has use of the ramp, just take turns like anybody else. There are also several divers on the force that come there to train. Never, I repeat never has there been a problem.
Granted Sat. was beautiful weather and the boat traffic reminded me of July 4th. Parking was crowded and tempers seemed to be on edge. Part of the problem might have been divers at low slack tide, the ramp space is about half of what is at high tide. Still that is not an excuse for bad behavier. If I had witnesed divers and or boaters disrespecting each other, as a home owner, diver and tax payer I would have tried to do something. ( don't know what) Unfortunatly there was some less than courtious divers that arrived.
Being a boat owner and a diver I can understand the issues and concerns with both sides here. I always try to surface in the shallows where less likely to have boats, and then surface swim to the ramp respectively waiting my turn or even help load a boat or two. Like I said ( grease the wheels of relationships).
I'm sorry about the problems you witnessed, and I hope it doesn't ruin it for everybody else who does have respect for others.
Doug

[Jaksonbrown]

Actually, I had already pushed off the dock when the divers in question began to swim out in front of me causing me to stop abruptly.....with another boater putting his boat on the dock the second I pulled out, I had limited space to maneuver to prevent hitting rocks or other boats.....When I explained this to the divers one flips me off instead of apologizing ....WTF is that? Gear problem....hardly......they were swiming from the south jetty to the north jetty through the boat egress....Even is there was a problem they should not have been where they were in the first place.

Then to see two divers simply walk out of the ramp while a boater was backing down the ramp with his trailer, blocking his way and forcing him to stop (not to wait but to stop ), and again no aplogies offered. Backing down a boat ramp is difficult enough but unexpected divers in your path only makes matters worse.

So yes, I went on a letter writing campaign.....Had the divers simply apologized, I might have been more forgiving. Turns out the emails weren't really needed as the many previous incidents between divers and boaters had already been addressed.

I'll say this, and you can take it with a grain of salt....My wife is one of the most forgiving-easy-going-doesn't-let-anything-bother-her-person and even she was appalled and angry with the actions of the divers we saw.

so in response., I ask the same question..What ever happened to common courtesy and sharing? Only the bully butts in front of the line

I don't know what happened at the ramp on the day in question, but I bet there are two sides to the story. I definitely don't condone the actions that you say the divers exhibited, but I'm guessing an impatient crabber wanting to launch his boat without a 2-minute delay waiting for whatever gear problem the diver had was the root cause. What ever happened to common courtesy and sharing? You witnessed bad behavior by someone that happens to dive, so you went on a letter-writing compaign to get us all thrown out of your crabbing grounds? Thanks.

So let me get this straight.... There were divers in the water, in the only place they could enter the water and you headed out directly at them and are pissed off that you had to stop or run them over?? Then you "explained to them " your frustration for having to pause while they got out of the way???? I would guess that your "explanation" is what warranted your salute.

And then you bitch about another boater that is backing his boat down the ramp while there are divers walking up the ramp??? And the poor bastard had to actually stop... not pause, but actually stop his efforts before hitting the divers???? Are you freeking kidding me?????
And you got the balls to or should I say ignorance to come on here and bitch about divers being in your way..???? I think it is you that needs to learn some manors and patience.
Give me a break!

[Joshua Smith]

Hmmm. As far as I know, at least in Washington, Divers are specifically forbidden to use boat launches during boating season. I'd be willing to bet the same law applies in Oregon. Like I said earlier, divers are a minority, and pretty much every time divers call attention to themselves by breaking the law, the easy solution is to simply ban diving at a given location. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Netarts got closed, and soon.

Actually, I had already pushed off the dock when the divers in question began to swim out in front of me causing me to stop abruptly.....with another boater putting his boat on the dock the second I pulled out, I had limited space to maneuver to prevent hitting rocks or other boats.....When I explained this to the divers one flips me off instead of apologizing ....WTF is that? Gear problem....hardly......they were swiming from the south jetty to the north jetty through the boat egress....Even is there was a problem they should not have been where they were in the first place.

Then to see two divers simply walk out of the ramp while a boater was backing down the ramp with his trailer, blocking his way and forcing him to stop (not to wait but to stop ), and again no aplogies offered. Backing down a boat ramp is difficult enough but unexpected divers in your path only makes matters worse.

So yes, I went on a letter writing campaign.....Had the divers simply apologized, I might have been more forgiving. Turns out the emails weren't really needed as the many previous incidents between divers and boaters had already been addressed.

I'll say this, and you can take it with a grain of salt....My wife is one of the most forgiving-easy-going-doesn't-let-anything-bother-her-person and even she was appalled and angry with the actions of the divers we saw.

so in response., I ask the same question..What ever happened to common courtesy and sharing? Only the bully butts in front of the line

I don't know what happened at the ramp on the day in question, but I bet there are two sides to the story. I definitely don't condone the actions that you say the divers exhibited, but I'm guessing an impatient crabber wanting to launch his boat without a 2-minute delay waiting for whatever gear problem the diver had was the root cause. What ever happened to common courtesy and sharing? You witnessed bad behavior by someone that happens to dive, so you went on a letter-writing compaign to get us all thrown out of your crabbing grounds? Thanks.

[John Rawlings]

Sorry, guys.....take a look at the link that haslips provided us. According to the specific regulation that haslips cites it is crystal clear that no diving is allowed at the boat ramp...period. By just being there at all those divers were breaking the law as it now stands. The law as it reads is CLEARLY on the side of the boaters here.

It probably is a regulation that has been "winked at" for years, but if divers behave like haslips describes I can easily see law enforcement deciding to get involved, and tossing out fines.....and then no one will be happy...

I hate to say it because I personally want diver access in as many places as possible, but it looks like divers need to try to get the regulations changed or to gain access to the water there in some other way.....OR be discreet, nice and quiet, friendly and polite to a fault, thereby avoiding complaints being lodged.

- John

[oregondiver]

I don't know this dive site well, I should get out there more often...

But if some divers had time (and energy/possibly money too!), is there a way to build an alternate route into the water out of the way of the boats? We may have a boatload (dive load?) of decking available in the next few months that we can move from Euguene area to create a safe walkway to an alternate route to the water..

[haslips]

So let me get this straight.... There were divers in the water, in the only place they could enter the water and you headed out directly at them and are pissed off that you had to stop or run them over?? Then you "explained to them " your frustration for having to pause while they got out of the way???? I would guess that your "explanation" is what warranted your salute.

And then you bitch about another boater that is backing his boat down the ramp while there are divers walking up the ramp??? And the poor bastard had to actually stop... not pause, but actually stop his efforts before hitting the divers???? Are you freeking kidding me?????
And you got the balls to or should I say ignorance to come on here and bitch about divers being in your way..???? I think it is you that needs to learn some manors and patience.
Give me a break!

Actually, there are plenty of other places they can enter the water.....but the easiest way is of course, is the boat ramp which by the way is the ONLY access point boaters have. Crossing between the south and north jetties of the boat egress is certainly not necessary for the divers......and by the way, they were on the rocks when I pushed off when they decided to then swim in front of me.... Certainly you've never been to this location, because if you had, you would understand that "Pausing" in that location with the egress blocked and boats on the dock lauch , there is VERY little room for manuaverabilty of a large boat. Add to the fact, that is was low tide which limited the area even more.These divers should NEVER, I repeat NEVER have crossed between those rocks while boats were activly launching. And if it was absoultely necessary, a quick shout out to those on the dock would have been the appropriate thing to do. That wasn't done.


As for the divers coming up the ramp......remember, this is a boat launch.......and the last thing you are expecting when you put in, is a diver(s) coming out of the water......let alone crossing behind you as you are backing down..... These two divers were walking up the rock side of the ramp.....and as the driver began to back down, they THEN crossed the ramp toward the dock side behind a vehicle that had already started his movement. They could have easily waited until he got his trailer in the water, then crossed in front of him without forcing him to stop and wait for them to get out of his way. But yet they chose to cross the ramp on what should have effectively been a red light for them.

[Nwbrewer]

So let me get this straight.... There were divers in the water, in the only place they could enter the water and you headed out directly at them and are pissed off that you had to stop or run them over?? Then you "explained to them " your frustration for having to pause while they got out of the way???? I would guess that your "explanation" is what warranted your salute.

And then you bitch about another boater that is backing his boat down the ramp while there are divers walking up the ramp??? And the poor bastard had to actually stop... not pause, but actually stop his efforts before hitting the divers???? Are you freeking kidding me?????
And you got the balls to or should I say ignorance to come on here and bitch about divers being in your way..???? I think it is you that needs to learn some manors and patience.
Give me a break!

Actually, there are plenty of other places they can enter the water.....but the easiest way is of course, is the boat ramp which by the way is the ONLY access point boaters have. Crossing between the south and north jetties of the boat egress is certainly not necessary for the divers......and by the way, they were on the rocks when I pushed off when they decided to then swim in front of me.... Certainly you've never been to this location, because if you had, you would understand that "Pausing" in that location with the egress blocked and boats on the dock lauch , there is VERY little room for manuaverabilty of a large boat. Add to the fact, that is was low tide which limited the area even more.These divers should NEVER, I repeat NEVER have crossed between those rocks while boats were activly launching. And if it was absoultely necessary, a quick shout out to those on the dock would have been the appropriate thing to do. That wasn't done.


As for the divers coming up the ramp......remember, this is a boat launch.......and the last thing you are expecting when you put in, is a diver(s) coming out of the water......let alone crossing behind you as you are backing down..... These two divers were walking up the rock side of the ramp.....and as the driver began to back down, they THEN crossed the ramp toward the dock side behind a vehicle that had already started his movement. They could have easily waited until he got his trailer in the water, then crossed in front of him without forcing him to stop and wait for them to get out of his way. But yet they chose to cross the ramp on what should have effectively been a red light for them.

Is this where we're talking about?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 3&t=h&z=18

They were swimming between those two fingers in the center? Doesn't seem smart to me, but I've never actually been there.

[Jaksonbrown]

Sorry, guys.....take a look at the link that haslips provided us. According to the specific regulation that haslips cites it is crystal clear that no diving is allowed at the boat ramp...period. By just being there at all those divers were breaking the law as it now stands. The law as it reads is CLEARLY on the side of the boaters here.

It probably is a regulation that has been "winked at" for years, but if divers behave like haslips describes I can easily see law enforcement deciding to get involved, and tossing out fines.....and then no one will be happy...

I hate to say it because I personally want diver access in as many places as possible, but it looks like divers need to try to get the regulations changed or to gain access to the water there in some other way.....OR be discreet, nice and quiet, friendly and polite to a fault, thereby avoiding complaints being lodged.

- John

Well Crap,..

I guess apologies are in order.... Damn divers....

[bmcsteve]

[/quote] Is this where we're talking about?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 3&t=h&z=18

They were swimming between those two fingers in the center? Doesn't seem smart to me, but I've never actually been there.[/quote]


Yep that's it.... but the larger boat basin is out of service for all intents and purposes.... its a mud flat at low tide. So the smaller one is where the boats / divers enter the bay from. So yes it is very tight quarters.

[bmcsteve]

Here is a site description that I found on another forum:

[CaptnJack]

Despite all the public beaches, its sad that OR has such limited access that people have to fight over such a small peice of real estate.

[haslips]

Since you're linking google maps....I modified a map of mine to show you where the divers passed while I was pushing off the launch dock.... Maybe this will make my frustration clearer.


http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?source=s ... 05413&z=18