Talk:Diver down flag

Code Flag Alpha
The use of flags as far as I can see, is as follows:

The Red/White flag is used in US inland and coastal waters (and probably elsewhere) to indicate "Diver Down".

In International waters and the coastal waters of the UK (as well as other countries), the International Rules for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea apply. Rule 27 paras (d) and (e) are as follows: (d) A vessel engaged in dredging or underwater operations, when restricted in her ability to manoeuvre, shall exhibit the lights and shapes prescribed in sub-paragraph(b) (i), (ii) and (iii) of this Rule and shall in addition, when an obstruction exists, exhibit;

(i) two all-round red lights or two balls in a vertical line to indicate the side on which the obstruction exists;

(ii) two all-round green lights or two diamonds in a vertical line to indicate the side on which side a vessel may pass;

(iii) when at anchor the lights or shapes prescribed in this paragraph instead of the lights or shape prescribed in Rule 30.

(e) Whenever the size of a vessel engaged in diving operations makes it impracticable to exhibit all the lights and shapes prescribed in the paragraph (d) of this Rule, the following shall be exhibited;

(i) three all-round lights in a vertical line where they can best be seen. The highest and lowest of these lights shall be red and the middle light shall be white;

(ii) a rigid replica of the International Code Flag "A" not less than 1 metre in height. Measures shall be taken to ensure its all-round visibility. (online source: Sailtrain, IRPCS)

Therefore the use of the 'A' flag is specifically on a vessel, "when restricted in her ability to manoeuvre" and when "the size of a vessel engaged in diving operations makes it impracticable to exhibit all the lights and shapes prescribed". Note that the mention of the 'A' flag is only in para (e) and this applies solely to small vessels "engaged in diving operations".

So it would be correct to say that the 'A' flag has the meaning vessel 'engaged in diving operations and restricted in her ability to manoeuvre'. This applies in all of the UK and in International waters. I'll try to make the edits here and in Scuba diving to improve accuracy. --RexxS (talk) 16:33, 27 May 2008 (UTC)


 * US OSHA requires the use of the alpha flag during commercial dive operations:
 * https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.421
 * Warning signal. When diving from surfaces other than vessels in areas capable of supporting marine traffic, a rigid replica of the international code flag "A" at least one meter in height shall be displayed at the dive location in a manner which allows all-round visibility, and shall be illuminated during night diving operations.
 * The US Coast Guard requires the alpha flag during all dive operations, see:
 * https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-83/subpart-C
 * I'm taking a BoatUS boating safety course, and the Washington State rules are listed as:
 * Vessels engaged in diving activity and are restricted in their ability to maneuver, must hoist a blue and white alpha flag that measures at least 3.3 feet high and visible in all directions when conducting operations in federal and international waters. At night, this flag should be illuminated.
 * A divers down flag, which is red with a diagonal white stripe, may be used to indicate the presence of a submerged diver, but it is not required. The proper alpha flag, however, is required.
 * So, it seems that the alpha flag *is* required in the US, and the red/white flag is optional. Clyde McQueen (talk) 18:26, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Where else in the world?
"Hello, I came across your edit and I wonder, whether you could provide any source to support your statement, that the use of the diver down flag is required by law or regulation 'in many other countries all over the world' besides the US and Canada? Thanks. --AtonX (talk) 15:45, 27 May 2008 (UTC)"

Well, for example I live in Italy and here it is required by law. (I just added that reference at the article) Here they also cite Switzerland...

Thank you for pointing out the lack of references.

If anybody know other places in the world where the red-white diver down flag is required by law, please add them to this discussion (or to the article). Please do not forget to add also some references. Thanks! Basilicofresco (talk) 07:18, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

From the italan regulation (DPR 1639/68) it is obvious, that it regulates "marine fishing". Legally, it cannot be interpreted, that any diving activity is covered. This should be specified in the article. --AtonX (talk) 10:44, 4 June 2008 (UTC)


 * You right, I checked and DPR 1639/68 was the old regulation. The new regulation 82/033465 of Comando Generale delle Capitanerie di Porto (26 maggio 2003) is now written for scuba divers and speaks of a red and white flag. As soon I will find the original text I will update the references. Basilicofresco (talk) 14:46, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

The Red and White flag section currently states that it is: "required by law or regulation in many US states and Canada,[7] as well as in several other countries in the world (e.g. Italy)." The reference only cites Italian regulations. Considering the literally vital significance of this, there should surely be a mention of which US states and which countries require the use of this flag rather than the Alfa flag. So far we only have references for Italy and Switzerland cited here (and the Swiss one no longer works). It looks like Denzel James Dockery created a source of possibly dangerous confusion when he invented the R&W flag. Was the Alfa flag in use in 1956? Robocon1 (talk) 16:05, 18 November 2016 (UTC)
 * There is a website - http://www.dive-flag.com/law.html - that has compiled a list of regulations related to use of diver down flags for 51 US states, including Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, I don't think it meets our definition of a reliable source, although I've no reason to doubt its accuracy. You could go through all 51 sub-pages and read all of the documents it refers to, e.g. Code of Alabama (1975) Section 33-5-22, and then use them as citations to add the extra information you're asking for. In the meantime, I'll try adding it as an external link.
 * As for code flag alpha, it was originally introduced by the British Board of Trade in 1857, signifying the letter 'A'. The meaning of "diver down" was derived from its use to signal a "vessel restricted in its ability to manoeuvre" as specified in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, which was originally adopted internationally in 1864. Hope that helps. --RexxS (talk) 17:57, 18 November 2016 (UTC)
 * As for code flag alpha, it was originally introduced by the British Board of Trade in 1857, signifying the letter 'A'. The meaning of "diver down" was derived from its use to signal a "vessel restricted in its ability to manoeuvre" as specified in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, which was originally adopted internationally in 1864. Hope that helps. --RexxS (talk) 17:57, 18 November 2016 (UTC)

Change of meaning by edit for 'clarity', changed meaning unsupported
An edit at 18:18, 1 February 2010 by RexxS was marked as to "rewrite section for clarity; remove duplication; tidy refs". But contrary to the edit summary, the edit changes the meaning, and in a way that clearly seems to be unsupported by the cited references.

Specifically, in the first place, the edit adds an unsupported meaning to the code flag A. The cited sources do not say that it has to be shown by a vessel engaged in 'dredging or underwater operations', but only for diving operations (see rule 27(e)). Also Rule 27(e) does not state that it exhausts all the diving situations for which the A-flag may be used. (The A-flag means "I have a diver down; keep well clear at slow speed" and can naturally be used whenever that is the message to be conveyed.)

Secondly, the edit appears to have changed the meaning, and newly alleges a "primary purpose" for the A-flag ("to warn other vessels of the danger of collision"), but (a) this newly-alleged primary purpose is different from the only meaning of the flag given by a reliable citation: which is "I have a diver down; keep well clear at slow speed" (the only meaning supported by the US Navy cited source), and (b) the newly alleged primary meaning appears not to be supported by any reliable source: there is a citation but only to a private website which shows no signs of being either notable or reliable. Although the quote claims to be from a Coastguard notice, the Coastguard is not cited as a source, only the private website. The US Navy source (which clearly is WP:RS) contradicts and therefore takes away the credibility of the other source. It is also very far from clear that the Coastguard, even if it could be verified as a source for the statement in question, has any authority to supersede the meaning of signals stated by the US Navy.

I have therefore marked the new matter as dubious, and in need of citation support. It looks very much as if the edit claiming to be for 'clarity' needs to be followed by one that really is for correction. Terry0051 (talk) 19:34, 1 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Well, the problem here is that the wording you introduced Terry was slanted to cast doubt on the usage described by IRPCS Rule 27, which has world-wide application, rather than just in the USA. In other words, the version prior to my attempts at clean-up had a bias toward a US-centric view. It also went over the same argument several times, although some of that is a result of previous editors each tacking on their interpretation. I simply found the article to be in a poor state and attempted to bring out the salient facts. I didn't introduce or eliminate any sources and did my best with the material that was there. I agree that the McMillan site is a very weak source, not meeting WP:RS and the Italian site isn't much help either, but it's not used in a contended paragraph.
 * So let's see what sources we have that pass WP:RS - US CG (Rule 27) and US Navy (Code of Signals). The meaning of the code flag is confirmed by my copy of Pub 102 (International

Code of Signals, Ch. 1 p. 22), so I think the second paragraph accurately reflects the use of the 'A' flag as a code flag. You seem to have a problem just with Rule 27, so I'll quote the relevant subsections:


 * Rule 27
 * (b) A vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver, except a vessel engaged in mineclearance operations, shall exhibit:
 * 1. three all-round lights in a vertical line where they can best be seen. The highest and lowest of these lights shall be red and the middle light shall be white;
 * 2. three shapes in a vertical line where they can best be seen. The highest and lowest of these shapes shall be balls and the middle one a diamond.
 * 3. when making way through the water, [a masthead light or lights/ masthead lights], sidelights and a sternlight in addition to the lights prescribed in subparagraph (b)(i);
 * 4. when at anchor, in addition to the lights or shapes prescribed in subparagraphs (b)(i) and (b) (ii), the light, lights, or shapes prescribed in Rule 30.
 * (d) A vessel engaged in dredging or underwater operations, when restricted in her ability to maneuver, shall exhibit the lights and shapes prescribed in subparagraphs (b)(i),(ii) and (iii) of this Rule and shall in addition when an obstruction exists, exhibit:
 * 1. two all-round red lights or two balls in a vertical line to indicate the side on which the obstruction exists;
 * 2. two all-round green lights or two diamonds in a vertical line to indicate the side on which another vessel may pass;
 * 3. when at anchor, the lights or shapes prescribed in this paragraph instead of the lights or shapes prescribed in Rule 30, for anchored vessels. [Inld]
 * (e) Whenever the size of a vessel engaged in diving operations makes it impracticable to exhibit all lights and shapes prescribed in paragraph (d) of this Rule, the following shall be exhibited:
 * 1. Three all-round lights in a vertical line where they can best be seen. The highest and lowest of these lights shall be red and the middle light shall be white;
 * 2. a rigid replica of the International Code flag "A" not less than 1 meter in height. Measures shall be taken to ensure its all-round visibility.


 * So (d) is a requirement for vessels engaged in underwater operations [display everything in (b) plus the extra]; (e) refers to a subset of (d) - those vessels which are engaged in diving operations and can't practically display all the signals in (d) - and allows them to just display lights and a rigid replica of the 'A' flag. I'm happy to discuss any suggestions you may have for improving the wording in the first paragraph. However it's important to understand that there is no international requirement to make a signal saying you have a diver down; there is an international requirement to display the shapes and lights when involved in any underwater operations that restrict manoeuvrability. It is worth remembering that The First International Code was drafted in 1855 by a Committee set up by the British Board of Trade and pre-dates diving operations by a considerable time.


 * As for the third paragraph, the source is poor, so we should perhaps be trying to find the U.S. Coast Guard Notices to Mariners that it alludes to. If it can be found, I think it makes the point about primary purpose; if not then that paragraph should be deleted. In the meantime, please see verify credibility as I think you'll find it more relevant.


 * Your other points about USN superseding the USCG is pure synthesis. Where two sources differ, we present them both. If there was real contradiction, I could just as easily say that an international agreement takes precedence over rules applicable only to the US navy. We need to present the two uses of the 'A' flag: (1) its meaning as a signal (2) its requirement in the form of a rigid replica. It does not improve the article to dismiss the latter as you have tried to do. --RexxS (talk) 21:34, 1 February 2010 (UTC)


 * It looks as if we are agreed that the private website is a weak source. I also agree that the article should not have a US-centric pov.  I suggest that an appropriate balance in the article would be promoted by moving the A-flag image to some place further up the article, captioned by its citation-supported international meaning i.e. "I have a diver down; keep well clear at slow speed".
 * I do not 'have a problem' with Rule 27(e): it clearly relates to conditions in which the internationally agreed meaning of the A-flag is obviously appropriate, and mandates the use of the flag in the circumstances that it sets out. Also, as you point out, 27(e) mandates the use of a rigid replica of the flag in the way set out in the rule.
 * There is a problem, though, with the current article text, because it does not quote 27(e), it quotes 27(d), which appears to be much less relevant than 27(e): 27(d) does not mention the A-flag at all.
 * Some of your other points seem to attribute things to me which are not in my previous post or the edit referred to. I hope that at any rate a consensus can be reached on the central points. Terry0051 (talk) 20:07, 2 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Thank you, that was most helpful. I hope you don't mind that I've taken the liberty of editing the article where I think we may have agreement. Feel free to revert if you disagree - I won't be offended.
 * I've re-ordered the paragraphs in that section to make the code flag signal the first point. I've shortened the caption as you suggested. I would still prefer to keep the 'A' flag image with the section it refers to, but am willing to be persuaded otherwise if there's a good reason. Although I don't think you can read Rule 27 (e) without reference to (d), which it allows exceptions from, I've taken out the "dredging and underwater ops" and replaced it with "diving ops", since that is the specific subset of (d) that (e) refers to - plus it's more relevant to our likely audience.
 * I found the relevant Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and it's available online. The website seems to have it quite right, but I've removed it as a source and substituted a cite directly to the USCG Notice with a quote (as the pdf is quite large for slow connections). I've done my best to alter our text to be faithful to the source (e.g. "intention" instead of "purpose"), but please let's see if we can agree on what else is needed to make the improvements you want. --RexxS (talk) 21:16, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, that seems to be quite a lot better. I just have two remaining points. One is likely to be uncontroversial (I hope & believe). I appreciate your reasons for not moving the A-flag image upwards. It might be awkward to implement. But it does leave the opening paragraph short of any indication that there is yet another flag still to be described down below. I suggest the reader needs to be informed right at the start that practice is not uniform worldwide. This seems to be more about presentation than content, so I'm putting in the edit; if you think of something better, as ever, feel free.

Point two is maybe more difficult, and so I am not making any other edit at this time. It's about the quote from the USCG notice to mariners. I make no criticism of the source, nor of the quote, both seem good in those terms. But in the real world, and just for the moment outside wikipedia terms, and trying to exercise common sense, I doubt extremely whether the US Coast Guard (or any other national organization in any country, so far as acting alone) has the authority to alter -- or even to interpret unilaterally -- an internationally agreed signal. The whole point of an international agreement is that it is, indeed, international: it takes international action to change it. Secondly, and equally important, we're talking about things that happen at sea here, where messages are to be clear and simple and well-understood. There's no place here for a lawyer at the elbow to advise on subtle reinterpretations! Messages at sea have to be sharp, clear, and simple, and say just what they mean, and mean just what they say, with no messing. What else was the purpose of having them internationally agreed?

Translating this into Wikipedia terms, I don't suggest putting any of that reasoning into the article. As it stands, without external support, it would be unsourced viewpoint. But equally, there is an at-least-implicit suggestion, currently there in the article text -- so I read it -- that a unilateral national statement, here, is modifying the internationally agreed meaning of the A-flag. Well, there's no source for that, and currently it would be in need of separate verification under WP:V. All in all, I suggest it would be fair and balanced in the circumstances to report this as an opinion of the US CG (i.e. without saying whether or not it is a settled aspect of the international A-flag meaning), and then just leave it at that, until more/better sources come to light. Your views would be of interest, naturally. As I mentioned, I didn't extend the edit to cover this point; I don't know what can be considered a consensus view here, but I doubt if a suggestion that unilateral national action alters international action can be a consensus view in the current state of the sources. -- With good wishes -- Terry0051 (talk) 23:54, 3 February 2010 (UTC)

Origin of the red and white flag
At present there is no reliable source for the statement that the flag originated in 1956/57. I'll move the text here and see if one can be found. It's possible that somebody has access to the September 1957 issue of Skin Diver Magazine, but it's not in any library near me. --RexxS (talk) 03:20, 11 November 2010 (UTC)
 * and was designed and created by Ted Nixon in 1956 and was introduced early 1957. http://www.portagequarry.com/legendarticles/miller_072005.htm
 * I have found two references from authors I trust that both say 1956.
 * What do you think? --Gene Hobbs (talk) 05:02, 15 January 2011 (UTC)
 * I thinks that's two perfectly good reliable sources that you found, so I've taken the liberty of adding the content back (with a credit to Denzel James "Dic" Dockery as Cronje states). Thanks yet again, Gene, for your remarkable skills in finding the right references. --RexxS (talk) 16:13, 15 January 2011 (UTC)
 * And thank you for staying on top of the fact checking. Just sorry it took so long to find the references and make them available. Have a good weekend! --Gene Hobbs (talk) 16:22, 15 January 2011 (UTC)
 * I thinks that's two perfectly good reliable sources that you found, so I've taken the liberty of adding the content back (with a credit to Denzel James "Dic" Dockery as Cronje states). Thanks yet again, Gene, for your remarkable skills in finding the right references. --RexxS (talk) 16:13, 15 January 2011 (UTC)
 * And thank you for staying on top of the fact checking. Just sorry it took so long to find the references and make them available. Have a good weekend! --Gene Hobbs (talk) 16:22, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

There is a whole world outside the US
This article seems very US centric. It proclaims the red/white to be the Diver Down flag....then goes on to state, almost as an afterthought, that "other places" use the A flag. This is wrong.

The INTERNATIONAL flag for "diver down" is the A flag. In the US they use the red/white flag. The whole article is about face. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.208.195.62 (talk) 19:09, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Considering that almost all of the references are from US sources, it is hardly surprising that the article reflects a US view to some extent. Even one of the sources for Rule 27 of IRPCS is taken from the USCG.
 * More importantly, the international regulation requires a rigid code flag alpha, at least 1 metre high, to be used on small vessels engaged in diving operations whose ability to manoeuvre is restricted. Whereas the red/white "diver down" flag is required in North American waters (and a few other places) to indicate simply that a diver is in the water. Quite often, surface marker buoys carry the red/white flag to convey the same meaning (although I have seen SMBs with an 'A' flag on them as well).
 * In that sense, the red/white flag unambiguously has the meaning "diver down" alone, and is required in the US whenever a boat puts a diver in the water. Code flag alpha used to mean "I am undergoing a speed trial"; it now means ""I have a diver down; keep well clear at slow speed" as well as the letter 'A', and is strictly required only when a small vessel has restricted manoeuvrability because of a diver in the water. It's a small distinction, but enough to make a case for the red/white flag having primacy in this article.
 * I say this, by the way, as a British diver who religiously deploys an 'A' flag on any dive boat as soon as a diver enters the water - even when drift diving, where the flag is arguably not compulsory.
 * Anyway, I reverted your change because it contravened WP:LEAD which wants us to define and introduce the subject (which is bolded) right at the start. Nevertheless, I've done a re-write to remove some of the unnecessary detail from the lead and tried to give a better balance between the article's description of the two flags. If you find that unsatisfactory, please feel free to change it, or discuss it here to find a consensus. --RexxS (talk) 21:20, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

Signal flag ALFA/ALPHA - removed third paragraph, the wording appears to be an opinion.
I removed this section from the article, since it seemed to read as an opnion. I'm putting it here for a user who understands the navel community better to see if any of it should be rewritten and placed back in to the article.


 * The IRPCS rules are there to keep vessels clear of each other and in this way the A flag does protect divers as you are required to keep clear of vessels displaying flag A. Rule 27 leads to Rule 18 http://navruleshandbook.com/Rule18.html responsibilities between vessels and then rule 8 http://navruleshandbook.com/Rule8.html action to take. The rules also mention being seamanlike. Thus if a vessel shows flag A it is your responsibility to keep well clear in the understanding that divers are down, your action is to avoid collision and also act in a seamanlike manner. Seeing as the Flag A definition is International and defined in a strict legal framework if the rules are followed divers will be protected. The USCG definition muddies the waters in my view.

--The Navigators (talk)-May British Rail Rest in Peace. 20:47, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Use in signalling
I've just restored the sentence "Code flag alfa/alpha also represents the letter 'A' in signalling" to the Other uses section. I can see that code flag alpha is referred to as the 'A' flag in an earlier section and if you follow the link to International maritime signal flags, you can work out that it is used in signalling to spell the letter 'A', but this article doesn't explicitly state that anywhere, other than the sentence that I restored. My preference would be to keep that to make absolutely clear the use to spell 'A' without having to follow a link to another page, but if others feel it's superfluous, I won't object if it's re-removed. --RexxS (talk) 22:50, 19 October 2015 (UTC)

Boater distance/safety rules should be documented
After trying to find the exact boater distances and the specific boater safety rules for this topic, I am getting extremely annoyed by the variability of all the rules. They can vary from country to country, and in the USA, from state to state.

The whole subject matter is a mess, so I guess it's no wonder boaters often "don't follow the rules", because there is apparently no universal, global, UN-ratified standard that every country follows.

As an encyclopedia, it is entirely appropriate to try to sort out this matter and document ALL the various rule differences here, with citations of course. -- DMahalko (talk) 19:50, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

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