Rules for WA divers and boaters

Washington specifies the use of the alpha dive flag.

For Divers in Washington

According to , The Legal Requirements of Boating:

Persons scuba diving, skin diving and snorkeling from a vessel must display an ‘Alfa’ flag to mark their diving area. Between sunset and sunrise, the flag should be lighted.

Divers should stay within 200 feet of the dive flag.

From for commercial diving operations:

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.

For Boaters in Washington

According to , The Legal Requirements of Boating:

Vessels not engaged in diving operations should remain at least 200 feet from a displayed flag.

And from :

Vessels must keep at least 150′ from a displayed diver’s flag.

Happy Diving,

Chris Whitten
chris-(@)-interesting.com (remove the hyphens and parentheses)
Dive-Flag.com Webmaster

P.S. The information above was as complete and up-to-date at the time as I could make it. It should not be construed as providing legal advice. You should conduct your own legal research or contact an attorney.