As most people know, a vessel showing Flag A is signalling ‘I have a diver down, keep well clear at slow speed’.  I always respect this request - However, increasingly I notice that boats that are used for diving are displaying this flag when they clearly do not have a diver under the water near their boat. 
 
I have seen dive boats in marinas in their berth showing flag A which had been painted to a sheet of metal that is permanently attached to a pole in the stern of the boat!  Even worse I overtook a diver boat being towed on a trailer on the 125 displaying it’s ‘diver down’ flag!  How can I possibly be expected to take this flag seriously when I know that 99% of the time there is no diver in the water?
 
Yesterday, I passed a small inflatable dinghy, just off Albufeira, flying flag A, with two men in it wearing wet suits eating sandwiches, I passed them on the way back 20 minutes later, there were still two men in it enjoying their lunch. I motored very slowly towards them in order to take the photograph that you see above, at no stage did they show any agitation regarding my close proximity, I assume therefore that there was no ‘diver down’ as there were only two and they were both having lunch.
If divers expect us to respect their flag it is my belief that they should only fly it when they have got a diver in the water, it’s correct meaning is ‘ I have got a diver down’ NOT ‘This is a dive boat and I might have a diver in the water’.