BASSTERRE, St. Kitts – AT first glance of a particular souvenir shirt brand on Port Zante in St. Kitts, the flag appears to be that of Trinidad and Tobago, which instantly becomes mind boggling, especially since ‘ST. KITTS’ falls directly below this flag.
This reporter must confess about the first-time discovery of such a T-shirt which led to an assumption that perhaps it was a marketing glitch; that is, some sort of mix up with that Caribbean flag.
Yes, of course, that assumption did not make much sense either, since after all those merchants who originate from India without question are expected to know what the national flag of St. Kitts and Nevis looks like.
However, it is always good to ask questions in order to satisfy one’s curiosity, and the work of the media practitioners, professionally complements the natural inquisitiveness of the human mind, in many instances.
Following an investigation on Wednesday (Jan. 9), which included a closer inspection of the T-shirt, it was found that the flag is not that of Trinidad and Tobago, but rather a dive flag.
What is the purpose of a dive flag, one may ask? Well, according to Chief Pilot Harvey of the St. Christopher and Nevis Air and Seaports Authority, any vessel could fly a Dive Flag. He explained that once a Dive Flag is seen flying on a vessel, it indicates that a diver or divers are aboard. However, the Alpha Flag, which is blue and white in colour, when flown on a vessel indicates that divers are underwater and vessels should be no less than 100 metres from that area.
At http://www.foreandaftmarine.com/DIVEFLAGLAWS.htm, the Dive Flag is basically, to warn boats to avoid the area where divers are underwater.”
Readers should note that the dive brand marketed as a tourism souvenir from St. Kitts and Nevis is not new or only done for this twin-island Federation.
Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Aruba and Bermuda also market this dive brand, as well as Honduras, Hawaii and Malyasia and, of course, North America.
On a visit to Port Zante that morning, SKNVibes entered two stores that showcase the Dive brand. Other items spotted there were hats and vests.
In conversation with one of the store’s supervisors, who seemed to be of Spanish origin, he said “it’s a dive flag! I know it looks like a Trinidad flag...right? But it’s a dive flag”.
He then pointed to a national flag in the window and said: “There’s the St. Kitts flag with the green”.
Notably, next to the T-shirt with the big dive flag with ‘ST. KITTS’ superimposed on it was another T-shirt, ‘dive design’, with the words: ‘to dive or not (THERE IS NO QUESTION).
On that T-shirt, below those words was a small dive flag which had the basic shape frame, but which blended with the blue colour of the shirt.
Information found on the Internet source outlined: “As divers, we are expected to share the water with boaters and this sometimes leads to conflict. The purpose of a dive flag is, basically, to warn boats to avoid the area where divers are underwater. Seems like a simple premise, but ignorance, confusion, and/or recklessness has resulted in many accidents and near-misses. The traditional diver-down flag was developed by divers in 1957. By 1997, nearly every state in the USA had laws requiring the use of a dive flag. Most states require the use of the traditional diver-down flag, some require only the alpha flag, and a few require both. Although federal statutes call for use of the alpha flag, some federal agencies (such as the National Park Service) insist on the traditional flag. Obviously, considerable confusion exists concerning the distinction between the two flags.
“Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is that the traditional red and white diver-down flag is intended to protect divers themselves, while the blue and white alpha flag is intended to protect vessels from collision.
“The alpha flag is internationally understood to mean: ‘I have a diver down; this boat is restricted in its ability to manoeuvre, so keep clear and keep to a slow speed.’ Generally, only vessels to which the divers are physically connected by communication lines, air hoses, or the like in international water are required to display the alpha flag, but common sense suggests displaying both flags can't hurt.”
