Dive Boat Safety, What do you look for?

[nolatom]

More than 6 paying divers on board? Then, in the States, the boat (and not just the Captain) is Coast Guard certified, meaning inspections every year and lots of hull/construction/maintenance requirements in addition to the firefighting and lifesaving gear that's required for any boat.

Also, life floats are required and for the farther-offshore trips, liferafts. The latter are factory-inspected periodically.

Now on a 6-pack, there are equipment requirements and the captain has to have a license (can be a "smaller" license than on the Inspected boats) but the construction of the boat and maintenance do not get reviewed or inspected by "outsiders" like the Coast Guard or the American Bureau of Shipping.

Just something to keep in mind.

 

[emoreira]

Less than two months ago, a similar thread was discussed a lot :
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/405421-safety-dive-boat.html#post6155706

 

[dmoore19]

Less than two months ago, a similar thread was discussed a lot :
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/405421-safety-dive-boat.html#post6155706

Thanks I will review it. As it is with many topics, these things continue to re-surface.

 

[nimoh]

Never underestimate the ability of a complete idiot to fool you. They've been fooling themselves for years.

good and valid point, I am just hoping that if they are complete idiots, they wouldn't have lasted for years

Mostly, I am just too lazy to investigate every little detail. I will go on recommendations from other divers and an overall judgement on my part of the dive operation.

 

[TSandM]

I think it's quite difficult for a diver to assess structural integrity of a boat, or even suitability for purpose, if you are not a boat person. I learned a LOT about boats when we bought one, but I'm sure there are still a lot of considerations in the design of boats in the size range used for divers that I don't understand. I think the best you can do is get a gestalt of the operation, as Frank has said, and pay attention to the safety briefing.

 

[LowDrag]

I think it's quite difficult for a diver to assess structural integrity of a boat, or even suitability for purpose, if you are not a boat person. I learned a LOT about boats when we bought one, but I'm sure there are still a lot of considerations in the design of boats in the size range used for divers that I don't understand. I think the best you can do is get a gestalt of the operation, as Frank has said, and pay attention to the safety briefing.

LOL...I had to look that word up in Google Lynne.

 

[Wookie]

LOL...I had to look that word up in Google Lynne.

She's a doctor, you know. She paid a lot of money to learn those words. Gotta use them up.....

 

[dmoore19]

She's a doctor, you know. She paid a lot of money to learn those words. Gotta use them up.....

And you sir are a Captain. Both professions are honorable. However, I am sure you have a lot of words you can use that can't be found in the dictionary.

 

[RonFrank]

Does the hull have holes? Is the paint peeling? Does the engine have black smoke pouring from it? LOL....

I've been around boats my whole life but honestly know little about boat maintenance and upkeep. Heck my Dad owned a 24' outboard for my entire life up until a couple years ago. Some things are obvious, but many commercial fishing boats look like Doggie Dodo, and can be very Seaworthy. I think it highly unlikely that most of us could judge if the "Get Wet" was going to sink on the day it did.

A couple things to note. Does the owner take an active interest in the upkeep? Is it clean and well maintained? Age is harder to base a decision on as there are a ton of old boats that are seaworthy, but age is one sign. I think diving with long time operators is a smart move. Not likely to run into an issue diving with operators like Conch Republic, Rainbow Reef, or Blue Water.

FYI the captain of the Get Wet just sunk boat #2 in 3000' of water. The boat was filled with Dive Gear, electronic gear, etc. I will not speculate but something is going on beyond Bad Luck.