Diving off Private Boats

[zboss]

P.S. I am an idiot, every time I see this thread title I think it says "Diving off Pirate Boats". I just thought I might share that with you guys.

some of the dive boats I have been on might qualify...

 

[zboss]

To many of us the vast majority of "Open Water Dives" are dives that are not done in "Confined Water". Most of my dives are in a rather large lake. I have a 30' pontoon boat for which I manufactured a more than adequate dive ladder. A pontoon boat, especially one of this size makes an excellent platform from which to dive.

One can safely assume that I would not take it out on the ocean, if the ocean is the only place that constitutes an "open water dive".

I can see how a pontoon boat would make a good dive platform, and well - with the right boat handling experience I would agree with you; but most divers I know don't have nearly the experience handling a boat as they do diving. Even ones with "captains" licenses.

 

[ChrisA]

It is also a good idea to limit the passengers to no more than 6 unless your freind has a masters certificate. It keeps it cleaner, especially if anyone is providing cash to cover the boat's operating expenses. This could potentially be construed as compensation in court and could cause problems for the amatuer captain after an accident if more than 6 people were aboard.

Anchoring also presents serious considerations as you should ideally have someone who is capable of operating the boat aboard the boat during the dive to ensure the boat will still be there when you surface and who could pull the anchor and come get you if you surface down current from the boat. It's alwasy nice to for a pair of diver freinds to have another non-diving freind who just likes to be on the water and will come along to mind the boat.

The rule is that if payment is a condition of passage the skipper
needs a license. Even if there is no formal ticketing simply asking
everyone to chip in for gas may imply that if you don't pay of
you waont be asked back. As long as you can in no way be
interpeted as requireing payment as a condition of passage
you are OK. I handle this by making in very clear that no
one has to bring anything, all are welcome as guests on my boat.

AS for anchoring, yes. Either yu need a "darn secure" anchorage
or a person on board. This requirement likely means either
you have a competent person on board or you likely have to
anchor some distance from the dive site. unless you like
diving on flat, empty bottoms.

You will find that it is very hard to anchor securly in water
deeper then 50 or so as you need to let out about five
times more line than the depth (5:1 scope) With 250ft of
anchor rode out when the wind shifts 180 degrees the boat
moves 500 feet You'd need to find a 500ft diameter safe
circle and then drop anchor at it's center. You likely
would not want the dive at the place that is sucha good
place to anchor.

I have an inflatable. It's small with a 2hp Honda outboard
but it alows me to travel up to several miles from where my
boat is anchored and gives me access to shore because the
small inflatabe is small enough to just drag up on the beach,
surf permiting.

Fishermen can get buy with poor anchoring as they don't
jump overboard and leave their boat, at least not intentionally.