Property Recovery- Thinking Forward

[RIteen]

I finally got permission to get certified as a diver, as soon as I can come up with the scratch. However, me being me, was thinking ahead a little. Perhaps this whole thing could be slightly profitable/at least give me a way to buy gear. More specifically recovery work.

I posted here, because it seems "basic" has more to do with 'oh the pretty coral,' treasure hunting seemed slightly more whimsical, and what not, however admin, please stick it where fit....

Now, I am NOT referring to pulling vehicles/bodies out of the mud! I am more referencing small scale things, such as finding that anchor your wife sent overboard... including the rope.... those keys you dropped off the dock... or perhaps even that outboard that you managed to drop off the rear...

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I am referring to freshwater ponds specifically, as that is what we have all around us.

More "nuisance work" than anything else. Nothing extremely dangerous or technical.

Almost everybody boats around here, so things do happen.

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My questions are:

Does this seem like something that might have any success?
Would I need the equivalent of "malpractice" insurance, or would incorporating cover my arse?

 

[BVickery]

Good question. Some sort of Liability Coverage may not be a bad thing to have given that we live in a very litigigious society. Even if a lawsuit is viewed/ruled frivilous, you will still need to hire a lawyer to protect yourself.

 

[DevonDiver]

It depends on your location and the regulations applicable there. It might be wise to ask this question in your regional sub-forum.

In the UK, it'd be classed as Commercial Diving (any paid employment underwater) and subject to the full scope of HSE (Health and Safety Executive) regulation and insurance requirements.

 

[RIteen]

Hmmm.... that would be bad!

 

[DevonDiver]

Paid scuba instructors... even boat-hull cleaners... fall under the same regulations in the UK. It is bad... adds a lot of expense and hassle for the instructor. On the up-side, it has safety benefits.

 

[RIteen]

Here in the states we have OSHA, but their regulations are more geared toward industrial manufacturing and whatnot.

 

[spectrum]

Divers do those sort of things casually all of the time.

The key to the recreational diver doing it safely is to be selective. Diving for trinkets is fine, they won't fall on you, mess with your buoyancy, entangle or impinge you on the bottom. Ugly stuff can happen when divers move heavy things. Wait for training and experience before contemplating lift bag projects.

The other guideline is where. Around docks there are a lot of hazards you may no be aware of, Stay out of brisk currents, especially in rivers where you could find yourself in a sieve.

Hazards hide in silty pond bottoms. Don't plan on digging too much in there. Visibility will soon be zero.

If someone asks you to retrieve the right item in the right place collect in advance for making the dive. Retrieval is not guaranteed.

If it means the "customer" is bringing you to the location on their boat they are probably not capable of providing any form of dive support so you will be totally solo unless you bring a buddy. That's a whole other discussion.

Pete

 

[Rich Keller]

You can make a few bucks recovering lost items but that sort of thing is not regular enough for you to make any real money. You could try recovering golf balls from the water hazards at the local courses. Cleaning sailboat bottoms, this type of job would be in saltwater. You can also make good money salvaging lost mooring anchors, this would also be more in the saltwater areas.

 

[RIteen]

^Exactly what I was thinking of.

Not to sound completely idiotic, but what major dangers around docks are you referring? I know current can be bad around piers (And I assume docks,) and there are always spare fishing hooks..

And I do agree about being selective. I have some training for heavy lifting on land (crane operations, and what not) so I imagine it doesn't change too much underwater. But that doesn't mean I intend to retrieve a 12' propeller off of a boat!

And never solo... too much to go wrong...

 

[BVickery]

^Exactly what I was thinking of.

Not to sound completely idiotic, but what major dangers around docks are you referring? I know current can be bad around piers (And I assume docks,) and there are always spare fishing hooks..

And I do agree about being selective. I have some training for heavy lifting on land (crane operations, and what not) so I imagine it doesn't change too much underwater. But that doesn't mean I intend to retrieve a 12' propeller off of a boat!

And never solo... too much to go wrong...

Besides tides and fish hooks, can think of ropes, fishing line etc to get caught in. Maybe nets, idiotic boaters, you may have the dive flag going on, doesn't mean they will notice/obey it. Give you an idea how bad it could be was watching an Episode of Alaska State Troopers and they had their Dive Team in the water, police boat, dive flags etc, the boat just kept on coming in.