What is a cattle boat?

[danvolker]

Perhaps one of the worst other aspects to cattle boat operations, is that they can only go to dive sites that are considered good for students or certified incompetent divers. Which means if you go on one of these operations, you are not going to get a good sense of the adventure sites an area may actually have.

 

[djtimmy77]

My definition includes anything that holds more than 6 people. Sometimes they are a necessary evil, but when we do dive on cattle boats, we try to book the least filled boat. (most if not all of the local boats are excellent, just a tad crowded.)

Three tank trips are great for being less crowded.
When we do occasionally dive on a packed boat, we tend to put some distance between ourselves and the crowd.

 

[ScubaSteve]

A cattle boat: I would equate it to a boat full of divers doing the things you hate. For most that would be a large group of inexperienced divers scrambling around in chaos trying to get gear ready etc. for a dive and getting in the way of those more experienced divers. Another factor is just the shear number of divers in a small area. a large boat equipped to carry 24 divers that is carrying 24 divers is likely to be labelled a Cattle Boat. However a large boat equipped to carry 24 divers that is only carrying 12 divers.....is not likely to get that title.

 

[blue steal]

Ok would this considered a cattle boat? 10 divers have already entered the water:
I really don't mind the newbies, they just don't know, but if you say, hey the camera bucket is for cameras only, they learn. the real problem is the rude, inconsiderate ones. And actually this particular day went quite well.

 

[dmoore19]

Why is everybody wearing a hoodie?

View attachment 155794 Ok would this considered a cattle boat? 10 divers have already entered the water:
I really don't mind the newbies, they just don't know, but if you say, hey the camera bucket is for cameras only, they learn. the real problem is the rude, inconsiderate ones. And actually this particular day went quite well.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

Why is everybody wearing a hoodie?

Because only the cool guy at the back got to wear the straw hat?

Is that a kickboard he is holding?

 

[blue steal]

The cool guy wearing the straw hat was the DM. The kickboard was used to hold the list of divers names.

 

[drbill]

As far as I'm concerned, "cattle boat" is not defined strictly by the number of divers. I've seen dive boats carrying 24-32 divers that were well run operations and the divers generally well trained and able to fend for themselves. I think it is a matter of the number of divers combined with the skill level and need for assistance. On trips with many inexperienced divers a lot of time can be wasted getting geared up and lined up for the entry.

 

[Lorenzoid]

To me, a "cattle boat" is any boat larger than a six-pack on which I am essentially forced to sit in one spot out and back because there isn't room to move around. I don't care how experienced or courteous the divers may be--I get claustrophobic if there isn't enough open space, and I get annoyed if "my spot" happens to be at the stern breathing engine fumes, and there's nowhere else to go. To me, it's all about the ratio of boat size to number of divers. Room to move about and lie down somewhere to soak up some rays makes all the difference.