Dive Boat Safety, What do you look for?

Having recently read about sinking dive boats. What do you look for or ask about prior to boarding or looking for after you are on board? Not knowing much about boats, especially those used for commercial purposes such as transporting divers I could easily be fooled.

I understand that you should pay attention to the briefing and have awareness of proper procedures but is there anything that could give a clue about if a boat is safe or not? What should I look for?

Competent captain, Oxygen and a radio, and of course the boat needs to get me "There and back". I can wing the rest.

Oxygen is about a safe dive, it won't help you with a safe sinking.
I spend a lot of time on boats. When I am on someone elses boat. If they don't mention it in the first minute or two, I ask loudly enough for others to hear. "Where do you stow your life jackets and fire extingushers. If it's an inboard I also ask about automatic fire supression. Then I take the seat closer to the life jackets than the fuel tank. If the water is cold (like under 78) and I have dive equip, I will try to keep my exposure suit on or in hand. Just sayin.......

Wolfie:

Oxygen is about a safe dive, it won't help you with a safe sinking.
I spend a lot of time on boats. When I am on someone elses boat. If they don't mention it in the first minute or two, I ask loudly enough for others to hear. "Where do you stow your life jackets and fire extingushers. If it's an inboard I also ask about automatic fire supression. Then I take the seat closer to the life jackets than the fuel tank. If the water is cold (like under 78) and I have dive equip, I will try to keep my exposure suit on or in hand. Just sayin.......

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In reference to an automatic fire suppression unit,Usually Halon,just know that if it is triggered and a diesel engine is still running and the engine sucks in the halon the exhaust is HIGHLY toxic.

I know enough to know to look for the signs of maintenance such as being clean, things like PFDs being stored where they are available, no signs of leaking engine components and the likes but is there any little telltale signs? I always ask where the oxygen and the PFD's are, that is if they don't point it out during the briefing. I have also been known to ask if there are any quirks about the head that need to be addressed (if so equipped).

The first thing I look for is a competent crew. Are they ready for you when they say they will be? If they tell you that boarding is at 8:30 and you show up at 7:30, they'll be grumpy, but do they know what to do with you? Do they give you instructions to get ont he boat, or do they let you board willy-nilly? If they are sloppy at boarding, just think how sloppy they'll be when the poop hits the fan. Then I look at the little things. Chipped paint doesn't bother me too much unless it's out of control, I know how easily cylinders chip gel coat and paint. Is there running rust? Running rust is the easiest thing in the world to fix, but it's a constant battle, and involves a little expense. Ospho costs about $25 a gallon. Is the boat owner willing to spring for $25 bucks every few weeks to keep his boat sharp? If so, he's probably willing to keep the bilge pumps sound and do the other maintenance. If not, it raises questions in my mind. Does the engine smoke? Divers universally agree that smoky engines cause sea sickness, so it is vital for dive boats to keep the engines well tuned. Black smoke is the sign of a blown turbo, which are on the order of a couple of grand to replace. White smoke is the sign of a worn out engine, a bit more money. It's the black smoke that makes folks sick, it's unburnt fuel. It also costs a bunch of cash to run with a bad turbo, it's a waste of fuel. I listen carefully to the Captains briefing. Is it thorough? Is it rushed? Does he sound like he knows what the heck he's doing, or does it sound sloppy and half hearted? Remember, all of these things can be checked before the boat leaves the dock. If the captain is briefing on the way out, he's violating Coast Guard rules, and his mind is not on the job at hand, which should be driving the boat.

There are lots of other simple things, like O2 and AEDs and stuff that should be obvious to everyone. I just want to tell you what I look for.

As an aside, Halon is prohibited from use on commercial vessels in the USA. The only allowed fire suppression gas is CO2. Very few passenger vessels are required to have CO2 fire suppression systems. You could look for a long time for one and never find one.

How many holes are in the hull and how drunk is the Captain.

The most important thing I look for is professionalism in the crew's behavior. Sometimes I will throw a few random questions at them like "where do you store your life jackets?" just to see how they respond and if they are on top of things. I will also look at their diving equipment, if they don't look after their diving equipment, then for me, that brings the condition of the boat into question. This works for me in theory, since I don't know much about boats, but can spot shotty dive equipment much more easily.

I am usually more concerned about a safe dive, and I rely on myself and my buddy for that. I would like to put more effort into ensuring a safe boat ride, but do tend to put a lot of trust into people I don't know

I guess ultimately my theory is that if the crew can convince me that they are not idiots, then I assume that they wouldn't be on the boat if they thought it was unsafe.

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