Just looking for a little info help

[Jason Keefer]

I'm aware of the insurance and how to keep myself legally safe. this isn't just to make a couple extra bucks this is going to be a licensed business. I'm just asking as far as is there any specific requirements other than opinion that I needed other than the obvious ( captains license, scuba cert, and so on), and come on guys, I have common sense and only an idiot is going to leave their boat unattended and unmanned in open waters especially while their are divers in the water. I'm not new to the scene I'm new to just the business aspect of it.

 

[rhwestfall]

while there is nothing written in law

In Ontario Providence, specifically in the the Fathom Five Marine Park (perhaps elsewhere), it is......

You can't even leave a kayak tethered to the moorings not attended...

 

[FinnMom]

Just having the boat attended by someone who can drive it is for private, recreational boating. The new information was that a professional outfit needs to have a good, experienced captian on board (and on his toes) all the time. It needs to be someone who can handle the boat with that level of competence, who knows the currents, risks, neat tricks, applicable laws, best practices, etc. Having had this kind of person in charge of the boat can make a big difference if something ever does go wrong.
This was something I had never really though about until a professional spelled it out. It sounded like good and interesting advice to me, but it may well be old news to you. In that case, no worries.

 

[Neilwood]

Just having the boat attended by someone who can drive it is for private, recreational boating. The new information was that a professional outfit needs to have a good, experienced captian on board (and on his toes) all the time. It needs to be someone who can handle the boat with that level of competence, who knows the currents, risks, neat tricks, applicable laws, best practices, etc. Having had this kind of person in charge of the boat can make a big difference if something ever does go wrong.
This was something I had never really though about until a professional spelled it out. It sounded like good and interesting advice to me, but it may well be old news to you. In that case, no worries.

That for me is the take home message. Running a boat is easy if everything is running smoothly (esp with GPS & modern navigation aids) with minimal currents etc but it becomes a different thing should weather change, breakdowns happen, medical issues etc.

Personally I would rather pay the extra for a captain that knows what do when things go south than hope for the best with someone inexperienced who might manage.

 

[blac86]

Most insurance agencies will require that someone offering a guided dive at least be a divemaster. The USCG currently has no regulations in place either way.

 

[Blue Quaker]

In Ontario Providence, specifically in the the Fathom Five Marine Park (perhaps elsewhere), it is......

You can't even leave a kayak tethered to the moorings not attended...

You also need to pick up a restricted access vessel permit/sticker from the park office to affix to your boat before you can moor to some of the wreck sites at Tobermory. However, nobody at the park office checked to see if we had a Recreational Boat Operator cert between us before issuing the permit for our RIB.

 

[Stoo]

I have common sense and only an idiot is going to leave their boat unattended and unmanned in open waters especially while their are divers in the water. I'm not new to the scene I'm new to just the business aspect of it.

You might be surprised. Mrs Stoo and I used the charter services of a dive shop in Percé, Qubec two years ago. When we surfaced mid-way through our first dive to get our bearings, we were surprised (to say the least) that the RHIB was untended. The so-called captain was in diving with the guests. (I used a small-c "captain" as I am pretty sure he wasn't licensed, but given the small displacement of the boat, it may not have been a requirement)

Bear in mind that this was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The currents were strong, and it was somewhat foggy.

We also learned that they carried no life jackets on board (claiming a Coast Guard exemption, which would NEVER be given), and had an empty O2 kit and various other signs of incompetence.

All in all, it was a bit of an eye-opener... If nothing else, I learned to ask questions going forward.

 

[Bruno Genovese]

All the outfits I dived with had a captain that stayed on the boat. He often has to move the boat to pick up divers as they surface at different locations.

I also agree that if you jump in the water with your clients you want to be at a minimum a divemaster and preferably an instructor.

 

[jonhall]

and come on guys, I have common sense and only an idiot is going to leave their boat unattended and unmanned in open waters especially while their are divers in the water.

Guess you haven't dived with Clive in Aruba!! ha ha

 

[Bubblesong]

May I say "Thank you" for increasing Diving opportunities for us divers!
My request would be that Captains know CPR, First AID and all that safety equipment. My suggestion is to talk to your local Coast Guard about what they like to see, and what boat setups they see that lead to disasters too, learn from others mistakes.