And so it begins. Panic in the California dive boat industry

[drrich2]

it was ILLEGAL and putting divers at risk.

Don't some people live (and presumably sleep) in house boats, that are docked in marinas? Most likely without a 24-hour roving watch person? People vote with their feet, and a lot of people have been voting for 'overnight on the boat the night before' for a long time.

Richard.

 

[cerich]

Boarding the night before may let people avoid paying for a hotel, keeping costs down. If some customers didn't want to take advantage of the offer, more power to them, but now it's no longer a choice.

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Richard.

It was never a legal choice. It's still an option for the dive boats to have crew aboard and a watchman awake and the cost will be less for the divers than getting hotels. Just saying

 

[cerich]

Don't some people live (and presumably sleep) in house boats, that are docked in marinas? Most likely without a 24-hour roving watch person? People vote with their feet, and a lot of people have been voting for 'overnight on the boat the night before' for a long time.

Richard.

house boats are not inspected vessels. Completely different.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

house boats are not inspected vessels. Completely different.

Never seen one taken out for a spin on Lake Union here in Seattle either.

But they are not docked at marines. Some of them next to marinas, but generally along the lake shore around here.

 

[JackD342]

Eric said they will hire an additional crewman to have a 24 hour watch.

Our current new policies:

1. No one is allowed to charge any batteries or electronic devices overnight (during the hours of 8pm-6am). This includes, but is not limited to batteries, electronic devices, laptops, cell phones, lights, cameras and photography equipment. Our charging station will be turned off between the hours of 8pm and 6am. Make sure all batteries and devices are charged prior to boarding the boat and put into airplane mode when not in use. We have other outlets on the boat in the galley and these can be used between the hours of 6am-8pm as long as they are unplugged during the night time hours, but the outlets in the bunkroom are not to be used to charge any device at any time whatsoever. The only acceptable use of an outlet in the bunkroom is for medical devices, such as CPAP machines.

2. We have made a big change to our boarding procedures and are no longer allowing any passengers on board prior to 8pm for trips that depart between 9pm - 5am and for the trips that depart at 7am on boarding will be at 6am. We know that in the past we have allowed people to board the boat early and to sleep on board, but due to the recent events we have decided that this is a necessary change for safety. This means if a passenger shows up earlier than the 8pm or 6am boarding time the galley doors will be locked until our crew member is there to open up the boat and help the passengers sign in and get settled. A crew member or “roving patrol” will be on deck or in the galley at all times while at dock, anchored or underway. We have hired a additional crew member to help at the dock so hopefully all passengers will feel safe and comfortable.

@MaxBottomtime can you double check the source for your statement at the beginning of that post? Your copy/paste says they are adding a crewmember to help at the dock, no mention of needing to add someone for the watch. Also, their statement of what they will be doing regarding roving watch does not necessarily mean they weren't doing so in the past. (from the context, I wouldn't be surprised if there was no watch at the dock in the past, but all was okay once away from the dock.)

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Sorry, I should have said and have a 24 hour watch.

 

[uncfnp]

I have been planning my first California trip, fall of 2020, for several months now. TA as well as other boats were recommended to me and on my possibility list. I still plan to make the trip and these boats are still on my list, but only if they do make these and possibly other changes as more info comes out.

So I believe that making these changes, while possibly not popular with their “usual suspects,” will ultimately make them a more viable option to other informed divers such as myself.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I don't really have much opinion about the no overnight berthing. But the charging rules suck, would make it hard to keep my dive computers, dive lights, and everything else charged. Hopefully they ease up once they find a safer way to keep the charging area contained.

 

[Leighen]

Why would a diver with a camera or a scooter or rechargeable dive light have to skip a dive because of the new charging rules?

 

[azstinger11]

Why would a diver with a camera or a scooter or rechargeable dive light have to skip a dive because of the new charging rules?

If some piece of gear you used had its battery depleted (say dive watch?) on a night dive that concluded after the no-charge time. If a camera or scooter had it's battery depleted it likely isn't a forced to skip like a dead computer. They may very well elect to get it started charging, or if they are big enough photographers/videographers a dive without that gear isn't a dive worth doing.