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

[dytis-sm]

The new rules are probably a first reaction. Hopefully they will become more rational as more questions are answered. I do applaud the decision of having additional staff awake during the late hours. Airplanes don't seem to mind batteries charging on board, and possibly because there are a few souls awake while it takes place...

 

[azstinger11]

The new rules are probably a first reaction. Hopefully they will become more rational as more questions are answered. I do applaud the decision of having additional staff awake during the late hours. Airplanes don't seem to mind batteries charging on board, and possibly because there are a few souls awake while it takes place...

While true they also don't have the convenient and expedient chuck the flaming item into the ocean option available to them.

Well I guess they could....... but that wouldn't a fun FAA report to file.

 

[lexvil]

Allowing divers to spend the night on the boat was a big draw for visiting divers.

Yes it was, it’s 6 to 7 hours drive from my part of the state so being able to stay on the boat the night before factored into the plans pretty heavily, not many decent places to stay near the harbors. Good thing I’m cool with shore diving.

 

[lexvil]

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.

They will likely be out of business long before your trip, there is still good shore diving.

 

[doctormike]

Yeah, it would make a lot more sense to hire crew for watch the night before departure, as long as

[extra payroll] / [number of paying customers] < [hotel cost]

And it's not just cost. Much more convenient to unload your gear once the night before and be ready to sail in the AM. So as long as there are a reasonable number of paying customers, that shouldn't be a huge upcharge, and worth it.

As far as the charging, it seems that there might be ways of doing that safely overnight, because I agree that's a big inconvenience to not be able to charge overnight. If you are diving frequently during the day, when are you going to be able to charge your stuff, leaving aside night dives. Big metal box, outside on the deck or something? Dumpable? Not sure, but it seems like the overnight restriction seems like it's not so well thought out...

 

[broncobowsher]

Allowing divers to spend the night on the boat was a big draw for visiting divers.

That was a huge draw for me. Long Beach is a 7-8 hour drive. Take Friday off, drive over, spend the night and go diving. To force a hotel, then load a boat in the morning, The added expense and hassle is going to take away from the trip.

I can see a cut-off time. At 9PM the gate is closed, a safety briefing is given, go to bed. That would fix the issue and keep the overnight on the boat. So you loose the opportunity to arrive at midnight, but those coming in from out of state it can still work.

 

[Blasto]

The new rules are probably a first reaction. Hopefully they will become more rational as more questions are answered. I do applaud the decision of having additional staff awake during the late hours. Airplanes don't seem to mind batteries charging on board, and possibly because there are a few souls awake while it takes place...

It's not common for industrially manufactured batteries for consumer use to burst into flames from charging. That is a much, much more rare event than, say, arcing wires. Most times an old home's electrics get overhauled in repair, one finds at least a couple electrical faults with char marks.

Hobby batteries in RC models do often catch fire, though, so perhaps there is a reason to limit scooter charging and such - their batteries aren't as safe and the heat involved is much greater. (Still the wiring leading up to the charger is probably the greater danger.)

Personally, I've always tried to keep electronics away from easy fuel sources. I'll stop short of removing my laptop from the table, but don't leave my phone in bed, and keep any laptops, phones, powerbanks not in use on metal or concrete surfaces. A simple steel sheet is enough to keep wood from igniting in a battery fire, it's not thermite. It's difficult to contain all of the heat in an enclosed space, but easy to protect the closest flammable surfaces enough that the heat can diffuse without igniting anything else.

 

[2airishuman]

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.

Those are not commercial vessels. The rules are different.

When I sleep aboard my own vessel, I am free to set a watch, or not. In smaller vessels that carry their owner and perhaps a few family members and friends, fire is not the major safety concern. Weather, dragging anchors, other boats, unauthorized boarders, and serious leaks are the usual concerns, and are ordinarily addressed through various technical means. Among these are anchor alarms that use GPS to determine whether the anchor is dragging, motion detectors in the cockpit, and alarms that are part of the bilge pump system.

 

[Bob DBF]

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.

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.

When I've been aboard for three day trips, half to 3/4 of the passengers slept onboard. Getting into Ventura at midnight or so, and leaving at 5 or 6am makes a motel pretty expensive. It may not stop divers, but it might cut down the number of trips significantly.

A lot of folks from the SF Bay Area drive down after work, get there late, sleepover night and on the trip out to the islands. Afterward the boat gets in early in the evening, unload, and drive home. Having to get a motel or doing an early morning drive adds expense or inconvenience, both of which can deter divers.

I can see a cut-off time. At 9PM the gate is closed, a safety briefing is given, go to bed. That would fix the issue and keep the overnight on the boat. So you loose the opportunity to arrive at midnight, but those coming in from

The issue with passengers for hire is that you would have to have a full crew aboard when passengers are aboard, I will bet that was the reason for the change. During the summer months the crew dosen't have much time off as it is, and I don't know how hard it would be to get a trained crew to babysit the boat tied up to the dock. A captain, mate, and two crew, and watchman is not cheap either.

I think the charging situation will evolve over time, but at the moment no one has an idea if the USCG will make regulations or what they will be. I could see hours being extended depending on how the present rules work and what reasonable and safe changes can be made.


Bob

 

[Wookie]

Allowing divers to spend the night on the boat was a big draw for visiting divers.

We also did this. We kept a watch on duty.