Safety on the Dive Boat

[VooDooGasMan]

Akimbo I thought same thing do have to hop up on it to sit on it, looks sorta like a tommy lift on a truck.

 

[Ayisha]

No, no hopping. The lift platform's probably a couple of feet under the water line and you just swim over to it and sit on it and they crank it back up. No effort required. Works really well for people who use wheelchairs too.

 

[dbulmer]

Not what I envisioned at all......Looks like it would be fine in 3 foot or less waves, but a problem if it gets to 7 to 10 durring a dive....
Personally I am most fond of big downward sloping platforms that gently slope into the water.....Even in huge seas, a fully kitted diver just "bellies" onto the platform when the boat drops from a wave, and then is out of the water...nothing to it....Ladders can be fine up to 6 footers, then they get to be "weopens of mass destruction" to unwary divers .... Unfortunately, most boats in Florida have ladders.

I have been on the boat with the side lift. In heavier seas you simply hold on tighter.It's easy getting on the side lift but you have to hold on tight as the lift is raised. Boat crew assist the diver in moving the left leg onto the deck - especially useful with a flooded suit and heavy seas which I have personally experienced.

On a more general point and I'm speaking of UK boats here. The diver is responsible for his own personal safety on the boat but the minimum to be expected is that the skipper has a fully functioning radio, fully briefs the diver on exit and entry procedures, points out any additional safety concerns including the location of O2, a willingness to call the coastguard for suspected DCI incidents (or any other serious medical condition).

The skipper normally points out the salient interesting points about a dive site and would normally be expected to put divers in at slack tide and be ablle to shot a wreck accurately.

 

[farsidefan1]

Emergency return to the boat signal?

Something I have been thinking about lately is how does the boat recall other divers if there is a serious issue early in the dive? I do not think I have ever had any procedure explained to me in the dive briefing. I mean if everyone is diving in a big glob then all would be aware and immediately end the dive. However the normal situation is some of the more experienced divers, especially if familiar with the site, are off doing their own thing while most follow the divemaster. They are not in a singularly aware group so if the ... hits the fan with someone and the boat needs to rush someone to shore for medical treatment how do they recall the other divers? It doesn't need to be super high tech, I imagine a bar lowered into the water and whacked on or something but that only works if everyone knows the drill.

 

[Mike]

Oxygen was mentioned once on this thread, I think, but how about lots of oxygen? And how about if there is more than one victim needing O2 at the same time? A CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device and a trained crew would be best as well.

And a defibrillator if at all possible...

You can ask to see a dive boats oxygen kit, nothing wrong with that at all. It should be full or nearly full. If you find it almost empty, that's not acceptable.

AEDs might start showing up sooner or later, however I'm more concerned with oxygen on board than an AED since this is a dive boat and quickly getting oxygen is regarded as a huge factor in helping reduce the effects of DCS on a diver.

 

[danvolker]

If you go through Rescue, you know that CPR is unlikely to restore a heart beat.....the AED is the minimum tool required. However, As the AED is much better than just O2 and CPR training, having an ER Doc on the boat would be better still--so maybe, once all boats had AED's, the drive for "someone to blame" will then push for the ER Docs to be on a dive boat....

Instead of expecting a diveboat to be able to offer heroic lifesaving procedures, divers need to be trained well enough to know what they are not trained to do, and to AVOID things that are likely to be dangerous to them.

I do have an issue with a captain anchoring a dive boat when there is a significant current...to me, this is laziness, and contributory to many potential accidents.

 

[TMHeimer]

Emergency return to the boat signal?

Something I have been thinking about lately is how does the boat recall other divers if there is a serious issue early in the dive? I do not think I have ever had any procedure explained to me in the dive briefing.


Come to think of it, neither have I. As a newbie DM this is something I must be aware of and ask about. Odd that I've not seen this point mentioned on SB.

 

[miked]

Emergency return to the boat signal?

Something I have been thinking about lately is how does the boat recall other divers if there is a serious issue early in the dive? I do not think I have ever had any procedure explained to me in the dive briefing. I mean if everyone is diving in a big glob then all would be aware and immediately end the dive. However the normal situation is some of the more experienced divers, especially if familiar with the site, are off doing their own thing while most follow the divemaster. They are not in a singularly aware group so if the ... hits the fan with someone and the boat needs to rush someone to shore for medical treatment how do they recall the other divers? It doesn't need to be super high tech, I imagine a bar lowered into the water and whacked on or something but that only works if everyone knows the drill.

The recall signals that I have encountered were almost exactly that. The Crew would bang a weight on the ladder in a constant "firebell" like manner. They told us that if we heard that, we should surface /return to the boat asap.
As you said, it requires the info be given in the pre-dive or boat briefing.

 

[Darnold9999]

As a couple of people have already said. Don't misrepresent what I am going to get on your boat. If I know what I am getting I will make the decision if I want to take the risk.

Also don't BS me. If your compressor is broken, tell me, don't tell me we will be diving "soon" or if you can't pump Nitrox for everyone this trip just say so. What drives me crazy is someone trying to hide a problem with BS. Boats/hardware breaks, people screw up. Be honest, about the problem and what you are doing to make it right.

I have been on a full range of boats, from just barely floating to full on luxury liveaboard. As long as I know what I am getting into I will happily dive from anything as long as it meets my needs at the time. Would I go out into the open ocean on a boat barely floating - probably not but I would and have used such a boat to get me fully kitted from a dive lodge to a nearby dive site. If the boat sank the worst I would have to deal with is a long suface swim.

I have never looked at a boats certifications or papers. I have looked at its general look and feel. You can tell pretty quickly how safe a boat will be just by looking at it. Not at the cosmetics, but at how the running gear and safety equipment is is treated and looks. To me that is more important than any inspection paper. That only tells you what condition the boat was on that particular day (maybe) - not how well it has been maintained since then.

On a liveaboard I want:
a place to sleep that is relatively quiet, does not smell of fuel and is dry(ish)
power to charge all my toys
to get close to the dive sites
to get back to a port that is reasonably close to major transportation
breathable air - NITROX is a plus
a warmish shower - hot is better
food as fuel at a minimum, food as entertainment if I am paying for it (i.e. happy with basic food, like and will pay for better)
a place to interact with other divers
a place to get away from other divers
to dive by myself - not be partnered with another diver unless there is a good reason for it
to not have to bring a save a dive kit for non unique items
someone that knows the best dive sites for the current conditions on board the boat
someone that can describe the current dive site on the boat and does it for each site
to not have to set up gear for each dive
to not be left in the water
respect that as a certified diver I actually do know how to dive and don't need anyone to hold my hand - don't mind having to do a checkout dive, but hate follow the dive guide diving

 

[Darnold9999]

Emergency return to the boat signal?

Something I have been thinking about lately is how does the boat recall other divers if there is a serious issue early in the dive? I do not think I have ever had any procedure explained to me in the dive briefing.


Come to think of it, neither have I. As a newbie DM this is something I must be aware of and ask about. Odd that I've not seen this point mentioned on SB.

I have had it explained to me on only one liveaboard (Nekton) and it was used once on one dive. Their signal was somone pounding on the hull with something metal repeatedly. You could hear it for quite aways. The emergency was not a serious one, but they did need all divers out of the water for some reason and the signal did work. No other boat has had such a signal to my recollection.