Dive Boat Unattended By Dive Op With Divers Below - Safe Practice?

[Doby45]

DAN safety recommendation:

"Check out and check in. Prior to entering the water, make sure you notify someone and check in with them when you return. If you are on a private boat, make sure someone knowledgeable of boat procedures and dive safety stays topside to tend to the boat."

From the sound of the original story this was done..

 

[Firehole Pirate]

It seems to be a violation of the rule of Common Sense. It also lets you know that they are not prepared to act in the case of an emergency arising. Scary.

 

[Scared Silly]

Local maritime authorities may impose and enforce requirements for attended commercial boats that fall under their jurisdiction. A couple of years ago a dive op in Grand Cayman got a fine and some bad press for having divers in the water without a lookout on the book, see the link below.

The article quotes Cayman Port Authority law as stating: “At least one person shall remain on board and act as a lookout on any dive boat or other vessel whilst divers therefrom are down.”

Dive operator fined for safety breach | Cayman Compass

This. USCG regulations require that one person remain on board at all times. Other maritime jurisdictions may have or may not similar rules.

Regarding whether the practice of having the boat unattended is safe depends on location and conditions.

 

[Rred]

"This. USCG regulations require that one person remain on board at all times."
What regulation requires that of an ANCHORED vessel, or one that is similarly berthed or secured from service? And more specifically, there are burdens for keeping watch if the vessel is an certain designated anchorages--but this case does not appear to involve that either.

The OP's question was of requirements, not about the personal judgment and value scale of relative safety practices.

 

[Wookie]

"This. USCG regulations require that one person remain on board at all times."
What regulation requires that of an ANCHORED vessel, or one that is similarly berthed or secured from service? And more specifically, there are burdens for keeping watch if the vessel is an certain designated anchorages--but this case does not appear to involve that either.

The OP's question was of requirements, not about the personal judgment and value scale of relative safety practices.

This is why the CG gave a bunch of talk about regulating dive boats. It hasn't come about yet. I would say that a dive boat with divers in the water is not at all berthed or secured from service, but is in exactly the service it is designated.

I'm not arguing that there is a requirement, I've asked (now) numerous CG personnel, including inspectors and investigators, and none can give me a requirement to keep a operator on a boat while divers are in the water. All agree that it's a bad idea. None can give me a regulation not to do it.

 

[matts1w]

Maybe I missed it in the thread, but how far from the boat was the captain? Five feet? Five hundred meters?

I might argue that if they were just putzing around the boat than that is far less dangerous than the live boat drifts we do off the East Coast of Florida. If you have ever done such during lobster season you know groups often surface all over the place hundreds and hundreds of meters from the boat. Heck, I have surfaced with a stringer of fish and it feels like the boat is miles away.

 

[Rred]

I think the USCG prefers to stay out of personal disagreements.

For instance, those Florida drift dives really have no alternative to someone driving the dive boat while divers are in the water. But in the NE, after one operator ran over an instructor who was under the boat (serious injuries) there was extensive discussion that "the" engine key should go down with the divers/divemaster and literally only an "in emergency break glass" key be kept on the boat.

So which is right? Spin the prop while divers may be under the boat? Or let them drift away? (Or just put a cage on the prop, the way NE lobstermen often do.)

Sometimes you have to remember: You are your own divemaster. You need to think about these things, and if there's any question, speak up. Ask the captain what they do on the boat. If you don't like it and they don't want to accommodate you? Take another boat.

Ask the USCG how many "Gee, did we lose some divers?" they recover, or someone recovers, in Florida all the time. Flags, markers, whatever.

No regulations needed.

 

[nolatom]

In a practical sense, the Coast Guard isn't going to make inquiries unless there's a complaint, or a casualty. Then, the question will be "was it negligent for the licensed captain to be away from the boat when (whatever bad thing it was) happened, and no one was there to prevent or fix it?"

The answer will likely be "well, uh, yes". Proof of the pudding.... there need not necessarily be a regulation on point for an awol or even awl captain, to be negligent in such a turn of events

I say this as one who, long ago in a galaxy far away, was a Coast Guard investigating officer for a little while. Going against mariners' licences was not pleasant, but was part of our job we could not avoid when circumstances warranted it.