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Liveaboard Catches Fire Off Egyptian Coast
Details on how the crew made things worse at Divers Lose Everything in Liveaboard Fire
Liveaboard burns - Egypt
- Thread starter DandyDon
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Liveaboard Catches Fire Off Egyptian Coast
Details on how the crew made things worse at Divers Lose Everything in Liveaboard Fire
tilikum
Banned
Does the boat carry any liability for lost property, or is all that waived in the contract of carriage?
OP
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scubafanatic
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...not yet another 'Siren' fleet boat I hope.
Since this post is in the A&I forum I don't think discussions of alleged or implied insurance fraud and/or negligence on behalf of the crew is what we need to be discussing:
I would like to propose the following question:
If you are on a (liveaboard) boat that catches fire and/or is sinking, what would you do? What safety measures can you take that would allow you to keep your person and your property as safe as possible? What kinds of "tips and tricks" do experienced liveaboard guests have for those of us with less experience?
R..
I would like to propose the following question:
If you are on a (liveaboard) boat that catches fire and/or is sinking, what would you do? What safety measures can you take that would allow you to keep your person and your property as safe as possible? What kinds of "tips and tricks" do experienced liveaboard guests have for those of us with less experience?
R..
scubafanatic
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When planning trips, utilize your resources (Scubaboard and subscribing to Undercurrent.org are examples) to avoid booking on boats/fleets with reputational issues.
NEVER be a beta-tester on new boats/itineraries, let other divers 'take one for the team' on those. --- BTW, thanks to all those folks who have ignored this recommendation and provided their fellow divers (like ME) the valuable trip reports/data points to help me save MY expensive vacations at least!
Professional boats (like Spree/Fling of Texas Flower Gardens fame) will conduct safety drills and have everyone grab/don life jackets on the top deck in a group safety drill.
If it hits the fan, a small bug-out-bag, pre prepped, can be handy. Ideally, you'll have things like wallet/passport/tickets in it too, but sometimes the boat may take into 'custody' passports/C-cards into the ship's safe so you may not have this option in all cases.
I sleep with a dive light in my bunk, so if all electrical power fails at night, I have a chance of finding my way out of the boat under total blackout conditions.
Be ready to go for your basic scuba gear (mask/snorkel/fins) in the event it's 'abandon ship'. I have crush proof/extreme depth rated dive cannister with emergency beacon/$ inside, on the dive deck mounted on my BC/wing so can issue distress/rescue signal if needed.
Maintain situational awareness, pay attention to the layout/orientation of the boat, know where exits/doors/passageways are.
NEVER be a beta-tester on new boats/itineraries, let other divers 'take one for the team' on those. --- BTW, thanks to all those folks who have ignored this recommendation and provided their fellow divers (like ME) the valuable trip reports/data points to help me save MY expensive vacations at least!
Professional boats (like Spree/Fling of Texas Flower Gardens fame) will conduct safety drills and have everyone grab/don life jackets on the top deck in a group safety drill.
If it hits the fan, a small bug-out-bag, pre prepped, can be handy. Ideally, you'll have things like wallet/passport/tickets in it too, but sometimes the boat may take into 'custody' passports/C-cards into the ship's safe so you may not have this option in all cases.
I sleep with a dive light in my bunk, so if all electrical power fails at night, I have a chance of finding my way out of the boat under total blackout conditions.
Be ready to go for your basic scuba gear (mask/snorkel/fins) in the event it's 'abandon ship'. I have crush proof/extreme depth rated dive cannister with emergency beacon/$ inside, on the dive deck mounted on my BC/wing so can issue distress/rescue signal if needed.
Maintain situational awareness, pay attention to the layout/orientation of the boat, know where exits/doors/passageways are.
Last edited:
OP
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All good ideas there scubafanatic. I wouldn't skip any of those.
I am not into liveaboards, but boat fires are scary. It's not like you can hope the firemen will get there in time to rescue you if you get trapped in a cabin, or go next door if you do get out. Ask to see the fire extinguishers when you board. Know how many, where, well charged, and type.
And unlike the idiots on this boat, never use water on a grease fire - anywhere. On a boat or at home, cover the pan with a lid or a wet towel. I keep at least a pound of baking soda in an easy open can handy in my kitchen and by every campfire.
I am not into liveaboards, but boat fires are scary. It's not like you can hope the firemen will get there in time to rescue you if you get trapped in a cabin, or go next door if you do get out. Ask to see the fire extinguishers when you board. Know how many, where, well charged, and type.
And unlike the idiots on this boat, never use water on a grease fire - anywhere. On a boat or at home, cover the pan with a lid or a wet towel. I keep at least a pound of baking soda in an easy open can handy in my kitchen and by every campfire.
OP
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I have a few around the house, but they're all out of date. They show fully charged, but who knows if they'd work? I'd try one, maybe bump it solidly before trying to loosen up the baking soda inside, and hope. If that fails, the can of baking soda next.I literally have an ABC fire extinguisher in my kitchen. (which, by the way, is no indication of my skill as a cook xD)
Most people won't bother keeping a fire extinguisher, much less replacing it when out of date, but anyone can keep a dollar's worth of baking soda in an easy to open container. Better than nothing.
The article said the boat had only one fire extinguisher, that used water - and they used it, making the fire spread. There are youtube videos of such attempts - horrible!
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