Liveaboards vs day trip boats safety differences

[scubadada]

Boltsnap, are you referring to the Sea Legend, or another vessel? Reports indicate that there was no loss of life in the Sea Legend fire, but the articles are vague as to when it happened. Sinking Of Sea Legend In The Red Sea, All Aboard Rescued Safely? - DIVERS24.COM

Is this the boat that replaced the Scuba Scene that burned and sank in 2022?

 

[scubadada]

This makes perfect sense.

SOLAS vessels require a crewmember to be a Medical Person in Charge. That position (Mel was mine) is equivalent of an EMT-Basic, although the class is tailored to being shipboard where you don't necessarily have a doctor available 24/7.

SOLAS vessels are required to have duplicate means of satellite communication 24/7

SOLAS vessels are required to have a system to keep the watchstander awake. And watchstanders are not night rovers, they are moving the ship from one place to another.

SOLAS vessels have a second watchstander awake.

SOLAS vessels are required to follow the ISM. This means a person ashore who is not drunk, not on vacation, and has the authority to spend the company's money if necessary.

As stated earlier, Nautilus Explorer is the only SOLAS liveaboard I've ever heard of.

I went to the Revillagigedos on the Nautilus Explorer in May 2019, just 3 months before the Conception and 5 months before the Red Sea Aggressor I disasters. I was very impressed by the safety features and wrote about them in my review.

Trip Report - Revillagigedos on the Nautilus Explorer, May 24-June 1, 2019

From May 24 through June 1, 2019, I traveled on the Nautilus Explorer to the Revillagigedos. RESERVATIONS: I made my reservations on the Explorer directly through the Nautilus website. It is very easy to check availability and to reserve your cabin. Flight reservations were made directly with...

scubaboard.com

I am going back to the Revillagigedos on the Explorer this June.

 

[scubajasonr]

Boltsnap, are you referring to the Sea Legend, or another vessel? Reports indicate that there was no loss of life in the Sea Legend fire, but the articles are vague as to when it happened. Sinking Of Sea Legend In The Red Sea, All Aboard Rescued Safely? - DIVERS24.COM

Sadly it does seem that a German diver died due to the fire. There is a report here:
Scampati all’incendio della nave e vivi per miracolo: la vacanza da incubo di due salentini in Egitto Needs to be translated from Italian.

And yes it did temporally replace Scuba Scene in 2022. I was on the boat in October 2022 and by then Scuba Scene weren't using Sea Legend - I never really found out why but having spent a week on Sea Legend I could see why it wouldn't meet the standards Elke at Scuba Scene would expect.

 

[BoltSnap]

Boltsnap, are you referring to the Sea Legend, or another vessel? Reports indicate that there was no loss of life in the Sea Legend fire, but the articles are vague as to when it happened. Sinking Of Sea Legend In The Red Sea, All Aboard Rescued Safely? - DIVERS24.COM

I am reaching out to my Egyptian friends to verify. The article does mention that there maybe one diver is missing.

 

[DreadnoughtNH]

The author's premise appears to be that LoB operations need to be better regulated, and all I can say is be very careful what you wish for.

"Vessel operators and authorities in regions with less stringent regulations should consider adopting practices that align with SOLAS principles to enhance safety in maritime operations. Most if not all existing vessels that do not comply with SOLAS cannot be retrofitted to comply with SOLAS due to substantial differences in construction requirements."

Based on my conversations with LoB and dive boat crews, captains, and families is that these businesses dwell in the margins. To comply with SOLAS requirements -- however well intentioned -- would require significant investment in -- or replacement of -- their vessels and the training of their crew. Those heavy costs would need to be passed onto the customer, and in my observation, most divers are REALLY cheap. Is it wrong to ask for safer vessels and LoB experiences? Of course not. But is the LoB dive community 1) willing to foot the bill, and 2) willing to let those businesses that cannot compete die off?

"However, an intermediate level of comprehensive safety standards that can be attained by such vessels would be a big step in the right direction."

I'm very confused as to what "intermediate level" even means. The author makes the case that LoBs are dangerous, and that the solution re: safety is to adopt best practices (read: invest heavily) and to find some haphazard middle ground for those that cannot. If the middle ground becomes a standard, is the safety of LoB customers any better than it was before?

 

[Wookie]

I think it’s important not to go down the rabbit hole of picking either the thesis or the research apart. This is an undergrad project, without funding, using research available to the author from the internet, with or without intimate knowledge of either liveaboard operations or commercial shipping.

The dude came up with a thesis, developed a thesis statement, wrote 50 or so pages, and probably successfully defended it to his major professor who likely doesn’t know anything about either diving liveaboards or commercial shipping either. It wasn’t funded nor did he spend 4 years working on it. Cut the dude a little slack.

It’s an interesting read, and only draws attention to the fact that liveaboard operators on the whole are loath to share their passenger misfortunes.

 

[rjack321]

I think it’s important not to go down the rabbit hole of picking either the thesis or the research apart. This is an undergrad project, without funding, using research available to the author from the internet, with or without intimate knowledge of either liveaboard operations or commercial shipping.

The dude came up with a thesis, developed a thesis statement, wrote 50 or so pages, and probably successfully defended it to his major professor who likely doesn’t know anything about either diving liveaboards or commercial shipping either. It wasn’t funded nor did he spend 4 years working on it. Cut the dude a little slack.

It’s an interesting read, and only draws attention to the fact that liveaboard operators on the whole are loath to share their passenger misfortunes.

People gripe and moan about the complete lack of accident analysis in diving. Some unfunded student makes an effort at accident analysis and now everyone moans its inadequate. Ya can't win with this crowd

 

[BoltSnap]

I am reaching out to my Egyptian friends to verify. The article does mention that there maybe one diver is missing.

Confirmed, one female diver is still missing.

 

[BRT]

It's fun to quote this, but it is not true. Not even close Look it up.

True, more like 150 annually from coconuts.

 

[scubadada]

As a diver, you have the opportunity to review the safety features and safety philosophy of the liveaboard you are thinking of using. Much of the information is available online, if it is not, that may raise a red flag. If you have questions, you can contact the operator. A prompt response would be expected, if not, perhaps another red flag. You're not going to get a SOLAS certified vessel short of the Nautilus Explorer. Once on board, you can make sure of the safety features and make sure you try out the emergency exits.

I'm quite sure operators do not make, or, instead, attempt to suppress, their accident data for fear of the effect on future tourism. My own attempt at listing the Red Sea accidents made that quite clear. It is a shame there is no required database for this information.

Unfortunately, my observation is that many divers are more interested in the price they pay rather than safety. You get what you pay for. If divers demanded a higher level of safety, perhaps it would exist. The fact that most accidents occur in the Red Sea and SE Asia is no surprise. Many divers are cheapskates, perhaps they get what they might expect.

The record for the Red Sea in 2023 is dismal.