What kind of boat are you diving from?
It doesn't get much better than discovering a new wreck... except when it is the boat you are diving from.
Photo used by permission, Cameron Donaldson
The question was raised about the kind of boat your favorite dive boat is, and who regulates that boat. In this issue we will tackle boats based in the US, including Puerto Rico, the USVI, and Guam. These are called US flagged boats.
To be a US flagged vessel, a number of conditions must be met. First, the vessel must have been built in the US, or have received a MARAD (Marine Administration) exemption to operate as a passenger vessel. I only know of one US flagged liveaboard built as a foreign vessel, and that is the Juliet operating out of Miami. There are a few dolphin watch boats in Key West that were built in Russia. US flagged vessels must have a crew of which 75% are US citizens. Of the remaining 25%, they must be legal to work in the US.
Inspected and Uninspected
There are 2 basic types of US flagged vessels, inspected and uninspected. The easiest to describe are uninspected vessels, or “6-Pack” boats. Coast guard inspectors hate the term 6-pack, so they call them UPV for Uninspected Passenger Vessels. UPV come in the 6 and 12 passenger variety. Vessels under 100 tons gross register may carry 6 passengers for hire, and vessels over 100 tons gross register may carry 12 passengers for hire. The Dolphin Dream out of West Palm Beach is an example of an uninspected 12 pack. Most small dive boats in the US are 6 pack UPVs. Uninspected doesn’t mean unsafe. There are still carriage requirements for radio, lifesaving apparatus, fire extinguishers, etc. The Coast Guard trusts the boat owner to comply with the rules, they do not inspect the vessel. Uninspected vessels get stopped a lot more by the Coast Guard for “courtesy inspections” than inspected vessels do. Especially uninspected vessels that sail to other countries.
Inspected vessels are the most regulated of dive boats. Most are regulated under Subchapter T of 46 CFR, and are known as T-Boats, or SPV for Small Passenger Vessels. These are les than 100 tons gross register. Register tonnage has nothing to do with the weight of a vessel, it has only to do with the internal volume of the vessel. And there are a thousand ways to cheat the tonnage tax. We aren’t here to discuss tonnage, as the only person who cares is the UPV who wants to carry 12 passengers. Anyway, the list of regulations includes different regulations for overnight, amount of bench space per passenger, and it goes up for divers, the number of passengers the vessel is allowed to carry, and it goes down for divers, what navigational equipment is required, and what route the boat is allowed to operate on. The evidence of a successful inspection is called the COI, or certificate of inspection. The Certificate must be carried at all times in the wheelhouse where it is available for all passengers to see.
A Ship is Only as Good as Its Captain
The captain’s license is also required to be in the wheelhouse, so if you think your captain is an imposter, you can always ask to see his/her license. Many other documents are required of an inspected vessel, including the Certificate of Documentation (Federal Vessel Registration), state registration (Florida requires this, Texas does not), Stability letter, telling the captain how to load his vessel for any sea state, emergency procedures for fire, flooding, and crossing hazardous bars, and life jacket donning instructions.
Inspected vessels are required to hold lifejacket drills and demonstrate how to put one on within 24 hours of boarding the vessel. The captain is required to hold a safety briefing prior to getting underway with, at minimum, the location of life jackets and life floats/buoyant apparatus/EPIRB. The COI tells you how many passengers are allowed on the boat, how many fire extinguishers are required, what type, and where they are mounted. The COI tells you minimum manning in the crew, and how many other crewmembers are allowed. The COI tells you what route the vessel is limited to. Most inspected vessels will have a near coastal (within 20 miles of land) or Oceans (anywhere in the world) or great lakes route. The route may be restricted to certain areas (Key West to Rollover Pass, not to exceed 20 miles from harbor of safe refuge; or Key West to the mouth of the Rio Grande River, not to exceed 100 miles from land). Operating conditions for cargo may be called out (Not authorized to carry cargo, or cargo limited to 6,000 lbs, not to block engine access hatches, or not authorized for explosive cargo). Basically, the COI tells the Captain what his allowances and restrictions are.
Having a COI means getting a safety inspection annually, and having a hull inspection every 2 years. Safety inspection is when the nice team of CG inspectors comes onboard and checks your flares, first aid kit, life jackets, horn, spare horn, bell, spare bell, EPIRB and a whole bunch of stuff. Google “T-Boat inspection” and you will get the actual inspection checklist the CG uses.
It doesn't get much better than discovering a new wreck... except when it is the boat you are diving from.
Photo used by permission, Cameron Donaldson
The question was raised about the kind of boat your favorite dive boat is, and who regulates that boat. In this issue we will tackle boats based in the US, including Puerto Rico, the USVI, and Guam. These are called US flagged boats.
To be a US flagged vessel, a number of conditions must be met. First, the vessel must have been built in the US, or have received a MARAD (Marine Administration) exemption to operate as a passenger vessel. I only know of one US flagged liveaboard built as a foreign vessel, and that is the Juliet operating out of Miami. There are a few dolphin watch boats in Key West that were built in Russia. US flagged vessels must have a crew of which 75% are US citizens. Of the remaining 25%, they must be legal to work in the US.
Inspected and Uninspected
There are 2 basic types of US flagged vessels, inspected and uninspected. The easiest to describe are uninspected vessels, or “6-Pack” boats. Coast guard inspectors hate the term 6-pack, so they call them UPV for Uninspected Passenger Vessels. UPV come in the 6 and 12 passenger variety. Vessels under 100 tons gross register may carry 6 passengers for hire, and vessels over 100 tons gross register may carry 12 passengers for hire. The Dolphin Dream out of West Palm Beach is an example of an uninspected 12 pack. Most small dive boats in the US are 6 pack UPVs. Uninspected doesn’t mean unsafe. There are still carriage requirements for radio, lifesaving apparatus, fire extinguishers, etc. The Coast Guard trusts the boat owner to comply with the rules, they do not inspect the vessel. Uninspected vessels get stopped a lot more by the Coast Guard for “courtesy inspections” than inspected vessels do. Especially uninspected vessels that sail to other countries.
Inspected vessels are the most regulated of dive boats. Most are regulated under Subchapter T of 46 CFR, and are known as T-Boats, or SPV for Small Passenger Vessels. These are les than 100 tons gross register. Register tonnage has nothing to do with the weight of a vessel, it has only to do with the internal volume of the vessel. And there are a thousand ways to cheat the tonnage tax. We aren’t here to discuss tonnage, as the only person who cares is the UPV who wants to carry 12 passengers. Anyway, the list of regulations includes different regulations for overnight, amount of bench space per passenger, and it goes up for divers, the number of passengers the vessel is allowed to carry, and it goes down for divers, what navigational equipment is required, and what route the boat is allowed to operate on. The evidence of a successful inspection is called the COI, or certificate of inspection. The Certificate must be carried at all times in the wheelhouse where it is available for all passengers to see.
A Ship is Only as Good as Its Captain
The captain’s license is also required to be in the wheelhouse, so if you think your captain is an imposter, you can always ask to see his/her license. Many other documents are required of an inspected vessel, including the Certificate of Documentation (Federal Vessel Registration), state registration (Florida requires this, Texas does not), Stability letter, telling the captain how to load his vessel for any sea state, emergency procedures for fire, flooding, and crossing hazardous bars, and life jacket donning instructions.
Inspected vessels are required to hold lifejacket drills and demonstrate how to put one on within 24 hours of boarding the vessel. The captain is required to hold a safety briefing prior to getting underway with, at minimum, the location of life jackets and life floats/buoyant apparatus/EPIRB. The COI tells you how many passengers are allowed on the boat, how many fire extinguishers are required, what type, and where they are mounted. The COI tells you minimum manning in the crew, and how many other crewmembers are allowed. The COI tells you what route the vessel is limited to. Most inspected vessels will have a near coastal (within 20 miles of land) or Oceans (anywhere in the world) or great lakes route. The route may be restricted to certain areas (Key West to Rollover Pass, not to exceed 20 miles from harbor of safe refuge; or Key West to the mouth of the Rio Grande River, not to exceed 100 miles from land). Operating conditions for cargo may be called out (Not authorized to carry cargo, or cargo limited to 6,000 lbs, not to block engine access hatches, or not authorized for explosive cargo). Basically, the COI tells the Captain what his allowances and restrictions are.
Having a COI means getting a safety inspection annually, and having a hull inspection every 2 years. Safety inspection is when the nice team of CG inspectors comes onboard and checks your flares, first aid kit, life jackets, horn, spare horn, bell, spare bell, EPIRB and a whole bunch of stuff. Google “T-Boat inspection” and you will get the actual inspection checklist the CG uses.
Formatting update, image added.
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