Dive Boats

Dive Boats, Your Guide to the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

John Francis

Larger boats may also have:
Large, organized gear stations. You should be able to keep all your dive gear in one place, where you will put it on. Since you'll never have as much space as you'd like, good organization of the space is important: a vertical mount for the tank that allows you to rig your BC on it; a bench to sit on; storage space under the bench that's designed to keep your bag from sliding out when the boat rolls.

Sit-down tank donning. The bench should allow you to sit against the tank, put your arms in the BC and stand up, thus minimizing the strain to your back and the chance of falling while wrestling with the tank.

Dive platform below water. Returning to the boat is much easier when the platform is just below water level. It should have hand-holds, and ladders should be wide and sturdy.

Multiple exit doors. Exits should be separate from the re-entry point so a diver who needs to reboard the boat to make an adjustment can do so quickly.

Freshwater rinse tanks. Separate tanks for cameras and for masks.

Camera assembly table. There should be a designated area for handling delicate equipment like cameras.

Spear tub. If spearfishing is practiced, all spears should be stored together, away from divers and other gear.

Dry storage area. There should be someplace where your clothes and wallet can stay dry.

Healthy, varied food. Your energy consumption will be high and food is a necessity. But too many dive boats still think cheeseburgers and chili are fuel. Instead, you need carbohydrates: fruits, vegetables and breads. It's a part of your essential diving equipment, and you should be allowed to bring your own.

Extra crew. There should be enough crew to help each diver out of the water and, if necessary, across the deck to the diver's gear station. Sometimes that last 10 feet of deck is the most dangerous part of the dive. 

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