Boats Designed for Scuba Diving Offer Easy Entry from the Water

While technically speaking any craft that floats can be used to get you on the water for diving, but boats designed for scuba diving offer many extras not found on the typical pleasure craft. They should be large enough to carry not only the number of people going out for a dive, but also their bulky equipment. Depending on the circumstances and the purpose of the dive team, there may also be a need to have a decompression chamber on board, but for most recreational boats designed for scuba diving this will not be necessary.

Most of the boats designed for scuba diving will have large platforms available for people to fall into the water as well as ladders to make getting back onto the boat easier. When diver surface they may be tired or suffering from other issues from the dive and getting back on the boat needs to be as easy as possible.

Regardless of what may have been seen in movies, it is not easy to climb a ladder or lift yourself over the edge of a boat when weighed down with air tanks and other dive equipment. Many boats designed for scuba diving also will have places for the divers to remove wet or dry suits to help fight off the potential for hypothermia.

Comfort Facilities Are A Necessity

When out on the water, boats designed for scuba diving should also have bathroom facilities available. Not everyone is willing to jump overboard when nature calls and the availability of fresh water showers should be considered to rinse the saltwater off the divers’ bodies. They may also want to rinse of their dive suits before packing them up for the ride back to the shore.

Cooking facilities are optional on many boats designed for scuba diving and their availability will hinge on the length of the trip. Although remaining hydrated is an important part of diving, especially in hot weather and a cooler for storing water is almost always present. Alcoholic beverages are never recommended when on a scuba diving trip.

The boats designed for scuba diving should be large enough to be on the water in which the diving is taking place. For trips into the ocean, about the smallest recommended boat is 40-feet and it should be equipped with emergency communications capabilities. For use on smaller bodies of water, the boat should be large enough to accommodate the divers and their equipment and enough emergency supplies to take care of any accidents.