Scuba Diving from a yacht?

[jonjo]

I am not sure I would want to store the cylinders on deck for any time for all sorts of reasons.

In the recent thread about Amel yachts there was a youtube link to the yacht Delors and their circumnavigation. The video provides a detailed tour of the yacht fittings including dive equipment and the compressor, their bottles are mounted on the aft deck and this is a 50 footer. I know zero about diving but the youtube video confirms the point about needing an onboard compressor away from the usual yachtie fleshpot locations.

The OP should watch those youtube video if only to provide more inspiration for the circumnavigation.

 

[duncan99210]

We have our gear on board and stow it all in a locker in the saloon, midships just off to one side. It helps balance out the stuff in the aft cabins, especially the port one, better known as the shed.
Filling tanks is easy in most places where there is anything worth diving on. However, test requirements are bewildering in the differences between one country and the next. For example, we've been refused a refill at one place in Greece because our tanks were stamped with the date of testing, not the date the test expires..... Go figure and be prepared to spend time getting to talk to the boss of a place rather than the tank monkey.
Local rules on diving are also worth keeping an eye on. Some places prohibit diving without local guides, others have areas where you can dive provided you have proof of certification yet others require medical certificates. It may be worth getting medical certificates before you set out from UK to short circuit that one.
Spear fishing. In much of the Med, spear fishing using scuba gear is forbidden, to the extent that in some places having a spear gun on board a boat with scuba gear is an offence. I've not heard of or met anyone who's been done for the offence but why take the risk?
If you're planing on using your dinghy to dive from, make sure it's big enough! We can't dive from our little one!
Enjoy.

 

[alexsailor]

I am trying to find a www page with all the regulations explained regarding scuba diving in Greece.
Does anybody know if it is allowed to dive on your own (two divers: me and my girlfriend) or does it has to be within the organization of a dive centre?

 

[cliff]

The swim ladder was sufficient to climb aboard once the gear had been hooked on.

So long as someone remembered to lower it!

 

[Frankie-H]

We plan on circumnavigating in the next 24 months and plan also on taking our scuba gear with us. Does anyone else dive from their boat and have any nifty little tips. I was thinking of places to safely and securely mount the tanks on deck and then also pulley systems from the boom to hoist gear in and out of the water into the cockpit.

Boat is a 43ft sloop.Any other cool ideas or experience?

Tim

Well that pretty much covers diving from a boat. I just have 2 points which you might find interesting.

I had 2 x 15 ltr bottles. 1 x 12 ltr bottle and 1 x 5 ltr pony bottle. The 5 ltr was far and away the most useful, since most of my diving was on props, skin fittings, annodes, strainers etc. I just stitched up a very simple harness and used a single plastic buddy valve. I could throw the whole lot on in less than 5 minutes and jump over the side.

I had an umbilical hose made up and I could refill my little bottle from one of the big ones. If I wanted to do any more serious diving, I either used the other 15 ltr or the 12 ltr.

Very sadly no more but I do miss it. Enjoy.

 

[alexsailor]

I am trying to find a www page with all the regulations explained regarding scuba diving in Greece.
Does anybody know if it is allowed to dive on your own (two divers: me and my girlfriend) or does it has to be within the organization of a dive centre?

So no usefull links?

 

[duncan99210]

If you do a Google search on Greek Diving Regulations you'll find a number of sites. The tourist ministry has put out a summary of the rules as below:
Underwater activities with breathing apparatuses are allowed from dawn to sunset.
The use of special equipment for the search and localization of antiquities as well as the existence of such equipment on the boats (yachts, sailing boats etc.) is strictly forbidden.
The lifting or removal or photographing of antiquities is forbidden. Any discovery of antiquities should be immediately reported to the local Archaeological Service or Port Authority or Police Authority.
The underwater fishing with breathing apparatuses is forbidden.
The establishing and function of diving schools are subjected to special licenses issued by the Ministry of Culture as well as by other Authorities.
No scientific or professional work at the bottom of the sea is to be carried out without the previous consent of the Ministry of Culture or the competent Authorities.
All divers should conform to the above restrictions and respect the provisions of the Law 5351/32 on antiquities.

That said, many anchorages are not up to much for diving, as the muddy bottom that your anchor digs into is not the best stuff to dive over...... For the most part, we dive with dive centres for this reason.

 

[Ric]

I have a Coltri on my 31 ft boat, mounted in a locker in the forepeak. I have 15l and 2 x 12l tanks strapped to racks next to the compressor, so I can fill them while they are strapped in situ.

I also have a 6l bottle on a backpack harness (no BCD) which I can put on very quickly if I need to clear the prop or anchor etc, which is stored in a cockpit locker. I have a decanting hose and can refill the 6l bottle a couple of times from the 15l bottle if I can't get shore power to fire up the Coltri.

There is not much room to get kitted up in most sailing boat cockpits, so I have my kit organised so I can kit up as much as possible in the water. I have a good quality BCD (Aqualung Axiom i3) which is very easy to don and adjust in the water, has integrated weight (so no separate weight belt), a mount for a knife, pocket for snorkel, etc meaning that I can strap it to the tank, chuck it overboard (obviously with a safety line!) and then dive in after it and get kitted up in the water.

I leave a line about 10m with large carabina hanging from the stern so after a dive I take off the BCD, attach it to a line, then get back on the boat and then haul the BCD and tank back up.

I would not want to have tanks mounted on deck - would be very damaging and scary if they came loose and anything strapped on deck eventually does come loose.

I have a good permanently mounted kedge anchor as often dive sites are pinnacles or small islands with steeply sloping shores which are hard to anchor to with only a bower.

I have a huge Alpha flag which I fly prominently from the foredeck when approaching dive sites as dive-boats can get very aggressive towards sailing boats coming to close to them. If they can see that you are coming to dive too, they are sometimes a bit less selfish.