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New for 2006! Scuba-Zone are operating a dive-boat, to make UK diving more accessible and flexible. A Ribcraft 6.5 metre RIB, powered by a Mercury 200 horsepower outboard. Safe, stable, maneuvrable boat, as used by the Metropolitan Police Special Operations and the new Portishead Lifeboat. With 200hp she's also fast! On a trailer so we can hit most areas of the coast from London for the day or weekend. The boat is specifically rigged for diving, with the console as forward as possible to leave the largest possible area of deck. A double "A" frame at the stern has an integrated tank rack, for safety and again to avoid cluttering the deck. A sump and automatic electronic bilge mean that the non-slip deck is one of the dryest. Map integrated GPS and depth finder mean are fitted to ease wreck finding (and to know where we are!). |
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We are taking the hard route, (but we believe the correct route), to operating this boat. We believe that in many cases "club" operation of dive boats is taking the easier and cheaper option, not requiring Maritime and coastguard agency (MCA) certifiction or the safety considerations that entails. We are going for full commercial MCA coding. The boat has already passed the relevant buoyancy, stability and approved build standard tests. The CE category approves the boat for 12 passengers in winds up to force 8, and waves up to 4 metres. We don't intend to expose her or you to such conditions, but it is nice to know that she could take rough seas if necessary. We will shortly go through MCA inspection, and already carry the full safety inventory. Of course commercial operation also means commercial insurance, rather than pleasure boat insurance. Safety equipment on board includes a console mounted VHF radio and a back up portable waterproof VHF radio (our skippers obviously hold radio operater licences), a (buoyant) Electronic position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) which can transmit an international distress/homing signal, approved flares packs, compressed air signalling horn, full dry first aid kit, etc. We also carry 12.5 litres of oxygen (usual oxygen cylinders are 2.5 litres, so five times the norm) on board, important if you are a long way offshore or far from the nearest chamber. Our skippers and crew all hold appropriate boat handling competence certificates, commercial endorsements, etc., and are EFR/O2 provider trained. Additionally we have an auxiliary motor (with redundant fuel supply) to get us home in the case of emergency.
Diving from a fully coded boat is no less fun than diving from a club boat, and it need not be significantly more expensive. We believe that the additional effort it takes us is justified by the peace of mind that professional operation, standards and certfication bring you. We just don't like cutting corners. Until our MCA coding is completed we will be using the boat purely for our own pleasure diving, initially around the East Anglian coast which is rich in wrecks, looking to find interesting and less known dive sites. We hope you'll enjoy diving with us when we are fully operational, and until then if you want to join us for a casual wreck seeking weekend, (and are appropriately certified and we are familiar with your diving), please just ask. Happy diving with Scuba-Zone now means happy boating too! |
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