Surviving a Liveaboard Emergency

Unlike overnighting in a hotel, when you wake up in the morning on a liveaboard dive boat, you won't be where you were when you fell asleep. Even a securely anchored boat may have changed position significantly due to tidal flow, rough seas, or high winds.

Add to that the risk of fire (very frightening since there is no escape) or that liveaboards commonly anchor or moor near hazards such as rocks or reefs (where every marine chart warns mariners to stay well clear), and it's not surprising that accidents happen, and mainly after dark.

When boarding a liveaboard, one might be impressed by the level of luxury, the thickness of the carpets, and the size of the cabins, but it is the soundness of the hull and the quality of the mechanicals that will keep you safe, as long as you're in the hands of a competent crew. But, while you ogle your surroundings, memorize where the exits are.

Some always book a cabin above decks, believing it will be safer in an emergency, although these are more subject to the movement than those below, so they may not suit those who suffer mal de mer.

So what to do if the worst happens? We doubt you'll be sleeping in your wetsuit or wearing your BC, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Travel with both a portable smoke detector and CO detector. Keep a fully charged flashlight by your bed. Even sleep with your cabin door open since a strange sound or someone shouting will wake you.

If you must rush from your cabin, it's essential to put on your life jacket. You don't want to waste time trying to rustle up your personal stuff, so keep your travel documents, passport, wallet, money, and charged mobile phone in a dry bag. Add some basic clothing if the bag is large enough. Grab the bag and run.

Thankfully, we rarely hear of any loss of life during the many emergencies at sea that get reported in Undercurrent every year.

But in the aftermath of a forced evacuation, it's the problems with missing passports, flight tickets, and lack of dry clothes and money that those grateful to be alive complain about.

- John Bantin