The Tragedy of the Liveaboard Industry

"22 Liveaboard losses" (Undercurrent, 1 June 2024).

"16 Accidents in the Red Sea since 2020" (UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch Safety Bulletin 1/2025).

These numbers tell divers that they may be risking their lives as guests on many liveaboard dive boats, as the plethora of accidents indicates. We divers love liveaboard diving because it makes diving easy, and the boats take us to otherwise inaccessible locations. A liveaboard provides an intense "eat-sleep-dive" experience that a resort cannot duplicate. But while we're onboard, we trust the operator and crew to protect our well-being and our lives.

Table 1 presents a list of 41 dive boat losses since 2000. The Red Sea is clearly where most losses have occurred, but incidents have been reported at many popular dive destinations. The safety issues listed in the UK Safety Bulletin 1/2025 were:

• • The dive boats involved were poorly constructed and often substantially modified or extended, which resulted in some vessels exhibiting inadequate stability.

• • Essential lifesaving equipment was defective, out-of- date for service, and in some cases, missing.

• • The rapid spread of fire is indicative of poor structural fire protection, and items of essential safety equipment, such as fire detection systems and fire extinguishers, were either missing or defective.

• • Emergency escape routes were via lockable doors, had no emergency lighting, and were unmarked.

• • Safety briefings to passengers were of a poor standard or not conducted, and crews appeared poorly trained and unfamiliar with their vessels.

These are serious safety issues that the liveaboard owners and captains must address.

These data reflect a substantial risk to the lives of the divers and crew on liveaboard vessels. The owners and operators have a duty to their customers to ensure a safe excursion. While divers should prepare for an emergency, they should be able to sleep at night knowing that the crew is alert and following procedures to recognize, minimize, and control unsafe events. Operators must have alternative options for bad weather. They must maintain an overnight fire and anchor watch.

The diving industry, including the vessel owners, operators, and captains, must adopt a robust safety culture like the airlines. The training agencies, the equipment manufacturers and their trade association (Diving Equipment Manufacturers Association -- DEMA), and the national authorities must participate in improving and implementing the safety culture. That culture must be built around recognized international standards, including "Safety of Life at Sea" (SOLAS), the American Bureau of Shipping, and the International Maritime Organization.

The global diving tourism industry was valued at $3.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $16.9 billion by 2032 (www.travelandtourworld.com; 19 February 2025), growing at an impressive 15.9% compounded annual rate during this period. This growth will be threatened as divers recognize the risk to their lives from the vessels they choose to patronize.

Safety must be the top priority, and the owners and operators must have plans in place for foreseeable unsafe conditions. Guests must be fully informed of these plans and accept that conditions may prevent a particular itinerary from being followed. Safety procedures must be explained and practiced at the start of every trip -- just like the pre-flight safety briefing on commercial aviation flights. Failure to adopt a robust safety culture will ultimately cost the industry through loss of customers and litigation.

The UK Safety Bulletin 1/2025 included a specific recommendation to passengers:

"Prospective customers are advised only to book liveaboard dive holidays through reputable vendors who can provide assurance about the safety standards applicable to the dive boat. On arrival onboard, customers should request that the crew provide a thorough safety briefing before departure."

Note: evaluating the vendor can be difficult. Use resources such as Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org) or call the vendor and question their underway safety protocols.

For guests, I add the following:

• Place your passport and ID information in a "grab bag" and locate the bag in your cabin, where you can grab it as you evacuate in an emergency.

  Note: If the vessel insists on holding your passport, place a photocopy of the identity page in your grab bag.

• Bring and install in your cabin a tested and functional smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide detector.

• Plan your battery charging setup to avoid daisy-chain connections of chargers and ensure that all electrical equipment is damage-free and fully functional by at-home, pre-trip testing.

• Review safety procedures before going to sleep every night.

These are simple actions to prepare for an emergency. I urge divers to demand that their safety is the captain's priority and act to ensure safety protocols are followed.

Dive safely. Travel safely. Keep your bubbles tiny and the current behind your fins.

-- Neal Langerman, Ph.D.

The author has made about 200 liveaboard trips, the majority with Truth Aquatics, out of Santa Barbara, California. He owned a Logan, Utah, dive shop for 10 years and is a recognized chemical and industrial safety expert with extensive experience in incident prevention. (https://tinyurl.com/mr4cdsx8) (https://neal213b.myportfolio.com/)