What Every Liveaboard Needs for Their Aging Clientele

How about a hydraulic diver lift, such as that used on the Loyal Watcher dive boat in the U.K.? Simply stand on the platform, which is a few feet below the surface, grab the rails, and it lifts you out of the water and up to the deck.

Undercurrent contributor John Bantin, a British diver, says, “Many dive boats in the U.K. now have hydraulic lifts because divers in Britain habitually use drysuits with thick undersuits (extra lead required) and multiple tanks or rebreathers, with twin tanks as bail-out rigs. That’s a lot of weight to haul up a ladder.”

When asked whether such a device would make sense for Southern California divers, Ken Kurtis of Reef Seekers said, “With all the testosterone we still have on most local boats, if anyone put one of these diver-elevators in, it would be quickly be dubbed ‘The Emasculator.’” But for the rest of us with creaky knees and bad backs, it’s a capital idea. Have a look at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3113oxz0RE