Hot take: I stopped using a dive tender for shallow harbor work

Three years ago, I ran a 40-foot hull cleaning job in San Diego without a tender on standby and honestly, it went smoother than any of my tended dives. I know the OSHA folks would hate it, but for 15-foot vis and zero current, that extra guy just stands around burning deck time. Has anyone else dumped the tender on benign jobs and dealt with the backlash, or am I the only one who thinks the rule is overkill?

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lilyfisher18d ago

Dumped mine on a 25 footer in Tampa Bay last month, same deal, flat calm, clear water, no boats around for miles. The tender sat on the dock scrolling his phone and I finished the whole hull in half the time without him hovering. Honestly the only risk I ever see is if something stupid happens like a line wrap, but that can happen with a tender too. I think the rule was written for offshore guys in current, not for us poking around in a harbor on a Tuesday morning. Youre not the only one who thinks it's overkill, most tenders are just paying deck crew who'd rather be doing literally anything else.