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Sundiver
When you lay down cash on the counter in a dive boat’s galley, only part of your money is going to pay for fuel, crew wages and upkeep of the vessel. A good deal of what you are paying for is the captain’s expertise and experience.
Running a successful dive boat demands, among other things, expert navigational skills, an ability to predict currents and dive conditions, and a vast mental database of dive sites in order to put divers in the best spot on any given day.
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Sundiver owner/operator Ray Arntz
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“You have to be fairly obsessive-compulsive,” says Ray Arntz, owner and operator of the Sundiver. “You have to be dedicated to diving, but there’s a lot more to it than simply getting in the water.”
An avid freediver, hunter and wreck diver who’s made more than 5,000 dives since resuming diving in the mid 1980s, Arntz fits the obsessive-compulsive profile. And with 20 years of experience plying the Channel Islands (formerly crewing on a Dept. of Fish and Game boat and skippering the dive boat Mr. C) and 7,700 waypoints in his closely guarded GPS database, this skipper has a knack for finding interesting sites with the best possible conditions.
Arntz bought the 54-foot Sundiver last June as his “retirement job,” but there hasn’t been much time for rest and relaxation. Since taking over the Sundiver in June, Arntz has spent most of his time overhauling the vessel— installing a pair of rebuilt engines that have upped the cruising speed, upgrading the bridge electronics, refitting the galley and refurbishing the 22-berth bunk room. The dive deck has seen improvements, too. Arntz expanded the deck space to about 225 square feet, added longer whips that allow tanks to be filled in the racks that rim the deck, and cleaned, tested and repainted the tanks that are provided to passengers who need them.
“And we have also got a new crew and a new attitude,” Arntz quips.
Plans for the future include painting the hull, reupholstering the benches in the galley and installing a better entertainment sound system. “Keeping a dive boat in shape is just an ongoing process,” Arntz says.
But the work hasn’t prevented Arntz from running the boat most weekends since he took over. He is planning an expanded schedule this year, with trips to Catalina on the weekends and excursions to the outer islands on weekdays.
Although the dive boat is licensed to carry 42, single-day trips are limited to 26 divers to keep things comfortable and the load for multi-day trips is reduced further to ensure that everyone has a bunk. There is a head in the bunkroom and another (with a hot shower) on the deck, which divers can access with wet gear on. There is a second hot-water shower on the dive deck that is a welcome way to warm up between dives.
The diving is conducted in a relaxed atmosphere, which belies the close attention Arntz pays to all the activities on his boat. He divides his time between the wheelhouse and the dive deck, where he’s ready with a friendly joke or to lend a hand if a diver requests it. The crew is equally attentive, whether it be filling tanks, removing fins on the swim step, or cooking food to order in the galley.
The galley offers enough room for everyone on board to relax between dives. In addition to the menu of hot food, a range of snacks and hot and cold drinks are offered too. The galley is also equipped with a TV with video inputs allowing digital photographers and videographers to share their images between dives.
Arntz’ long-range goal is to take the Sundiver down to Cabo San Lucas after Christmas and spend the winter running extended dive trips into the Sea of Cortez for tourists. In the meantime, Arntz is looking forward to a busy year of diving the Channel Islands with a schedule that calls for 3-4 trips a week.
“It keeps me out of trouble,” he says with a grin.
For more information, visit www.sundiver.net on the web or call (800) 555-9446 or (714) 290-DIVE.
Jon Davies is an extremely active diver key with the dive group known as the Sandeaters (sandeaters.org), beach divers that dive every Sunday morning somewhere in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Return to Cover Page/Contents for May 2003 issue