DiveHQ
A boat manifest is the list of everyone on board for a trip, with what the crew needs to know about each of them. It is the document you reach for if something goes wrong: to count people, to give a diver's details to the emergency services, or to call their emergency contact. Before anyone kits up, it also tells the guide who is diving, with what gas and what equipment.
What a manifest should record
For the trip as a whole:
- The date, the boat, the captain, and the guides and crew on board.
- The dive sites planned, in order.
- Departure and return times.
- Safety equipment confirmed on board: oxygen kit, first aid kit, VHF radio and life jackets.
- The headcount on departure and on return, with the name of the person who counted.
For each person on board:
| Field | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Full name, as on the booking | Roll calls and emergency calls need the right name. |
| Role | Diver, student, snorkeller, guide, crew or non-diving guest | Everyone on board is counted, not only divers. |
| Certification level and agency | For example, Advanced Open Water, PADI | Places divers in groups and at sites within their training. |
| Certification number | Once the card or record has been checked | Shows the certification was seen, not only declared. |
| Last dive | Month and year | Flags divers who may need a refresher or an easier first dive. |
| Medical status | Cleared, or cleared by a physician | The boat needs to know a diver is cleared, not their medical detail. |
| Emergency contact | Name, relationship and phone number | Needed if the diver is injured or missing. |
| Gas and cylinder | Air or the nitrox mix, and cylinder size | Nitrox divers should analyse and sign for their own cylinder. |
| Rental equipment | Items and sizes, or item numbers | Checks the right kit is on board and comes back. |
| Group and guide | Buddy pair or group, and the guide leading it | Shows who is responsible for whom underwater. |
| Dive times | Entry and exit time for each dive | Shows every diver is out of the water. |
| Roll call | A tick on departure, after each dive and on return | The record that each count was done. |
Dive boat manifest template
One row per person on board, with columns for certification, last dive, medical status, emergency contact, gas, rental equipment, dive times and roll call. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers. Replace the example rows with your own.
Before the boat leaves
- 1Print the manifest, or open it on a device that works without a signal. Leave a copy ashore with the person who will raise the alarm if the boat is late.
- 2Check every name against the person in front of you, not only the number of people.
- 3Confirm certification and medical status for each diver. Anyone without a complete medical form stays ashore until it is resolved.
- 4Confirm the safety equipment is on board and note it on the manifest.
- 5Write the departure headcount and the name of the person who counted.
Roll call at each dive site
Counting heads is quick, but it is easy to get wrong on a crowded deck where people move while you count. A roll call, in which each person answers to their own name, takes a minute longer and does not depend on nobody moving. A routine that works on most boats:
- 1Before the first diver enters the water, note the entry time on the manifest.
- 2As each diver comes back on board, a guide or crew member ticks their name and notes the exit time. Divers do not tick themselves.
- 3When the last diver is up, the captain or lead guide reads every name on the manifest aloud. Each person answers in person, and their buddy confirms.
- 4Compare the number of names answered with the departure headcount. Do not move the boat until they match.
- 5The person who did the roll call writes their initials and the time against that site.
- 6Back at the dock, do a final roll call and record the return headcount.
If a name goes unanswered, act at once. Check the cabin, the toilet, the bow and the ladder, and ask the diver's buddy and guide when they last saw them. If the diver is not on board, start your missing diver procedure straight away and do not leave the site.
Keeping completed manifests
Keep each completed manifest after the trip, filed by date with your dive logs. It shows who was on board, who dived, with what gas and equipment, and that each roll call was done. That is what an insurer or investigator will ask for if an incident is reported later. Manifests hold personal details, emergency contacts and medical status, so store them where only staff can see them, and keep them for as long as your insurer and local law require.