There is a big difference between diving from shore or diving off a boat. This fact might appear to be obvious but it is surprising how many people don't make the effort to find out how easy or inexpensive it can be to arrange a boat dive, or better yet, to acquire a dive boat for themselves.
Charter Boat Diving
There are charter boats that carry passengers on day charters as well as extended charters. If you are inclined to pick up your gear and head for the nearest shore dive location when the day dawns bright and calm and you feel the urge to go diving, stop for a moment and think of the options. A.you can keep going and do your shore dive. B.you can pick up the phone and call one of the local day charter boats and find out whether they have space for an additional buddy team (or if you are without a buddy that you are available as a buddy to another diver already signed up. C.You could call the local dive stores or clubs to see whether they have any dives planned for the day, preferably by boat.
The ideal plan is to call ahead and reserve a place on a charter boat, day or extended. But that is not what we set out to discuss, which was diving on an impulse. If it's impulse diving that you tend to do or want to do more often than not then a private boat is for you. For, with your own boat on a trailer, all you have to do is load up and go.
Personal dive boat
There are many variations of an ideal dive boat. I have known divers go in from a wobbly fibreglass car topper or off the back of a dive kayak (which is a special kayak styled craft designed to carry diver and tankand then you need two so that you can dive with a buddy).
The complexity of diving from a one person craft, and sometimes something a bit larger, includes the need to secure the craft while you are underwater. Always ensure the dive flag is flying, incidentally.
The next size up in personal dive boats would be in the Boston Whaler and inflatable category. This usually means they are powered by outboard motors. And the variety and range of vessels in this category is extensive, overlapping into larger boats with overnight accommodations.
The inflatable boat is most versatile allowing divers to pack them, bagged, in the trunk of a car or the cargo area of a wagon or van. Its versatility extends also to its carrying capacity, which is surprisingly generous, and its stability as a diving platform. Furthermore it is a relatively easy craft to enter the water from and to return into after the dive. It is rugged and can take a lot of abuse. I have had a 14 foot inflatable which, powered by a mere 25 horsepower outboard, pushed vessel and six adults along on the planejust as easily four divers and our gear. Being lightweight, on more than one occasion we left it anchored in the lee of a small islet while we went down, and the boat was still there after the dive.
The ease of diving from a small boat such as the Boston Whaler is epitomised by the experiences had with the inflatable. One is able to drop over the side of the boat and descend right to the spot you want to be (presuming you know where that spot is). The anchor line can serve also as a reference point for getting to the bottom and returning to the boat as well as a hold-on if you want to control your ascent. Invariably a boat such as a Whaler or larger inflatables will be kept on a trailer and hauled from site to site. In this case it is possible to load up at the launch ramp and carry your gear to the dive site before dressing up. It is not recommended that you load your trailerable at home because the less weight you carry in the boat during trailering the safer it will be on the road. Do not exceed your maximum towing capacity.
These benefits of diving from a boat apply all the more to larger outboard powered boats with cabin. Or better still, a larger boat, period. For the bigger the boat the more likely there will be enclosed or covered space where you can get out of the rain or excessive sun, or warm up after a dive. There is more storage space on a larger boat making it a lot easier for organizing your diving gear and more practical for underwater photographers and a lot easier on their equipment. Larger boats also make it possible to spend several days away from the dock, diving various sites much as on a dive charter boat, especially if you have someone who can act as skipper and tender allowing you to dive while the boat lies at anchor. And if the boat is large enough and carries a dinghy then you have your own pick-up boat.
Gearing up is a whole lot easier too. More space for doing so is likelythere is nothing quite like a large cockpit and then a transom door and large swim step for diving. On larger craft, usually over 21 feet you will begin to enjoy the luxuries of stepping into your gear, through the transom door, off the step and into the water. Coming back from the dive the luxury continues with a boarding ladder, generous swim step and large cockpit in which to change. Our boat has a wash down warm-water shower right at the transom to clean off the salt water and warm up the body as we emerge from a dive. Then we are lured by the smell of hot soup in the galley and we know that we have spent a day diving the way diving should be enjoyed.