In-water hull inspection: diver video for surveyors and insurers
An in-water hull inspection is a diver's close look at a boat's underwater body while it stays afloat: hull condition, blisters or damage, running gear, through-hulls, zincs and fouling, recorded on video and in photos with a short written summary. Divers can also film other underwater evidence for a survey or claim, such as grounding damage.
The inspection is usually one input to a survey, not the survey itself. A marine surveyor inspects the boat and gives an opinion on its condition, value, construction and damage. The National Association of Marine Surveyors notes that marine surveyors are not required to be licensed by any national or state organization (NAMS), and designates members who complete its certification as Certified Marine Surveyors, NAMS-CMS (NAMS). One yacht surveyor in Bodrum, Turkey, warns that many problems below the waterline "cannot be evaluated properly while the yacht remains afloat", and that recent photographs do not always show what close inspection or percussion testing can (The Blue Matter). Diver video can help a surveyor decide whether a haul-out is needed; it does not replace one.
A good result is steady, well-lit video that covers the whole underwater body in a logical order, close-ups of anything unusual, anode condition, and a note of the date, location and visibility, agreed with your surveyor beforehand.
DiverHire is a new marketplace in public beta. Post the inspection free, say what your surveyor or insurer needs, compare bids and pay the diver directly.
Who needs this
- Boat buyers: a first look at the underwater body before paying for a haul-out and full survey.
- Owners renewing insurance: photos and video when an insurer asks for condition evidence.
- Marine surveyors: a diver to film what they cannot see from the dock.
- Brokers and sellers: current video to answer buyers' questions.
- Owners after a grounding or strike: evidence for a claim, and to decide whether the boat can move.
- Charter and fleet operators: condition video between haul-outs.
Tell the diver who will use the footage and what they need to see. If the video is for a surveyor, let the surveyor set the shot list; the checklist in how to hire a diver covers what to ask about certificates and reports, and when to replace boat zincs explains what the anode shots show.
Typical pricing
A diver's in-water inspection is usually a flat fee per boat or by the hour, sometimes with a trip charge; the surveyor's own fee is separate and set by the surveyor.
- Northern Washington: vessel inspection with video documentation USD 250 per inspection, including cleaning of the running gear and a check of all zincs (PNW Diving Services, viewed September 2026).
- Jacksonville, Florida: general inspection USD 200 per diver-hour (DS Diving, 2026).
We did not find a surveyor's fee schedule we could verify, so we do not quote survey fees here; ask your surveyor how they price the survey and the haul-out inspection.
Quotes vary with depth, visibility, access, travel and team size, and with the boat's size, how fouled the hull is (a heavily fouled hull may need cleaning before anything can be seen) and how detailed a report is required.
Guides
- How to Hire a Diver: A Checklist for Boat Owners and Marinas
- How Often to Replace Boat Zincs and Anodes (and What It Costs)
- Boat Hull Cleaning Cost: What Divers Charge by Region (2026)
- Planning, Pricing & Recording Underwater Work: A Guide for Clients and Divers
Required / preferred certifications
- NAMS-CMS Certified Marine Surveyor (the surveyor, not the diver)
- ADCI Air diver
- DCBC Unrestricted Surface Supplied Diver
- HSE SCUBA Diving (diving at work in Great Britain)
- PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent (casual hull video only)
Other diving services
- Underwater inspection
- Underwater welding
- Underwater photography
- Salvage operations
- Boat & hull cleaning
- Marine research support
- Underwater cleanup
Commercial diving by city
- Aberdeen, UK
- Anchorage, USA
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Baltimore, USA
- Boston, USA
- Brisbane, Australia
- Charleston, USA
- Chicago, USA
- Cleveland, USA
- Corpus Christi, USA
- Detroit, USA
- Dubai, UAE
- Duluth, USA
- Fort Lauderdale, USA
- Galveston, USA
- Halifax, Canada
- Hamburg, Germany
- Honolulu, USA
- Houston, USA
- Jacksonville, USA
- Jersey City, USA
- Key West, USA
- London, UK
- Long Beach, USA
- Melbourne, Australia
- Miami, USA
- Milwaukee, USA
- Mississauga, Canada
- Mobile, USA
- Montreal, Canada
- New Orleans, USA
- New York, USA
- Norfolk, USA
- Oakland, USA
- Perth, Australia
- Philadelphia, USA
- Portland, USA
- Portland, USA
- Rotterdam, Netherlands
- San Diego, USA
- San Francisco, USA
- Savannah, USA
- Seattle, USA
- Singapore, Singapore
- St. John's, Canada
- Sydney, Australia
- Tampa, USA
- Toronto, Canada
- Vancouver, Canada
- Victoria, Canada
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