For productions

Film safety boat hire

Film safety boats, qualified water safety crew and a written plan for cast, crew and kit on or near the water, so the production can focus on the shot.
Safety that fits the scene

Planned around the tide, the traffic and the shot

We hire film safety boats with qualified crew, and we plan them around what is actually happening in front of the camera. We write the risk assessment and safety plan, brief cast and crew, and put the safety boats on the water for the day. Swimmers, stunts, actors at the helm or a scene on the foreshore: we size the cover to the risk.

When a shoot needs a safety boat

If anyone will be on, in or close to the water, the scene needs cover. These are the shoots we plan it for most.

Cast in the water

Swims, falls and scenes in the water. A boat stays with the person, close enough to reach them in seconds.

Actors at the helm

Cast driving or crewing a boat, with a qualified skipper alongside who can take over.

Boat action

Chases, tracking runs and stunts on the water, with a safety boat clear of the action and ready to go.

The bank, the quay and the foreshore

Riverside, quayside, pontoon and beach scenes, where one slip puts someone in the water.

Kit over the water

Drones, cranes and camera rigs working over or beside the water, with recovery planned in.

Cold, dark or busy water

Night shoots, winter water and busy rivers, where a person in the water has far less time.
Two boats, two jobs

Why the safety boat is not the camera boat

A camera boat crew is busy getting the shot. A safety boat crew has one job: the people on and in the water. They watch the swimmer or the stunt, not the monitor, and they hold a position where they can reach anyone fast without drifting into frame. So when someone is in the water we run them as two boats, and we agree with your director and AD where each one sits before the first take.
The tickets

Qualified for the water, and for the people in it

Between them, our water safety crew hold the qualifications a production safety adviser looks for. Certificate copies for the crew on your shoot are available before the day.
How we plan it

From the shot list to the last take

01

The scene

We go through the shot list and the location, and look at the tide, the current and the traffic on the day you shoot.
02

The plan

A risk assessment and a water safety plan, with the rescue steps written out, for your production and safety teams to sign off.
03

The authority

The harbour master or navigation authority told, and any notice or permission in place. On the tidal Thames that is the Port of London Authority.
04

The day

A briefing for everyone going near the water, safety boats in position before the first take, and cover until the last person is out.

What we provide

Our RIB on the Thames with the skipper at the helm and the drone crew aboard, heading out for an evening drone shoot

Safety boats

Boats and crew standing by for cast, crew and kit.
Film crew working inside the wheelhouse of a boat on the Thames, the river through the windows

The paperwork

Risk assessments and safety plans your production can file.
A tug passing the silver shells of the Thames Barrier on a clear morning

Local rules

The navigation authority and its requirements, handled.
From our work

Safety cover for a swim down the tidal Thames

Surfers Against Sewage swam from Teddington Lock to Westminster, through some of the busiest water in the country. We ran the safety boat that stayed with the swimmers the whole way, a camera boat to film them, and the permissions and safety plan for the river. Planning something similar? Our guide to filming a swim on the Thames covers the tide, the permissions and the cover.
Questions

Water safety questions

Most productions working on or beside the water need safety cover, and many locations require it. We look at the scene, the location and the conditions, and recommend what is needed.

Yes. We write the risk assessment and safety plan for the water side of the shoot and brief everyone on the day.

They brief everyone going near the water, then sit where they can reach anyone in trouble quickly without drifting into shot. They watch the people, not the action, and stay on station until the last person is out of the water.

Not when anyone is in the water. Its crew have to watch people rather than the shot, so we run a camera boat alongside it.

Yes. Certificate copies for the crew on your shoot are available on request before the day.

Yes. Riverside, quayside and beach scenes can need safety cover too, and we can provide it.

Yes. We plan safety for swimmers, marine stunts and actors driving boats, working with your stunt coordinator.

It depends on how many boats and crew the scene needs, how long they are on the water, the location and the time of day. Tell us the scene and we will quote, usually the same day.

Yes. We have worked across the Solent, Poole and Dorset, the Kent coast and the Medway, Essex, the east coast, the Humber and the Bristol Channel. Our boats travel by road, or we have the right vessel waiting locally, crewed by our own skippers. Anywhere in the UK, and Europe on request.

Trusted by
  • Prime Video
  • Channel 4
  • BTS
  • 72 Films
  • Stellar
  • Media MICE
  • tda! (The Digital Age)
  • EGOLD MEDIA
  • Surfers Against Sewage
  • Superfly Media
  • Chieftain Training
  • CPBS Marine Services
  • MMS Marine Services
  • DroneScope
  • Drone Motion
  • Craft Films
Qualified people on every boat
Skippers qualified to MCA Master (Code Vessels less than 200 GT) and Officer of the Watch (Yachts less than 500 GT) · Every Thames skipper holds a Boatmaster Licence with PLA local knowledge, or the equivalent · CAA-qualified drone pilots · £10m public liability, professional indemnity, aviation and marine insurance · PLA, harbour, airspace and location permissions handled

Tell us about your shoot

We reply within the hour, 8am to 8pm, 7 days, and quote the same day for most shoots. Already working with us? We are on call day or night.
Or call or WhatsApp 020 3039 3931