Observer responsibilities

An observer is not part of the swimmer’s crew, coaching team or sponsors, and does not also act as the escort vessel’s skipper.

AMSA alone grants, renews, suspends and withdraws observer accreditation. Swim Ops is the designated observation and evidence platform; it records evidence and never approves observers or decides swims. Swim Ops licensing is separate from AMSA accreditation.

Whether observers may receive expenses or fees from swimmers, and on what terms, is not yet decided.

Any family, personal, financial or professional connection with the swimmer is declared before the swim.

On this system you declare standing interests in your profile, and you declare swim-specific connections for each assignment before it is confirmed.

Which relationships rule an observer out of a particular swim will be set in AMSA’s Conflict-of-Interest Policy and Observer Code of Conduct.

The observer is never the escort vessel’s skipper or a member of the swimmer’s crew.

The skipper is responsible for the vessel, its navigation and the safety of everyone aboard, and the skipper’s safety decisions take precedence. The observer is responsible for watching and recording.

Escort vessel requirements and skipper qualifications are not yet set.

The observer keeps the swimmer under observation from the start to the finish.

If observation is interrupted, for example by darkness, swell or moving about the vessel, the observer records when the gap began and ended and what was done to regain sight.

Whether long swims need a second observer or a hand-over, and how a gap in observation affects ratification, are not yet decided.

Logs are clear, timed and complete, so that another person can review them without having been there.

Entries are written at the time, not reconstructed from memory. A mistake is corrected with a new, timed entry, never erased.

Safety comes before the record. The observer never delays or obstructs a safety intervention by the skipper, crew or safety personnel.

The observer records the time, the reason, who ordered the intervention and what happened.

Concerns about safety or conduct are reported to AMSA promptly and in writing.

AMSA’s safety and liability policy, which sets the limits of AMSA’s role, is in preparation.

The observer records what happens, including anything that may count against the swim, and reports it to AMSA. The observer does not decide whether a swim is ratified; independent reviewers do.

Whether, when and how the observer warns the swimmer or crew about a possible infringement during the swim is not yet decided.