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Underwater Solutions GroupUnderwater Solutions Group

Safety & Compliance

Documenting Underwater Damage For Insurers And Surveyors

What insurers and average adjusters expect from an underwater damage record and where reports commonly fall short.

Published
22 Jan 2026
Last updated
05 May 2026
Author
USG salvage team
Reviewed by
USG technical review

The Record Has To Stand Alone

A damage record may be read months later by people who were never on site. It has to be unambiguous about what was observed, where and when.

Common Shortcomings

  • Footage without location references
  • Conclusions presented as observations
  • Missing baseline: no record of the condition before intervention
  • No log of who was present and what was decided

Editorial record

Sources and review

Author
USG salvage team
Reviewer
USG technical review
Published
22 Jan 2026
Last updated
05 May 2026
Sources
  • Survey practice - General industry practice; no external source cited

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