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Underwater Solutions GroupUnderwater Solutions Group

Operations & Methods

What A Usable Underwater Survey Report Contains

The difference between a video file and a report an asset manager can act on: references, defect registers and comparability.

Published
08 Apr 2026
Last updated
08 Apr 2026
Author
USG technical team
Reviewed by
PLACEHOLDER — technical reviewer to be confirmed

Video Is Evidence, Not A Report

Raw footage proves that a diver was there. It does not tell an owner which sections need attention first, or whether a defect has grown since the last inspection.

Minimum Content

A report should let a reader who was not present reconstruct the survey.

  • Scope, date, weather and visibility conditions
  • Structure sectioning with fixed reference points
  • Defect register: location, type, extent, photograph reference
  • Separation of observation and interpretation
  • Recommendation with options rather than a single verdict

Comparability Over Time

If two consecutive inspections use different sectioning, the data cannot be compared and the owner effectively starts again. Fixing the reference system once is the single most valuable decision in a periodic inspection programme.

02Editorial record

Sources and review

Author
USG technical team
Reviewer
PLACEHOLDER — technical reviewer to be confirmed
Published
08 Apr 2026
Last updated
08 Apr 2026
Sources
  • Internal reporting template USG documentation standard — internal

This article has been reviewed and approved by the named reviewer before publication.

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