Skip to content

About us

WaterSafety.Team are a market-leading provider of marine support services for media production and live events.

What services do we offer?

Risk management:
 ✓ Activity/sequence-specific risk assessments
 ✓ Safety planning and monitoring
 ✓ Marine action coordination

Specialist crew: 
 ✓ Boat captains 
 ✓ Lifeguards and safety boat crews
 ✓ Safety/standby divers and in-water support crew
 ✓ Swift-water rescue technicians
 ✓ Safety kayakers and whitewater raft guides
 ✓ Accredited instructors and artiste training 
 ✓ Action doubles 

Technical consultancy:
 ✓ Location/technical recces and advice
 ✓ Tidal forecasting and modelling 
 ✓ Hero/picture boat charter and management
 ✓ Custom marine design and naval architecture

Marine fleet: 
 ✓ Camera boats
 ✓ Safety boats
 ✓ Support/service boats and water taxis
 ✓ SFX/lighting barges
 ✓ Floating pontoon and access walkways
 ✓ Inflatable platforms and rescue rafts

Marine PPE rental:
 ✓ Lifejackets
 ✓ Drysuits
 ✓ Waders
 ✓ Hidden buoyancy devices (for costume use)

020 4538 2999
[email protected]

Our crew

We bring together a broad network of experienced marine specialists from a variety of backgrounds, with a brilliant team of 58 accredited maritime professionals on our crew roster. 

Previous
Next

Our roster of crew benefits from a wealth of maritime experience spanning ocean yacht racing, dive instruction and coordination, expedition kayaking, RNLI lifeguarding, swift water rescue, marine engineering, naval architecture, and specialist military/police maritime boat ops. We have medics with marine experience (to HCPC-registered paramedic level), and accredited instructors who coach at both national and international levels across a range of disciplines. 

This diversity within the team enables us to carefully tailor our provision of marine services to suit the requirements of each individual project. From surfing to superyachts, within our network we have access to the finest professionals in the industry. 

With in-house marine engineering capabilities and experience collaborating with SFX, stunts, art, camera, and grip depts, we help bring concepts to life in a repeatable way that meets sequence requirements – whether it needs to float, sink, swim, surf, or sail. 

Qualifications

All of our marine crew undergo regular maritime safety and first-aid training, with many holding team medic (FREC3) or higher. Amongst our team, we have crew who hold the following commercial marine certifications:

✓ MCA/RYA Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence 
✓ MCA/RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence
✓ STCW Personal Survival Techniques
✓ Marine VHF SRC Radio Operator
✓ HSE SCUBA / Surface-supplied / Saturation Divers
✓ IMCA Dive Medical Technician
✓ SLSGB/NVBLQ/NPLQ Lifeguard
✓ British Canoeing Advanced Whitewater Safety & Rescue
✓ DEFRA MOD2 / MOD3 Swift-water Rescue Technicians

The company is led by Steffan Ciccotti – an experienced Marine Coordinator who has coordinated and consulted on marine sequences for features, TV series, and commercials in the UK and abroad. 

Steffan Ciccotti

Lead Marine Coordinator

Steffan is an experienced maritime professional with a wealth of experience in the fields of marine safety/risk management and coastal filming support. Working as a commercially endorsed MCA/RYA Yachtmaster and RYA Advanced Powerboat instructor, he also holds advanced whitewater safety & rescue and HSE-accredited commercial SCUBA-diving qualifications.

At our marine base in Chiswick, Steffan supervises powerboat training delivery at Powerboat.London – a top-rated RYA training centre in London. He has additionally been examined by the harbourmasters of the Port of London Authority as one of only a handful of marine coordinators approved for coordinating commercial filming activities on the sections of the River Thames that span central London, holdling a filming-endorsed Local Knowledge Endorsement (full area) for the Port of London. 

Show bio Hide bio

Marine Environments

Locations we have worked in include:

✓ beaches
✓ ports and harbours
✓ tidal estuaries and causeways
✓ canals and inland waterways
✓ rivers, lakes, and reservoirs
✓ open ocean
✓ swimming pools, lidos, tidal pools
✓ studios, tanks, and indoor facilities

We have a proven track record of planning and delivering dynamic operations in the most challenging marine environments. From our base in London, we regularly operate on the River Thames – one of Europe’s busiest waterways.

We are licenced/accredited by: 

mca-c
hse-c
crt-c
ea-c
pla-c

Training delivery

Our team hold instructor accreditation and affiliation with various awarding bodies and training organisations, including:
✓ Royal Yachting Association (RYA)
✓ British Canoeing / TeamGB
✓ Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)
✓ British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC)
✓ Global Underwater Explorers (GUE)
✓ Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS)
✓ RNLI (Lifeboats & Lifeguards)

We additionally hold accreditation and insurance cover for speedboat instruction as an RYA recognised training centre for powerboat and specialist training courses.

What People Say About Us

Client Testimonials

I have had the pleasure of working with Steffan on multiple productions over the past couple of years. On flooding tidal saltmarshes, busy rivers, and static ponds. He completely understands what is trying to be achieved and the best, safest, quickest way to do it. Steffan has a forward-thinking and pragmatic approach – unflappable under pressure, he has made working in tricky, unpredictable environments into a calm, efficient, and enjoyable experience! I look forward to working with him again
Tom Allan1st AD – The Witchfinder (2022)
Whilst shooting a sequence on the River Thames, having Steffan & his team with you, you knew you were in safe and reliable hands. With an actor on a moving boat talking to another actor on a bridge where we had limited hold time, it is all about timing, communication and co-ordination. Steffan’s knowledge of the tide and boat’s movement enabled us to get our shots with ease. He communicated clearly and you knew you had an expert by your side. I look forward to working him again!
Natalie Segal1st AD – Rye Lane (2020)
Arrange a call
Email us
Back

Request a callback

Water Safety

Whether you’re shooting on a canal towpath, river embankment, or on the shoreline at a pond, lake, or beach – we can advise, implement, and monitor safety measures to ensure your working environment remains safe and controlled.

If you’d like to discuss your requirements in detail, please feel free to get in touch: 

Arrange a callback
Email

Filming On WATER

If you’re looking to shoot on/from the water, we can facilitate getting your camera department afloat, coordinate water action and reset between takes in order to get the shots you need.

From static camera positions to tracking vessels, crane platforms, lighting barges and SFX setups – we can tailor a support package to fit your requirements. 

Arrange a callback
Email

Floating Stage

Introducing the latest innovation in floating marine platforms...
Read more
NEW

IN-WATER SUPPORT

If you’re looking to put cast or camera in the water, we have the capabilities to provide artist training, in-water support, and safety cover you’ll need to keep things running smoothly and safely on the day.
Amongst our team we have experienced operators and instructors with accreditations/affiliations with the following bodies:

If you’d like to discuss your requirements in detail, please feel free to get in touch: 

Arrange a callback
Email

planning / concepts

From testing concepts and ideas, to planning and consultancy throughout the production schedule, we can offer a range of services to guide marine filming projects from start to finish. 

Our planning and consultancy services include: 

  • Risk assessments and Method Statements
  • Location feasibility studies and tidal access reports
  • Advising on technical accuracy of scripted action
  • Arranging artist training 
  • Finding doubles / supporting artists with special skills
  • Sourcing hero/picture boats 

If you’d like to discuss your requirements in detail, please feel free to get in touch: 

Arrange a callback
Email

Licences & Permits

If you’re looking to film on managed waterways in the UK, you will need to ensure that the correct licences and permits are in place. We’ve included some preliminary information below about some of the most common licencing authorities and their requirements:

The Port of London Authority manages all commercial activity on the tidal Thames (from Southend to Teddington).

A filming licence is required for all commercial photography and filming, which is granted subject to the approval of the harbourmaster upon receipt of detailed navigational risk assessments and safety plans.

As one of Europe’s busiest ports, it comes as no surprise that there are a number of stringent requirements that commercial operations (including media/filming) on the tidal Thames must adhere to, and vessels operating commercially within central London require qualified skippers with Local Knowledge Endorsements due to the density of navigational hazards and boat traffic within this busy tidal port. 

For the use of picture boats (where these are not already licensed to operate commercially within the Port), there are additional vessel survey and licensing requirements, to ensure craft are fit for purpose and safe for use within the Port.

We have a proven track record of working closely with the PLA Corporate Affairs, Harbourmasters and Marine Services teams to safely facilitate the filming of boat-to-boat, boat-to-shore, action and stunts sequences within the Port.

https://www.pla.co.uk/Media-Centre/Filming-and-Promotions-on-the-Thames 

For filming activities on rivers owned/managed by the Environment Agency (EA), risk assessments, method statements and safety plans must be submitted in advance of an application for a filming licence. Any boats or craft used on EA waterways also require a vessel licence – this can be usually be achieved within 10 working days.

During/after periods of heavy rain, additional safety measures may be required to ensure that filming operations can proceed safely. In extreme circumstances, boat operations may have to be constrained/suspended where river flow rates exceed safe parameters for the proposed scope of operations.

Some sections of the river embankments and footpaths are owned by the EA. For filming activities where access is required to/from these areas, a separate locations agreement may be required.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency/about/media-enquiries

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) manage over 2,000 miles of canals and rivers across England and Wales.

For filming locations within their managed waterways, risk assessments and works permits may be required, depending on the nature of the production requirements.

Access and egress can also pose a logistical challenge, and in some locations it may be necessary to utilise the waterways in order to transit large/heavy equipment or props by boat.

We have worked with CRT on several productions to provide coordination, safety, and specialist logistics solutions to facilitate safe and efficient filming operations in locations with restricted landside access.

For any activities involving swimming/immersion in stagnant or slow-moving water, we recommend that the water quality is sampled and tested in advance of filming operations to minimise risk of infection or illness. Sample analysis has a lead time of c. 1-2 weeks.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/media-centre/filming-and-photography/filming-location-fees

Construction activities that anchor or fix items to the seabed or riverbed require a permit from the Marine Management Organisation. Activities with a possible impact to local wildlife or ecosystems may require an Environmental Impact Assessment to be undertaken and submitted to the Environment Agency. In some circumstances, a Flood Risk Activity Permit may also be required.

These permits, licences, and assessments are primarily required for activities involving construction (including temporary works) and do not apply to most boat- or bank-based filming operations. Where filming activities involve construction, sufficient forward planning is required to ascertain the level of permissions required for the scope of operations. 

If you’d like to discuss your requirements in detail, please feel free to get in touch with us.

Port-London-Authority
Canal__River_Trust_Logo
ea-logo
MMO-logo