Why Windsor Duck Tours Is NOT like any other Duck Tour

Safety aboard Windsor Duck Tours is our utmost priority above anything else.

As you may be aware there was recently an awful tragedy in America involving a World War II Amphibious Vehicle. We feel there is some misleading information in media which we needs clarifying.

There will be a full investigation into how this tragedy in America occurred, but to put your minds at ease there are stark differences between us and ALL other amphibious operations around the world.

We use a brand new amphibious passenger vessel which was specifically designed and built (in 2010) to carry passengers for tour operation.

Old WWII Vessels

Other vehicles you may have seen in Liverpool/London/America are in fact old WWII vehicles built in the 1940's for the war and landings such as DDAY. These were then converted into machines which can be used for tours. Some of these old vehicles have 1 compartment which if floods can cause the vehicle to sink very quickly.

Our New Purpose Built Amphibious Vessel

Our vehicles are newly built and to a very high safety standard. Our Seahorse Amphibious MKII (used in Windsor) has multiple sealed foam filled buoyancy compartments and a minimum of 3 other watertight compartments, depending on the size of the vessel. It is built in the style of an "open boat", if you were to flood the vehicle with water over the side, it will continue to float due to the 3 watertight compartments.

The UKs Stringent Safety Checks

The Marine Coastguard Agency have extremely high standards which alongside other measures requires us to have a survey twice a year, alongside a PMI (periodic maintenance inspections) every 10 weeks for road safety.” There are no double standards for UK amphibious vessels, we are as safe as any boat and safe as any bus.

Our Deep Understanding Of Vessel Safety

Our other business is actually building these vehicles, so we have a great understanding of the safety/construction/operation of these vehicles https://www.seahorseamphibious.com/

Monitoring River Conditions

In Windsor the depth of the river is between 6 - 8 ft and our vehicle require 5ft to operate in. There is no chance of large waves on this stretch of the river.  We will continue, as we have always done at Windsor Duck Tours, to monitor river speeds and conditions on a daily, and when needed an hourly basis, to attain whether it is safe to travel on the river.

Family Values At The Heart Of Our Business

We are a family run business with our local friends and family regularly using the vehicle. We would never ever put anyone onto the tour if there was a doubt in our minds that it was not safe.

BBC Radio 2 Appearance

We also appeared on the Jeremey Vine show on Friday to talk about this topic, if you would like to have a listen. We are on at 42:15: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b9zjyq

If you have any concerns regarding safety please contact us