about us

Capt. William "Bill" Dials is the principal marine surveyor at Tri State Marine Surveyors, Inc. Starting out in the U.S.C.G. in 1976 and after shipboard service aboard USCGC Midgett, Bill became rescue coxswain of the 41-foot utility boat (UTB41368) along with Heavy Weather training at Cape Disappointment, Motor-Lifeboat School for the 44-foot motor-lifeboat (MLB44347). Both boats worked from from USCG Station Fort Point near the Golden Gate Bridge. Bill also went to USCG LEO school and became a LEO/Coxswain (they now call them "tactical coxswains") and led his boat crews on many SAR missions and LEO actions both offshore and in San Francisco Bay.

After the CG Bill moved on to become a private yacht skipper on "Soco," a 58-foot Hatteras Yachtfisher based in Sausilito, CA. Bill also started D&M Marine, a mobile marine repair business which started in conjunction with skippering "Soco" in 1984. Bill then moved into commercial marine construction, dredging waterways and marinas; derrick operations and worked to become a 100-ton USCG Licensed Master operating tugboats in that business. The D&M Marine business continued on in the off tug-boating days. Eventually Bill's tonnage experience led to a Masters License upgrade to 200 gross tons (500IGT) which was awarded by the USCG in 1992. Bill had an opportunity offered to become a captain for Crowley Maritime and began operating S.F. Bay ferry-boats for them out of Pier 41 in San Francisco and the Commuter ferries out of Vallejo CA. Bill also worked the 65' oil refinery recovery boats for Crowley in San Pablo Bay.

After the CG Bill moved on to become a private yacht skipper on "Soco," a 58-foot Hatteras Yachtfisher based in Sausilito, CA. Bill also started D&M Marine, a mobile marine repair business which started in conjunction with skippering "Soco" in 1984. Bill then moved into commercial marine construction, dredging waterways and marinas; derrick operations and worked to become a 100-ton USCG Licensed Master operating tugboats in that business. The D&M Marine business continued on in the off tug-boating days. Eventually Bill's tonnage experience led to a Masters License upgrade to 200 gross tons (500IGT) which was awarded by the USCG in 1992. Bill had an opportunity offered to become a captain for Crowley Maritime and began operating S.F. Bay ferry-boats for them out of Pier 41 in San Francisco and the Commuter ferries out of Vallejo CA. Bill also worked the 65' oil refinery recovery boats for Crowley in San Pablo Bay.

After the CG Bill moved on to become a private yacht skipper on "Soco," a 58-foot Hatteras Yachtfisher based in Sausilito, CA. Bill also started D&M Marine, a mobile marine repair business which started in conjunction with skippering "Soco" in 1984. Bill then moved into commercial marine construction, dredging waterways and marinas; derrick operations and worked to become a 100-ton USCG Licensed Master operating tugboats in that business. The D&M Marine business continued on in the off tug-boating days. Eventually Bill's tonnage experience led to a Masters License upgrade to 200 gross tons (500IGT) which was awarded by the USCG in 1992. Bill had an opportunity offered to become a captain for Crowley Maritime and began operating S.F. Bay ferry-boats for them out of Pier 41 in San Francisco and the Commuter ferries out of Vallejo CA. Bill also worked the 65' oil refinery recovery boats for Crowley in San Pablo Bay.

After the CG Bill moved on to become a private yacht skipper on "Soco," a 58-foot Hatteras Yachtfisher based in Sausilito, CA. Bill also started D&M Marine, a mobile marine repair business which started in conjunction with skippering "Soco" in 1984. Bill then moved into commercial marine construction, dredging waterways and marinas; derrick operations and worked to become a 100-ton USCG Licensed Master operating tugboats in that business. The D&M Marine business continued on in the off tug-boating days. Eventually Bill's tonnage experience led to a Masters License upgrade to 200 gross tons (500IGT) which was awarded by the USCG in 1992. Bill had an opportunity offered to become a captain for Crowley Maritime and began operating S.F. Bay ferry-boats for them out of Pier 41 in San Francisco and the Commuter ferries out of Vallejo CA. Bill also worked the 65' oil refinery recovery boats for Crowley in San Pablo Bay.

After the CG Bill moved on to become a private yacht skipper on "Soco," a 58-foot Hatteras Yachtfisher based in Sausilito, CA. Bill also started D&M Marine, a mobile marine repair business which started in conjunction with skippering "Soco" in 1984. Bill then moved into commercial marine construction, dredging waterways and marinas; derrick operations and worked to become a 100-ton USCG Licensed Master operating tugboats in that business. The D&M Marine business continued on in the off tug-boating days. Eventually Bill's tonnage experience led to a Masters License upgrade to 200 gross tons (500IGT) which was awarded by the USCG in 1992. Bill had an opportunity offered to become a captain for Crowley Maritime and began operating S.F. Bay ferry-boats for them out of Pier 41 in San Francisco and the Commuter ferries out of Vallejo CA. Bill also worked the 65' oil refinery recovery boats for Crowley in San Pablo Bay.

For a change of scenery (and displeasure with where California was headed); that, in 1994, Bill, his wife Tami, and son Tony re-located to Bullhead City, AZ, where he pursued a captain's position running the paddle-wheel tours on the Colorado River moving on there to become the GM of the 2-boat operation. Bill saw a troubling lack of safety-awareness in the boaters in the new area and not many seemed to follow (much less know about) the Rules of Navigation (COLREGS), so Bill began a weekly "Boat Advisor" column in the weekend edition of the local newspaper--a volunteered column that ran almost 2 years. This opened the door into marine inspection and survey, with Bill becoming Accredited (AMS®) with the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors® (SAMS) in 1999 and then to marine accident investigations becoming a Certified Marine Investigator (CMI) with the International Association of Marine Investigators (IAMI) in 2005.

After the CG Bill moved on to become a private yacht skipper on "Soco," a 58-foot Hatteras Yachtfisher based in Sausilito, CA. Bill also started D&M Marine, a mobile marine repair business which started in conjunction with skippering "Soco" in 1984. Bill then moved into commercial marine construction, dredging waterways and marinas; derrick operations and worked to become a 100-ton USCG Licensed Master operating tugboats in that business. The D&M Marine business continued on in the off tug-boating days. Eventually Bill's tonnage experience led to a Masters License upgrade to 200 gross tons (500IGT) which was awarded by the USCG in 1992. Bill had an opportunity offered to become a captain for Crowley Maritime and began operating S.F. Bay ferry-boats for them out of Pier 41 in San Francisco and the Commuter ferries out of Vallejo CA. Bill also worked the 65' oil refinery recovery boats for Crowley in San Pablo Bay.

For a change of scenery (and displeasure with where California was headed); that, in 1994, Bill, his wife Tami, and son Tony re-located to Bullhead City, AZ, where he pursued a captain's position running the paddle-wheel tours on the Colorado River moving on there to become the GM of the 2-boat operation. Bill saw a troubling lack of safety-awareness in the boaters in the new area and not many seemed to follow (much less know about) the Rules of Navigation (COLREGS), so Bill began a weekly "Boat Advisor" column in the weekend edition of the local newspaper--a volunteered column that ran almost 2 years. This opened the door into marine inspection and survey, with Bill becoming Accredited (AMS®) with the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors® (SAMS) in 1999 and then to marine accident investigations becoming a Certified Marine Investigator (CMI) with the International Association of Marine Investigators (IAMI) in 2005.

Additional Details

FAA Licensed Part 107 sUAS Pilot for aerial scene photography.
Videography; Specializing in joint scene documentation.
TSMS, Inc. also produces videos of local bands to help support local musicians in the community.
All videography services include TSMS', Inc. professional post production.