Diver's boarding ladder

A boarding ladder for a boat having a hull with a dive opening, said ladder comprising:

• a U-shaped frame consisting of two substantially straight vertical portions and a substantially straight horizontal portion;
• a dive door operably connected to said frame and hingably attached to said hull in said dive opening so that said dive door can rotate between a boarding and storage position;
• and
• at least one step integrally formed with said dive door and operably connected to said frame so that when said dive door is in said boarding position said at least one step can be used to enter the boat from outside the boat and a bottom edge of the dive opening is positioned above a waterline created when the boat is on a body of water.

In a pleasure boat of the type which has a hull having a plurality of protective rail sections attached to the top side of the hull, the rail sections having generally horizontal portions spaced from the top side of the hull, the hull having at least one generally rectangular opening extending from the top of the hull to a lower elevation, the opening being sufficiently large to enable a person to exit or enter the boat, a combination door and ladder for covering the opening and providing a ladder for facilitating egress and ingress to and from the water, said combination comprising:

• a door means having an exterior surface that is generally coextensive with the outer surface of the hull when the door means is closed, said door means being vertically pivotable around a generally horizontal axis for uncovering and covering the opening, said axis being proximate said lower elevation of the opening and at one end portion of said door means;
• ladder means attached to said door means for facilitating egress and ingress from the water, said ladder means having a step portion that is generally spaced a predetermined distance from a second end portion of said door means that is opposite said first end portion, said predetermined distance being generally the same as the spacing between the horizontal portion of the rail sections adjacent the rectangular opening and the top side of the hull;
• one of said ladder means and said door means providing at least one horizontal foot step for enabling egress and ingress from the water.