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MKSAC Newsletter, March 2002
A number of members have asked for clarification of the position of the
Diving Officer. "Hang on a minute", I hear you cry, "Shouldn't
Chris be writing that"? Well she could, but it is a very brave (or stupid)
DO who writes an article like this. You cannot make diving absolutely safe by
following a set of rules; you have guidelines and then make every decision on a
case-by-case basis. As an ex-DO I can write what I like without having to
justify it. Chris (or any other DO) can stick to whatever guidelines THEY think
fit and dismiss my ramblings.
Reading the above, you might think that the Diving Officer has considerable
power to approve or reject dives on a whim. You would be right, but please
remember, according to our Branch Bye-Laws (and those of every other BSAC
Branch): -
"The Diving Officer is responsible for the safety of all dives and
diving related activities such as boat handling"
The Officers of every BSAC Branch that I have connections with (including
MKSAC) have, at some point, ended up in a court of law explaining why someone
has been injured or worse. Two Branches that I know of locally have been
involved in (separate) investigations into a fatality either of or involving one
of their members. It's only a matter of time....
If the Diving Officer is responsible for the safety of diving events, this
means that they must know of and approve activities in advance. In other
words, they must be given the opportunity to say "no". This applies no
matter what your diving grade or which dive site. Although it is tempting (for
the DO) to approve events afterwards, this is a risky path to take for three
reasons: -
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Experienced members may know what they are doing but, their example is
followed by less experienced ones. If an Advanced Diver takes a Sports Diver
to Stoney Cove and asks the DO later, the Sports Diver may think they can do
the same.
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The level at which the DO is consulted tends to creep up. It starts by
not bothering to ask permission to do 20m at Stoney, then 35m, then a
shallow sea dive. Later the DO finds that an entire weekends diving has
taken place off a hard boat which they were not aware of.
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If there is an accident, the court may ask for evidence of how dives
have been conducted in the past. This is not a good time for a DO to admit
(or worse, be told) that they do not exercise proper control over the
approval of Branch dives.
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This historical factor of an enquiry can rear its ugly head in many ways.
Most of us do not realise the importance of Marshalling Sheets. These are not
just a record of Branch dives (or something the DO has thought up to make life
harder) but potentially a legal record of divers, sites and experience. Similar
information can also be gained from our blue and red log books. Courts can (and
do) ask for them to be produced as part of an enquiry. When the DO is being
criticised for allowing a diver down to a given depth, old record sheets are
invaluable for proving that the diver has had recent experience at that depth
and, in fact, had every right to be there. Similar arguments are true if a diver
runs out of air; marshalling sheets show that all other dives done by the diver
had surfaced with 50 bar and that he (or she) is really a responsible diver.
Please remember the above when writing "viz, s#*t" or
"nearest Coastguard, don't know" (both of which I have seen on
returned marshalling sheets). Somehow these do not seem as funny read out in
court as they did at the time of writing.
Likewise, after a Sports Diver died, the Diving Officer of a local Branch
was fortunately able to produce Branch records to show that their training had
all been well conducted, above board and in accordance with BSAC recommended
practice. The Sports Divers logbook had been completed (and signed) by BSAC
Nationally Qualified Instructors; the court had no choice but to give a verdict
of "tragic accident". Recent newspaper articles have seen Instructors
in court charged with manslaughter, so far unsuccessfully.
Having said earlier that the DO has a great deal of responsibility and works
to BSAC guidelines (not rules) there is one area where BSAC do not delegate
authority. BSAC insist that every diver breathing compressed air (or other gas):
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Is a current full or abated member of BSAC
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Has a current certificate of fitness to dive
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There is only one exception to this, the try dive. Even here, BSAC send out
reminders every year that the try dive is just that. You may give the first pool
session as described in the training notes and no more.
No one, not even the DO, can authorise a BSAC Branch dive for a non BSAC
member or one with no current medical certificate. In any case, if there were an
accident, the problems of diving with no insurance cover do not bear thinking
about.
Coming back to recommendations, BSAC have a number to make about who can be
(or should be) the Diving Officer. First of all the qualities that can be
measured by BSAC headquarters on their paperwork: -
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The Diving Officer should be a Nationally Qualified Instructor, i.e. a
Club Instructor or above. If the DO is not an NQI then they must find
an NQI (who may be another member of the Branch) to countersign diving
qualifications.
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The Diving Officer should be an Advanced Diver or above. If the DO is
not an Advanced Diver then they can only award qualifications up to their
own grade. Higher qualifications must then be awarded by the local
Area or Regional Coach.
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Now onto the qualities which can not be measured but which are as important
as the above, if not more so: -
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The Diving Officer should have a sound knowledge of current diving and
diving techniques. This does not necessarily mean that the DO must be
qualified in Nitrox, mixed gas, wreck penetration diving etc. It does mean
that they must have an appreciation of how all these fit into the Branch
diving scene and the current BSAC thinking on there use.
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The DO should know all the dive sites in regular use by the Branch (and
as many potential other sites as possible). Again, this does not mean that
they must be an expert geographer or cartographer. It means that when
someone says "can we dive the Lucy" (or Croughten pit, the Earl of
Abergaveny, Swithland Wood.....) the DO knows roughly what sort of diving
they are talking about.
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The DO should know all Branch members, their abilities and
qualifications. This is not just "person X, Sports Diver" but what
recent diving they have done (depth and conditions) how they manage night,
low viz, drift or wreck penetration etc. Add in air consumption, who their
favourite buddy is, whether their family comes to watch or if they would
appreciate a lift to the coast and you begin to think the DO knows the
diver's better than the divers themselves.
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One other quality that I would personally add is that the DO must be an
active diver in the Branch. Being DO is not something that can be run by remote
control, word of mouth or email. Only by being present on most Branch dives can
the DO get a feel for how dives and diving is really going instead of what the
members are prepared to admit!
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
Adrian
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