CHUG Safe Diving Code
Safe diving is our highest priority.
The intended purpose of this diving code is to create guidelines that promote safe and responsible diving as part of any CHUG activity.
The Executive will endeavour to take all care to facilitate the safe conduct of any CHUG dive. Each member and each diver recognises that diving is a risk associated activity and that they, the individual, are solely responsible for their own safe conduct.
Recommended Safe Diving Practice
In order to help ensure safe diving and to stay in line with safety practices recommended by diving organisations throughout Australia, the following safety practices listed below are recommended. Compliance with these recommendations remains the responsibility of each individual diver and cannot be assumed to be monitored by the Executive or any agent of the club.
CHUG advocates the following safe diving practices:
Solo diving is not permitted in CHUG activities. Buddy pairs must be formed and:
Prior to the dive:
During the dive:
After the dive:
Night dives require:
EQUIPMENT Individual diving equipment must include:
A diver, by signing the CHUG membership form (new member or renewal), when applying for membership, shall take full moral and legal responsibility for his or her own diving safety and agrees to dive in a manner that does not compromise the safety of others.
The intended purpose of this diving code is to create guidelines that promote safe and responsible diving as part of any CHUG activity.
The Executive will endeavour to take all care to facilitate the safe conduct of any CHUG dive. Each member and each diver recognises that diving is a risk associated activity and that they, the individual, are solely responsible for their own safe conduct.
Recommended Safe Diving Practice
In order to help ensure safe diving and to stay in line with safety practices recommended by diving organisations throughout Australia, the following safety practices listed below are recommended. Compliance with these recommendations remains the responsibility of each individual diver and cannot be assumed to be monitored by the Executive or any agent of the club.
CHUG advocates the following safe diving practices:
- Only financial members can participate in CHUG diving activities.
- Members must be certified by one of the nationally recognized certifying organizations such as NAUI, PADI, SSI etc.
- Each CHUG member is responsible for ensuring that they are mentally and physically fit for the rigors of diving.
- Dive site risk assessment should be undertaken by the Dive Officer and they may abort the dive if in his/her opinion conditions warrant such action.
- Divers should not exceed the recommended maximum depth of their qualification or provable experience. You should dive to your ability, training and experience taking into account actual diving and weather conditions as well as underwater visibility and currents.
- All dives are to be planned as no decompression dives.
- All dives should be planned and executed using internationally recognised decompression tables, or with the use of dive computers.
- Divers should complete all dives with a 3 minute safety stop at 5 metres where it is safe and practical to do so.
- Divers should plan to complete the dive with a minimum of 50 bar of breathing gas pressure in reserve.
- Repetitive Diving - As a general guide, the following should be adhered to when conducting repetitive dives:
- Minimum surface interval between dives should be 1 hour.
- When 3 dives per day are conducted, the surface interval should be increased to 2 hours or more.
- No more than 3 dives per day.
Solo diving is not permitted in CHUG activities. Buddy pairs must be formed and:
Prior to the dive:
- formulate and discuss an appropriate dive plan;
- perform buddy checks and be familiar with the operation of the other's equipment;
During the dive:
- dive according to the dive plan;
- maintain buddy contact from the moment of entering the water until leaving the water;
- During the dive, divers should stay within 5 metres of each other at all times. If divers become separated and loose sight of each other an immediate individual search shall be conducted for about 1 minute, however if relocation is not successful, the dive shall be individually terminated.
Any dive is over when either buddy says it is over. No explanations are necessary.
After the dive:
- report any incident or accident to the Dive Officer
- sign off on the dive log so all divers can be accounted for by the Dive Officer
Night dives require:
- There be a light at the entrance and exit point of the dive; and
- Each buddy pair must have 2 or more operational torches and at least one additional light source.
EQUIPMENT Individual diving equipment must include:
- regulator set
- an alternate air source
- buoyancy compensator
- pressure gauge
- adequate thermal protection
- depth gauge
- a dive computer
- knife or dive tool
- surface safety signalling device and whistle
- CHUG recommends that all equipment be professionally serviced annually.
- Medicals - CHUG policy is for all members to be medically fit to dive. CHUG recommends that medicals are renewed annually or as specified by your diving medical professional.
- All divers should be familiar with the location of the nearest medical facilities and how to contact them, as well as being able to contact emergency medical services (EMS) and the Divers Alert Network (DAN).
- All members are encouraged to obtain or maintain current Senior First Aid qualifications (or better) and to be familiar with the use of the oxy-viva equipment on the dive boat.
- All members are encouraged to obtain or maintain private dive insurance, eg DAN
- Alcohol should not be consumed by divers within 8 hours before a dive.
A diver, by signing the CHUG membership form (new member or renewal), when applying for membership, shall take full moral and legal responsibility for his or her own diving safety and agrees to dive in a manner that does not compromise the safety of others.