AIMS OF SOHAM DIVE CLUB

 

To provide education in environmental awareness, understanding and enjoyment.

To promote Club participation in environmental schemes and events.

Highlight current environmental issues, and work with other environmentalists in order to provide a united approach to deal with these issues.

To further develop and update the Divers Code of Conduct.

Philosophy of the Soham Dive Club

Environmental

To make a sustained and positive impact to the freshwater and marine environment.

Respect our wrecks

Do not dive on a designated protected site, and do not lift anything that appears to be of historical interest.

Welfare of the vulnerable

Guidance to protect juvenile and vulnerable members.

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THE DIVER'S CODE OF CONDUCT

 

Before Leaving home

Seek advice from local dive operators about the local conditions and regulations. If appropriate, have the correct chart and tide tables for the area to be dived.

On the beach, river bank or lakeside

Obtain permission before diving in a harbour or estuary or in private water. Thank those responsible before you leave. Pay harbour dues.

Try to avoid overcrowding one site, consider other people on the beach.

Park sensibly. Avoid obstructing narrow approach roads. Keep off verges. Pay parking fees and use proper car parks.

Don't spread yourselves and your equipment since you may upset other people. Keep launching ramps and slipways clear.

Please keep the peace. Don't operate a compressor within earshot of other people - or late at night.

Pick up litter. Close gates. Be careful about fires. Avoid any damage to land or crops.

Obey special instructions such as National Trust rules, local bye-laws and regulations about camping and caravanning.

Remember divers in wet or drysuits are conspicuous and bad behaviour could ban us from beaches.

In and on the water

Mark your dive boats so that your Club can be identified easily. Unmarked boats may become suspect.

Ask the harbour-master or local officials where to launch your boat - and do as they say. Tell the Coastguard, or a responsible person, where you are going and tell them when you are back.

Stay away from buoys, pots, and pot markers. Ask local fishermen where not to dive. Avoid driving through rafts of seabirds or seal colonies etc.

Remember ships have not got brakes, so avoid diving in fairways or areas of heavy surface traffic and observe the 'International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea'.

Always fly the diving flag when diving, but not when on the way to, or from, the dive site. Never leave a boat unattended.

Do not come in to bathing beaches under power. Use any special approach lanes. Do not disturb any seal or bird colonies with your boats. Watch your wash in crowded anchorages.

Whenever possible, divers should use a surface marker buoy.

On conservation

Never use a speargun.

Shellfish, such as crabs and lobsters, take several years to grow to maturity; over-collecting in an area soon depletes stocks. Observe local Byelaws and restrictions on the collection of animal and plant specimens. However the BSAC recommends that you do not collect shellfish, but if you must collect, only take mature fish or shellfish and then only what you need for yourself. Never take a berried female (a female with eggs), this is stock for future years. Never sell your catch or clean it in public or on the beach and do not display your trophies.

Ascertain and comply with seasonal access restrictions established to protect seabirds and seals from disturbance. During the seabird breeding season (1st March-1st August) reduce noise and speed near seabird breeding sites. Do not approach seal breeding or haul-out sites. Do not approach dolphins or porpoises in the water.

Be conservation conscious. Avoid damage to weeds and the sea bed. Do not bring up sea-fans, corals, starfish or sea urchins - in one moment you can destroy years of growth.

Take photographs and notes - not specimens.

On wrecks

Do not dive on a designated wreck site without a licence. Protected wrecks are indicated on Admiralty charts and marked by buoys, or warning notices on the shore nearby.

Military wrecks should not be disturbed or items removed from them. This includes the debris field. The debris field is the trail of wreckage that comes away from the main body of the wreck during the sinking process. This trail can consist of parts of the ship, the cargo and the personal possessions of the crew.

Do not lift anything that may be of archaeological importance.

If you do discover what might be an historic wreck do not talk about it, but contact the Receiver of Wreck ( 023 8032 9474 ), who will advise you about your next steps. If your find is important you may apply for it to be designated a protected wreck site. You can then build up a well-qualified team with the right qualifications to investigate your site with the assistance of a qualified archaeologist.

If you do lift any material from the sea-bed, it is a legal requirement to report it to the Receiver of Wreck as soon as reasonably possible, even if you own the wreck that the material has come from.

Avoid the temptation to take souvenirs. Go wreck diving to enjoy the scenery and life, or get involved in projects. If you must take something, try photographs or measurements, and records of marine life.

Know and understand wreck law. If you remove material from wreck, which you then sell for profit, you are diving for reward, which is outside the scope of sport diving and you must conduct your dives in strict accordance with HSE regulations. A sound knowledge of wreck law will prevent you breaking the law, perhaps even ending up with a criminal record where no crime was intended.

Don't let divers down - keep to the diver's code

 

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 SAFE DIVING PRACTICES Divers

 

These rules are designed to protect our wildlife and natural resources

1. Capturing, collecting, harvesting or disturbing any living natural resources in

designated NO-TAKE zones of officially protected areas, including plants, animals,

fishes and other marine life, is not allowed.

2. Harvesting or disturbing any non-living natural resource in designated zones of

protected areas, including taking of dead coral, shells or stone, is also not allowed.

3. Additional regulations may exist for designated zones in protected areas. Make sure

you are informed of official government regulations.

4. Observe the standard rules for environmentally-aware diving at all times:

• Practice good buoyancy and body control, keeping a safe distance from

corals and other marine life, particularly in currents or surge;

• Make sure gauges and other gear are clipped and secured so that they do not

dangle, risking entanglement or damage to corals or other marine life;

• Be careful of your fins, and never stand or walk on living coral or other

marine organisms;

• If you need to stabilize yourself in powerful currents or surge, look for a large

boulder or dead coral – do not hang on to living coral.

• Avoid wearing gloves unless required in very cold water.

5. Underwater photographers should be particularly careful about avoiding physical

contact with the reef. A camera is not a license to move, prod, or harass marine life.

Do not move marine animals from their natural habitat, substrate or shelter.

6. Possession or use of chemicals (natural or synthetic) or explosives used for fishing,

including for the purpose of stunning, is not allowed except for qualified marine

scientists taking samples for legitimate research purposes.

7. Possession or use spear guns and other underwater fishing gear is not allowed

except by prior arrangement and in designated areas, and is never allowed with

scuba or other underwater breathing apparatus.

8. Do not dispose of trash or rubbish into the ocean or onto the ground.

Dive Safety

1. All divers must be trained and certified by a recognized international training agency

and physically fit to dive. Every diver (or, in the case of minors, a parent or legal

guardian) must sign a liability release form before being allowed to dive.

2. Every diver is required to show proof of insurance covering medical evacuation and

treatment for decompression sickness, baro-trauma, or other dive-related injuries.

3. It is your responsibility to ensure that your dive gear, including rental equipment, is in

good working order and appropriate for the conditions you will be diving.

4. Make sure you understand these rules, as well as any special instructions or

emergency procedures explained to you by your dive leader.

5. It is your responsibility to attend dive briefings before every dive and to comply with

depth limits, time limits, and other instructions from your dive leader.

6. All divers are required to carry the following safety items on every dive:

• Surface marker buoy (SMB), such as a sausage, lift bag, emergency flag, or

other appropriate daytime visual signaling device.

• Dive light, emergency strobe or other appropriate night visual signaling device.

• Whistle, air horn or other appropriate auditory signaling device.

• Other recommended items include: compass, knife or line cutter, and back-up

auditory and visual signaling devices (dye packs, pyrotechnics, signal mirror).

7. In some locations divers may experience strong currents, including down currents

and eddies. These conditions can be dangerous, particularly for inexperienced

divers. It is your privilege and responsibility to refuse to dive if you feel that

conditions are beyond your current level of certification, training, experience, or

physical fitness.

8. Adhere to sensible depth limits and profiles. Personal dive computers are strongly

recommended, but make sure you know how to use your dive computer and

understand the meaning of all the display data, warnings and alarms. Always dive

conservatively – do not push the computer’s “no decompression stop” time

allowances to the limits. Divers engaged in repetitive dives over multiple days should

be particularly cautious about dive profiles and safety stops.

9. Speed of ascent should be limited to 9 meters/minute (30 feet/minute).

10. If possible, avoid repetitive dives to increasing depths (reverse profiles), and observe

at least a one-hour surface interval between repetitive dives.

11. Complete a 3-to-5 minute safety stop at a depth of 4-to-5 meters (13 -to-16 feet) at

the end of every dive unless deteriorating sea conditions or other factors dictate that

the safety stop must be abbreviated or omitted. For dives to depths of 30 meters or

more, additional deep stops are recommended. If your dive computer does not

provide guidance on performing deep safety stops, ask your dive leader for guidance

and advice.

12. Stay hydrated, and do not use alcohol, drugs, or caffeine while diving. Avoid

strenuous exercise and/or long hot showers or baths after diving.

13. Report to your dive leader any changes in your physical condition that may impact

your dive safety or the safety of others.

14. In the event of an accident or emergency, it is your responsibility to render

assistance to another diver to the extent that your training, experience, and physical

fitness allow, or to alert your dive leader or another diver qualified to render

assistance. Do not undertake a rescue effort that puts yourself or other divers at risk.

15. Do not fly or ascend to an altitude of 2,500 meters (9,000 feet) or more within 24

hours after your last dive. A longer surface interval is recommended after repetitive

dives over multiple days. Divers engaging in repetitive dives over multiple days

should consider a 24-hour break every 3 or 4 days.

16. Most marine life poses little hazard for divers who refrain from touching or harassing

marine life. However, fishes with venomous spines and some invertebrates (sea

urchins, Crown of Thorns starfish, and some cone shells) can cause serious injuries

if touched or handled. Fishes such as the Titan triggerfish and moray eels may be

dangerous if harassed or approached when they are protecting egg-bearing nests.

Other forms of marine life, such as hydroids, fire corals, and some anemones,

jellyfish and sponges can cause injuries that could contribute to a serious diving

accident, or may be dangerous to persons who are particularly sensitive.

Failure to observe these conservation awareness and dive safety rules, particularly

repeated or aggravated cases, and/or any actions which endanger a vessel, its

employees, passengers and guests may be grounds for barring further participation

in diving and/or mandatory departure and removal from the vessel.

 

 

Agreed by the Soham Dive Club Committee 06 August 2008