BSAC’ s Safety & Rescue Skills Chief Instructor Craig Daniel starts an occasional series by answering two questions regularly put to him
SCUBASAFETY
Staying safe: Your questions answered
BSAC’ s Safety & Rescue Skills Chief Instructor Craig Daniel starts an occasional series by answering two questions regularly put to him
As we all know, diving is an amazing sport; we get to see things that most people don’ t have the opportunity to see. Along with this sport comes risk, but to minimise the risk we thoroughly plan our dives, then dive the plan. When an emergency arises, the diver should ideally remain calm and let their training take over and deal with the emergency in front of them. One way to ensure all club members are up-todate with rescues and first aid is to run a training session either in the pool or open water once a year before the main diving season starts. If you need help with running such sessions, then contact your Regional Coach.
Question 1:‘ Should I do a safety stop, as they are not on the BSAC 88 tables?’ I think you should look at a safety stop as being exactly what it says on the tin. If there’ s no emergency and you have plenty of gas then it may be beneficial to complete a safety stop. If there’ s any type of emergency, then the safety stop can be omitted. This should not be the case for mandatory decompression stops. These are, as the name suggests, mandatory! But if you have missed a stop, then oxygen may need to be given and medical advice must be sought at the earliest opportunity.
Question 2:‘ I am medically trained but not a BSAC Instructor. Can I teach the First Aid, 02 and AED courses?’ We recognise that you can manage emergencies when they arise. Our courses and qualifications are specific to diving and snorkelling first aid delivery, so it’ s important that the course is focused on those elements whatever the medical experience level. Delivery of training is also key for courses, so the person leading the activity needs to have been taught how to train others effectively, not just deliver medical treatment. If you are already a medical professional and a diver or a diving instructor with another agency, then you can contact HQ about the options available or completing a crossover course. �
Craig’ s take-home message
When dealing with any medical emergency within diving, we recommend administering oxygen at the highest percentage you have to hand. The dive manager must ensure that oxygen is available for use in an emergency when all diving and training is taking place. Seek medical advice following an emergency, keep a record of the incident and report it via the BSAC incident form.
Do you have a safety-related question you’ d like to put to Craig, or another expert? Please email the editor at simon @ scubamagazine. co. uk and we’ ll keep the safety conversation going.
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