TSDC Safe Diving Code (Draft)
The Tasmanian SCUBA Diving Club (TSDC) is a non-profit SCUBA diving club managed by
volunteers who, even if they do hold relevant professional qualifications, do not consider themselves
to be acting in a professional capacity. All advice given and actions taken are done in good faith, but
the committee and agents of the club (including but not limited to the Committee, dive coordinators,
and boat handlers) take no responsibility for their advice, actions or omissions, negligent or
otherwise. You cannot assume any agent of the club to hold any qualification other than Open Water
SCUBA Diving Certification and, in addition, a recreational motor boat licence if they are the boat
driver.
Due to the non-commercial nature of TSDC, including the fact that we do not provide
instructors or dive masters to accompany divers, some guidelines about diving and assessing of
ability need to be agreed before anyone is accepted to undertake a club dive involving TSDC
members and their boats. This is to ensure that the club and the members are fully protected from
any possible legal action should a diver have a problem on a dive.
Your presence at any club diving activity is not in any way an endorsement of your diving skills and/or
qualifications. You are wholly responsible for your own safety when diving with the club and are
expected to use your own training and experience to determine whether you can safely participate in
any club activity.
Any fees levied by the club are purely there to recover running costs. No member of the club is
financially rewarded for their services. It is your responsibility to ensure that any equipment you use,
whether you own it or not, is in working order and that it will allow you to safely participate in any club
activity.
Members of the Club shall not be liable to any extent whatsoever to other Members of the Club or
guests participating in club activities who suffer injury or damages as a result of the intentional or
negligent acts or omissions of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Diving Officer,
Boat Officer or other committee members for the time being of the Club or of its Members or any or all
of them.
Safe Diving Recommendations
The TSDC has a good record of safe diving. The club membership contains many divers with
advanced training, and wide experience, who conduct dives in a safe and sensible manner.
In order to maintain this safety record, especially with the rapid increase of diving as a sport, the
introduction of new members to the club, and to stay in line with safety practices recommended by
diving organizations 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 committee or any agent of the club.
TSDC therefore makes the following recommendations for safe diving.
A. Equipment Requirements:
The following list of equipment is considered to comprise the minimum essential for diving with TSDC:
Mask, (with optional snorkel) and fins
Exposure suit appropriate for expected water temperature
BCD, tank and weight system, preferably with some dumpable weight.
Regulator, air pressure gauge, depth gauge and timing device and dive tables or dive computer.
Dive knife or cutting tool

All first stage regulators must be equipped with an alternate air source regulator (octopus or
integrated inflator regulator) as well as a primary second stage regulator and an air pressure
gauge.

All mechanical or electronic equipment where required, should be serviced according to the
manufacturer's recommendations, to prevent incidents caused by avoidable malfunctions.

Tanks must be in test when filled using any TSDC owned compressor.
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
Carriage of an independent alternative air supply is recommended for use by divers on deep
dives, or dives into environments with overhead restrictions such as caverns etc. (E.g. a
normal tank with a pony bottle of appropriate size, independent twin cylinders or manifolded
twin cylinders with two, isolatable regulators).

Non isolatable manifolded twin cylinders utilising a single first stage regulator do not meet the
definition of an independent alternative air supply.

All members are encouraged to carry and become familiar with the use of safety sausages
and/or delayed surface marker buoys.

The use of dive computers is encouraged.
B. Conduct of diving.
Every TSDC diver or guest has responsibility for, but not limited to:
1. Ensuring medical fitness and/or clearance to dive and have a current appropriate thorough
medical examination, scheduled in accordance with his/her diving physician’s or training agency
recommendations.
2. Ensuring that they are medically and physically fit for each dive; this includes careful
consideration of the potential impacts arising from the use of prescription, non prescription and
also recreational drugs such as alcohol and tobacco (and others) in the period prior to diving and
also to avoid diving when suffering from respiratory, ear or sinus conditions prejudicial to safe
diving.
3. Diving safely within the limits of their experience and qualifications. If a diver is uncertain about
their ability to safely undertake a proposed dive, they should decline to attempt that dive, and may
do so without prejudice.
4. A member should not dive beyond the limits of their experience and qualifications unless
accompanied by another member of suitable experience and qualifications who is aware of the
diver's situation.
5. All members are encouraged to obtain or maintain current First Aid qualifications (or better) and
to be familiar with the use of the oxy-viva equipment on the dive boat.
6. Understanding and accepting that the Dive Coordinator has the absolute right to make a
judgements and decisions with regard to the ability, experience or competence of a diver to
undertake a particular dive and may exclude that member from a particular trip or dive if he/she
feels that conditions or likely conditions on the dive or trip in question are beyond the capabilities
of that diver. This also extends to members diving from privately owned boats, including charter
boats, where this is part of a dive, trip or expedition organised under the auspices of the club.
7. Where an incident has occurred during a dive the Dive Coordinator must be informed, especially
where it involves any missed decompression stops or insufficient time at a stop.
8. Giving their full attention during the pre-dive briefing, as this will include information regarding

The dive plan and dive buddy teams.

The intended maximum. depth, safety stops and the geography of the site;

Conditions to be expected at the dive site (entry, exit, current, weather, visibility etc.);

Any special considerations;

Anticipated hazards and other risks and how these may be addressed;

Familiarisation with lost buddy procedures

Allowing time for questions.
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9. Following all Dive Coordinator’s (DC’s) directions in addition to the defined guidelines for TSDC
diving, divers should:

Discuss the dive plan with their buddy before the dive, inform the DC of their dive plan.

Ensure that each diver in a buddy pair carries out a buddy check.

Dive to the dive plan;

Maintaining contact with their dive buddy, monitoring their own air supply, and informing their
buddy at regular intervals of air status. All dives should be completed with 30-50 bar of air
remaining.

Undertaking Lost Buddy Procedures in the event of losing contact with a dive buddy (search
360º ascend 3-5m, search 360º, then surface.

Checking that both they and their diving buddies are healthy before and after the dive.

Performing a 3-5 minute safety stop at 3-5 m on every dive of greater than 9m depth, unless
unsafe to do so.

Not diving with any malfunctioning equipment, and reporting any equipment fault to the DC.

Notifying the DC of any incident or injury that occurs to them or their buddy as soon as
possible.
To reiterate, if a diver is uncertain about his/her ability to safely undertake a
proposed dive, they should request to modify the dive, perhaps consider a different
site or decline to attempt that dive, and may do so without prejudice. Any diver
can call off on any dive either before or during that dive if at any point he or she does
not feel comfortable, in good health or confident in themselves, their equipment, their
buddy or the conditions at the dive site.
C Diver Development.
All members are encouraged to further progress their diving qualifications and skills in order that they
can graduate to more exciting and challenging diving and it is expected that established divers will
continue the practice of assisting newer, less experienced members in improving their skills and
experience through steady progression.
As a new or inexperienced diver you should ensure that you follow the directions of more experienced
buddies on dives.
Members are specifically encouraged to undertake Rescue or Stress and Rescue training with a
recognized training agency as this improves the safety of diving for both themselves and their dive
buddy and helps contribute to a safer and more enjoyable diving experience for all.
(Second Draft 02.12.2010)
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