Before the dive Check dive, alcohol, tobacco On the first day, most dive centers require a mandatory check dive/intro dive. This allows you to establish the right amount of weight and is for your own safety. Therefore, it should be accepted even by experienced divers. Get enough sleep and only dive if you feel well and are not congested. Avoid alcohol and tobacco before the dive. Briefing and pre-dive check At the time of the briefing and mutual pre-dive check, talk with your buddy to clarify preferences and diving experience. Adjust the dive to the person with the least experience. Dive Always valid rules • Be aware of your responsibility for yourself and your dive buddy as well as general potential hazards. • Carefully follow the briefing and adhere to the instructions of experienced guides. Ask for more information if you have not understood everything. • In case of a patent foramen ovale (PFO), follow the advice for "low bubble diving" published on suhms.org › Opinions & Info › SUHMS PFO Recommendations 2016. • After a long period without diving, start with easy and shallow dives. • Limit the number and duration of dives even if unlimited diving is offered. • At the time of descent, perform a control stop (check regulators, valves, BCD, and computer). • If possible, always stay within no-decompression limits to keep the risk of a decompression accident low. • Respect the maximum depths allowed by your certification and by individual countries. • Long and deep dives require adequate training and sufficient experience. • Ascend at a maximum rate of 10 meters per minute. • Always perform a safety stop. • Always carry a small torch (backup torch) with you. • Respect nature: do not touch flora and fauna.
Boat dives A boat allows you to reach dive sites far from the shore. Before going out on the boat, eat something light, especially if you are prone to seasickness. If necessary, you can tolerate dry toast or breadsticks. Bring water and drink plenty. Don't forget a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, ear protection and possibly a windbreaker. • After entering the water, move away from the boat to make room for other divers. • Bring your own personal surface marker buoy ("deployable") about 1.5 m long with a closed-circuit system and equipped with reflective material (e.g., Seareq). • Use a spool for the surface marker buoy with a sufficiently long line. • Also bring a whistle or air horn and a mirror; some buoys have a special pocket for these signaling devices. • For descent and ascent, use current lines, anchor chains, etc. • When surfacing, pay attention to boat traffic and boat ladders. • Do not position yourself under the ladder if it is being used by another person. • Keep your regulator in your mouth when climbing the boat ladder. Drift dives Different seas, different currents: the world's most beautiful dives are characterized by more or less strong currents. In addition to experiencing a unique sensation comparable to free flight underwater, these sites are generally the richest in marine biodiversity (often pelagic fish). Drift dives are only for experienced divers. Avoid this type of dive if you are not comfortable with currents. In narrow points and channels (e.g., between the atolls of the Maldives) or between individual islands, currents are almost always present. Rocks, coral blocks or other obstacles block, divert, channel and accelerate the flow of water (Venturi effect). In front of the obstacle, the water stops; behind it, a current-free zone is created. In these two zones, the current is almost absent and allows for a stop. If you happen to be carried out of a channel into the open sea, surface slowly and do not fight against the current. Deploy your surface marker buoy and exit the current by swimming laterally to it and parallel to the reef or the mainland.
• To enter the water and get back on board, follow the crew's instructions.
• To enter the water and get back on board, follow the crew's instructions. Vertical currents, typical of walls, pull the person downwards or push them upwards. In case of a downward current, stay as close as possible to the reef and, if necessary, hold onto the wall. In this case, you need to inflate the BCD to maintain the desired depth. However, always keep an eye on your depth. With an upward current, you must descend head down, using your fins to help. • Pay close attention to the briefing and ask for more information if you haven't understood everything. • Bring your own personal surface marker buoy ("deployable") about 1.5 m long with a closed circuit system and equipped with reflective material (e.g. Seareq). • Use a spool for the surface marker buoy. • Also bring a whistle or air signaler and a mirror; some marker buoys have a special pocket for these signaling tools. • Adopt the most hydrodynamic configuration possible. • Maintain a horizontal position to save energy. • Take into account the higher air consumption. • Take advantage of areas with little current near the bottom, by the walls, or behind rocks. • During descent or ascent, use aids such as current lines, anchor chains, etc. • On the surface, do not swim against the current, but diagonally to it. Wreck Diving Beneath the waves rests a myriad of ships broken by storms or destroyed by human hands. Wrecks offer a dive into history and a dive on sites that have become the new home of corals and colorful fish. • If you are a beginner, dive only on shallow wrecks and without penetration. • In case of current, start the dive in the opposite direction to the current, so you can use it on the way back. • Do not stir up sediment. • Watch out for sharp parts, ropes, nets, etc. • Near wrecks, the compass is not always reliable, so use particular and fixed points to orient yourself.
• To enter the water and get back on board, follow the crew's instructions. Cruises To discover distant and partly little-known places, you need to go on a diving cruise. In addition to enjoying the vastness of the sea, you can dive at sites with breathtaking flora and fauna. Always remember: one hand for yourself and one for the boat. Always hold on with one hand to the lifeline or a railing while walking on deck. Be prepared for a possible emergency: how to behave in case of fire? Where are the first aid kit, the oxygen, and the nearest hospital with a hyperbaric chamber? The hospital may be far away, so after 3 or 4 days, plan a day without diving to keep the risk of a decompression accident low. • Preferably board a boat with a localization system (e.g. Enos). • Have the crew show and explain the rescue equipment and procedures in case of emergency. • If possible, use Nitrox for dives and always consider the MOD. • Bring your own personal surface marker buoy ("deployable") about 1.5 m long with a closed circuit system and equipped with reflective material (e.g. Seareq). • Use a spool for the surface marker buoy. • Also bring a whistle or air horn and a mirror; some buoys have a special pocket for these signaling tools. • To enter the water and get back on board, follow the crew's instructions. • After entering the water, move away from the boat to make room for other divers. • When resurfacing, pay attention to boat traffic and boat ladders. • Do not stand under the ladder if it is being used by another person. Night dives With the sunset, the underwater world is also enveloped in darkness. Nocturnal animals now appear in the light of torches in all their splendor. • Always dive with your own torch and make sure it is charged. • Always carry a backup torch. • Agree on underwater signals. • Do not stir up sediment. • Stay close to your dive buddy. • If you lose your dive buddy: briefly cover your torch to see your buddy's light. Special dives For dives in the Arctic and Antarctic or other cold waters, in addition to having a certification for ice diving, you must also have some experience in cold waters. It is advisable to obtain this certification and gain experience in Swiss lakes before leaving. Furthermore, for these dives you should use two first stages and two independent second stages. The following dives also require special training and experience: wreck dives with penetration, deep dives, cave dives, nitrox, trimix, rebreather, sidemount. Diving with children Get well informed about diving with children before enrolling your children in a course. Choose a diving center with qualified instructors and equipment for children. In addition, children's dives should only be carried out in conditions similar to those found in a swimming pool. For the duration and depth of dives, follow the recommendations of SUHMS and the standards of diving organizations (cmas.ch, divessi.com or padi.com). Diving injuries Many people lose their lives every year while diving. Follow the standards and safety rules of diving organizations and always dive with a buddy. Wounds and barotrauma Most injuries are caused by boats, rocks, animals, and stinging structures. Barotrauma are pressure differences that cause injuries to body structures containing air (especially the middle ear, sinuses, and lungs). Decompression accidents Decompression accidents are due to gas bubbles formed by excessive accumulation of nitrogen/helium or by rupture of the alveolar wall if you ascend too quickly. They cause damage to vital body structures. If the following symptoms appear during or after a dive, immediately call for first aid and assistance in diving accidents: • tingling. • redness of the skin and itching. • pain in muscles and joints (bends). • deterioration of perceptual ability or numbness. • symptoms of paralysis. • severe dizziness. • excessive fatigue. • disturbances of consciousness. In case of emergency, take the following first aid measures: • lay the person on a surface as flat as possible and protect them from cold or heat. • administer 100% oxygen with a mask, as soon and as long as possible, even with mild decompression symptoms. • in case of cardiac arrest, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. • give fluids if the person is conscious. • contact an experienced hyperbaric physician. The UPI is the Swiss center of competence for accident prevention at the service of the population. www.upi.ch