Palm | Kelapa Sawit

Channel NewsAsia 7 Jan 13;

SINGAPORE: Safety regulations have been launched for recreational diving, which is becoming more popular, to ensure that enthusiasts are able to enjoy the sport in a safe and responsible manner.

They cover areas such as the roles and responsibilities of participants, best practices for dive masters and diving instructors, as well as safety requirements for diving activities.

The regulations were launched by the Singapore Standards Council and the National Water Safety Council (NWSC) on Monday.

Chairman of the NWSC, Dr Teo Ho Pin, said recreational diving incidents can be prevented with better understanding and rigorous safety requirements.

As part of ongoing efforts to make the sport safer, Singapore Underwater Federation will launch a certification programme called DiveSafer in April 2013 for operators.

Consumers will be encouraged to use the services of operators who are certified.

-CNA/ac

Accreditation of dive operators, safety guidelines for enthusiasts
Kimberly Spykerman Today Online 8 Jan 13;

SINGAPORE - Dive enthusiasts can soon choose their dive operators more wisely. From April, the Singapore Underwater Federation will start the accreditation of dive operators, looking at criteria, such as their diving and medical equipment, as well as the practices of their instructors. The move has been cheered by industry players.

Dive operator Eddy Neo said: "We want a general standard in the industry so that it not only makes dive operators in Singapore aware of what all of us should be doing but also educate the public, those who want to take up diving, to be more aware and give them more knowledge on who they choose to learn diving from."

Although an increasingly popular sport, recreational diving is still unregulated here.

But the Singapore Standards Council and the National Water Safety Council put out a set of safety guidelines yesterday in the hope that it would shore up safety standards.

Among the guidelines in a handbook called the Technical Reference for Recreational Diving are a standardised pre-dive medical screening checklist for participants and recommendations on the standards of medical equipment operators should have.

The guidelines were compiled after studies on international standards for scuba diving and snorkelling.

KIMBERLY SPYKERMAN

Guidelines to keep recreational divers safe
Melody Zaccheus Straits Times 8 Jan 13;

RECREATIONAL divers here now have new guidelines to keep them safe, and most dive operators said they are keen to adopt them.

The guide, introduced by the Singapore Standards Council and the National Water Safety Council (NWSC), outlines the roles and responsibilities of and safety requirements for divers and operators.

For instance, it stipulates that staff-to-diver ratio should be one to five if the divers have done fewer than 10 dives. Previously, such a ratio was never standardised across operators.

The councils said a set of standards will hopefully keep the popular sport's accident rate low and ensure consumers know the safety standards to expect of operators.

NWSC chairman Teo Ho Pin, who launched the guide yesterday, encouraged the diving community to adopt the new standards. "It's in the interest of the various stakeholders to take ownership and to exercise responsibility," he said.

Recreational diving is a dive to a maximum depth of 30m for leisure. The new code does not apply to diving at work, which has its own standards.

Industry players welcomed it, saying it could help address the issue of freelance instructors who cut corners to keep costs low. "It will make sure freelance operators missing a storefront don't skimp on the necessary," said Mr Eddy Neo, 36, owner of Ren Scubaworx.

There are about 80 operators and 30,000 divers here.

A new certification scheme, DiveSafer, to accredit operators based on the new guidelines, will be launched in April.

Singapore Underwater Federation (SUF), the national sports authority for diving and underwater activities, will take charge of certifying and auditing operators, and will list accredited ones on its website.

SUF president Song Shing Hae said the certification programme will better allow the federation to check if operators are complying with standards.

Other certification schemes, such as the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, will still be recognised here.

Diving enthusiast Hansen Ng, 23, an undergraduate, believes the new standards will clear up the murky waters surrounding dubious businesses in operation and make the decision-making process easier.

"It is important operators adhere to guidelines because even the most minute protocols can affect the safety of a diver in such a high-risk sport."