INFO SHEETS > LEAD, SUPERVISE
The diving director
Key elements
A dive director must bepresent on the spotlaunching or immersion of the dive group.
The dive is placed under the responsibility of a dive director (Art. A322-72of the Sport Code) which sets the characteristics of the dive and forms the dive groups.
Understand: dive management must be ensured from start to finish from the launch to the return of all the dive groups, whether by the dive director himself or by a person to whom he has delegated this mission (if he dives, the time of his dive) while remaining responsible for it.
Dive Director Minimum Qualifications:annex III-15aof the Sports Code.
The sport code specifies that the practice of diving is placed under the responsibility of a diving directorpresent on the spotfor launching or immersing the team (art. A322-72sports code).
AIR DIVES
General case:
The diving director (DP) is at least a level 3 teacher (E3 – MF1, BEES1). He directs the air dives carried out between 0 and 60 m.
Special cases :
- In an artificial environment (6 m deep pool at most), the DP can be a level 1 teacher (E1 – Club initiator).
- In the natural environment on a voluntary basis for exploration dives only, he can be a level 5 diver (P5).
NITROX DIVES
- General case: The DP is an E3 instructor holding the PN-C qualification (Confirmed Nitrox Diver).
- Special case: the DP can be a P5 diver holding the PN-C qualification (Confirmed Nitrox Diver), on a voluntary basis, if there are only exploration dives and the dive takes place in a natural environment.
TRIMIX (HELIOX) DIVES
The DP must be:
- E3 (MF1, BEES1) + PTH-120 up to 40 m in teaching and up to 70 m in exploration with trimix (heliox)
- E4 (MF2, BEES2, DEJEPS, DESJEPS) + PTH-120 for all trimix (heliox) dives
MISSIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The DP assumes 6 responsibilities or missions:
- He is technically responsible for the organization.
- He is responsible for the arrangements to be made to ensure the safety of divers.
- He is responsible for triggering emergency services.
- It ensures the application of the rules and procedures in force.
- It fixes the characteristics of the dive.
- He draws up a safety record.
CAN THE DP DIVE?
French regulations do not prohibit DPs from diving. But his role and his responsibilities remain intact: in particular, he must ensure that the conditions for safety and for the triggering of emergency services in case of necessity are met.
SURFACE SURVEILLANCE
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HOW CAN THE DP ASSESS THE SKILLS OF DIVERS?
The diver justifies, with the dive director, his abilities, in particular by presenting a certificate or diploma and, if necessary, a dive log allowing his experience to be evaluated.
In the absence of this justification, the dive director organizes the evaluation of the skills of the person concerned at the end of one or more dives.
QUESTIONS ANSWERS
An associative club hires the services of a commercial structure on the coast to organize an outing with its members. Who can be the dive director? A monitor from the associative club or necessarily a monitor from the commercial structure that welcomes them?
The regulations do not give any details on this subject, so both cases are possible. If we consider that the most important thing is to know the dive sites, then it is better that it is a dive director of the commercial structure of reception. If we consider that the most important thing is to know the divers (and my preference goes to this situation), then the DP must be an instructor of the associative club, it is up to him to define with the pilot of the boat the characteristics of the site whose he needs.The agreement signed with the provider must be very clear on this point.
Can there be several DPs on the same boat, each DP being in charge of its own divers (eg 2 associative clubs having hired the services of a commercial structure with also customers of the commercial structure on board)?
Those who say no cannot put forward any argument because the sports code does not specify this case. Consequently, nothing prohibits it. There must then be as many safety sheets as there are DPs and each DP must be fully responsible for his scope of responsibilities.
Le DP peut-il “déposer” ses plongeurs sur le lieu de mise à l’eau, partir un peu plus loin s’occuper d’autres plongeurs puis revenir sur le lieu de départ ?
Fortunately, this practice hardly exists. It reflects a lack of professionalism and does not correspond at all to the spirit of the sports code.
Par “un directeur de plongée est present on the spot de mise à l’eau ou d’immersion de la palanquée” comprendre :
A dive director must be present at the dive site, from launching to returning to the boat;
If the dive director submerges (which is possible) he must do everything possible to ensure surface safety, which is impossible if the vessel moves significantly away from the dive site.
Source:
- Sports code:Item A322-72
© Extract fromPleasure Diving booksby Alain Foret at Editions GAP.
Any reproduction prohibited on any medium whatsoever without the written consent of the publisher and the author.
