New regulations for Red Sea boats

[Mark Powell]

From Divernet news

New rules brought in by the Red Sea Association for Diving and Watersports have set stricter requirements for liveaboard and day diving charter boats, and the divers who holiday aboard them.

The rules cover ratios of dive guides to diving guests, surface cover, guide qualifications, guest experience and certification, and equipping of guides and guests alike.

They come in the wake of a number of diving incidents, culminating in a serious emergency last summer off the Brother Islands. A group of 12 divers, including a dive guide, were lost and drifted 26 miles during 13 hours in the sea.

They were picked up after dark when a boat spotted their waved torches. Two of the hypothermic divers would probably not have survived the whole night at sea.
Under the new rules, all Red Sea liveaboard dive charter boats need to provide:

- One guide for every eight guests;
- One guide for surface support and supervision, which effectively means that all dives away from the main vessel require continuous small-boat cover;
- All guides possessing a valid Red Sea Association professional ID card;
-All guides carrying an SMB, reflective mirror, strobe and torch.

Guests on such holidays will need to:
- Show evidence of at least 50 logged dives;
- Each carry an SMB and, within buddy pairs, possess at least one torch, even on morning dives;
- Possess medical certification of fitness to dive, issued less than one year before the start of the trip;
- Possess diving accident insurance from a "reputable company".

Meanwhile all day-diving boats need to provide:
- One guide for every ten divers, where the divers have at least 25 loggeddives;
- One guide for every six divers, where divers have fewer than 25 loggeddives;
- All guides possessing a valid Red Sea Association professional ID card.

Day-diving guests will need to:
- Present diving logbook and agency certification;
- Possess medical certification and accident insurance, as above.

Before the introduction of the new rules, charters in designated marine park areas only were subject to "clearly spelled out regulations", says the Red Sea Association. The 1:8 guide-to-guest ratio was specified, along with the requirement that guests had logged at least 50 dives.

The association would welcome comments on the new regulations from dive charter guests or boat operators. Divers can also contact the organisation if they see any practice they think breaks the rules.

[Rod]

All souinds reasonably sensible to me. However will it be stuck to and will it be Policed?

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by Rod

All souinds reasonably sensible to me. However will it be stuck to and will it be Policed?

And can the Association stop boats from operating?

[Conor]

It makes sense, but I'm a little concerned by what is meant by medical certification? will this mean self cert?

I'm surprised to hear about the marine parks requiring one guide for every eight divers. On recent liveaboards we have only had one per 14. The new rules would mean that we would need 3 guides on the same boat, which must push up the costs.

[Odin]

On Hurricane last year we had 1 guide for 22!!!!
So...where are the extra guides going to sleep/how much will the trips increase in cost to pay for them/where are all the good guides????

[Phoenix]

Sounds like overkill, what about those of us who don't carry logbooks? I log my dives on a spreadsheet for my own benefit, I don't want to have to lug a laptop onto a boat to "prove" (how exactly?) my diving history.

Ian

[Getafix]

Most of it seems workable from the guests point of view.I already have all the bits needed when i go on a liveaboard,except the yearly medical,which is a bit of an aggravation,but nothing too difficult to sort out.2 yearly would seem a touch fairer though.

The extra guides would put costs up,so i think that may cause problems with the operators.And there would be less guests on board due to the cabin spaces to share out those costs.

But as others say.......will it be enforced? They already do not enforce the present Marine park rules with 50 logged dives and 1:8 guide to guest as specified by the Red sea association anyway.

Alan

[Tony F]

Guests on such holidays will need to:
- Show evidence of at least 50 logged dives;

Hmmm...... that's a bit silly isn't it?

While I'm generally in favour of most of the above at face value that aspect would mean a lot of relatively new divers will be unable to dive. Considering that the Red Sea IMHO is possibly 'THE' place to progress as a new diver that has serious implications.

[Tony F]

Originally Posted by Tony F

Hmmm...... that's a bit silly isn't it?

While I'm generally in favour of most of the above at face value that aspect would mean a lot of relatively new divers will be unable to dive. Considering that the Red Sea IMHO is possibly 'THE' place to progress as a new diver that has serious implications.

Re-reading the original post leads me to wonder if the above is only for livaboards with 25 dives being the requirement for day boats.

Although my remark still holds I think.

[Gavin Smith]

Originally Posted by Tony F

Hmmm...... that's a bit silly isn't it?

While I'm generally in favour of most of the above at face value that aspect would mean a lot of relatively new divers will be unable to dive. Considering that the Red Sea IMHO is possibly 'THE' place to progress as a new diver that has serious implications.

or a lot of faked log books.