Managing the quick recovery of drifting divers

SDI/TDI Dive Centre Mike and Ball Dive Expeditions are to be congratulated on a recent Case Study by the Queensland Workplace Health & Safety Department on ‘Managing the quick recovery of drifting divers”. Through their innovative and proactive approach to diver safety MBDE have been highlighted by the Regulator as a leader in the Recreational Diving Industry and SDI/TDI are pleased to be able to acknowledge and pass on this praise.

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions (MBDE) has been operating in Queensland since 1969 offering extended diving trips for certificated divers. The dive sites visited are often more than 160 kilometres off the Cairns coastline, in remote locations or involve deep and technical diving.
Due to the type of diving experiences and remote locations offered there is also an increased risk of ‘missing diver’ events caused by drifting. Dive sites suited to experienced divers are often associated with strong currents that may cause divers to drift away from the vessel after surfacing from a dive.
Divers that drift away from the vessel are at risk of drowning, dehydration, hypothermia and marine animal injuries.
MBDE has implemented two innovative dive safety systems to aid in the quick recovery of divers who have drifted away from the vessel to better control the risk of losing a diver:

1. Each diver is provided with a Marine Rescue Radio (MRR) with GPS which allows VHF radio communications.
2. MBDE has also developed a Lost Diver Buoy (LDB) system.

These systems form part of MBDE’s Safe SCUBA System, a safety management system that emphasises incident prevention through environmental and customer assessment, supervision and monitoring and training and advice.

To read more about the Case Study go to: www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/mike-ball-case-study.pdf

Find about more about diving with Mike Ball Dive Expeditions see www.mikeball.com