Here in the UK all Dive Centres and Dive professionals must work under the Training Frameworks of their chosen training agencies as well as the Health and Safety Executive 

The Health and Safety – Diving at Work Regulations 1997, approved Code of Practise and Guidance.  This document covers both the instruction and guiding of people diving for recreational purposes where at least one person taking part is at work, for example as an instructor 

This regulation applies to all recreational diving projects within the 12-mile limit of territorial waters adjacent to Great Britain.

It applies to us here at Dive Rutland and is fully embedded into EVERYTHING we do.

Where Surface Support is concerned, The Health and Safety Executive say that when a dive professional is working in open water and in the water, that the minimum training dive team should be three, consisting of Surface Support, The Instructor and a Certified Assistant. 

The definition of Surface Support is A person who does not have to be diver but should be familiar with the Dive plan and the arrangements for obtaining assistance in the event of an emergency

This person should be present throughout the time that an instructional team is in the water and ready and able to raise the alarm, if required OR assist with managing any dive incident.

• Is a core member of the Dive Rutland team contributing to the onsite Risk Assessment undertaken at the beginning of each training dive day;
• Keeps assessing and updating the Risk Assessment throughout the Dive Day, reporting to the on-site Dive Rutland in charge instructor if things change;
• Assists with divers whilst they are kitting up and at the end of the day de-kitting, entering and exiting the water;
• Logs divers in and out of the water.  Is the person that EVERY dive team reports to – including dive time and the overall dive plan and then on exiting the water they are met by Surface Support and report back providing all information which is then recorded on the Dive Log;
• Is easily identifiable as they wear the Orange Dive Rutland Surface Support Vest
• Stays at the water’s edge whilst dive teams are in the water so they can provide ANY support to the in-water team as required including actioning the Emergency Action Plan;
• Holds an in-date Emergency Primary and Secondary First Aid Certificate.

Just one more GREAT reason you should learn and train with us here at Dive Rutland, your safety and comfort is important to us

As a working Dive Professional here in the UK you have to be aware of so much more than your agencies training standards, we are bound by the rules and regulations of other bodies such as Swim England and Health and Safety.
 
The Health and Safety – Diving at Work Regulations 1997, approved Code of Practise and Guidance.  This document covers both the instruction and guiding of people diving for recreational purposes where at least one person taking part is at work, for example as an instructor 

This regulation applies to all recreational diving projects within the 12-mile limit of territorial waters adjacent to Great Britain.

One of the rules is about the size of the dive team, so today we thought we would look at one of those specific roles – Surface Support or Surface Cover

​The regulations states that the absolute minimum team size for a dive using recreational techniques is three, one person on the surface and two in the water, so if you are working and do not have this then you AND the Diving Contractor are working outside of HSE.

The Diving Contractor is the Dive Centre OR the independent working instructor.
 
The Diving supervisor is an individual or individual(s) appointed by the Diving Contractor and should be in writing and covering that they are responsible for including but not limited to: -

• To ensure dive goes properly
• Legal
• All requirements of Dive Centre owner are implemented and adhered to
• Dives are logged properly
• Equipment is safe to use
• Ran within training agency standards

The definition of Surface Support is A person who does not have to be diver but should be familiar with the Dive plan and the arrangements for obtaining assistance in the event of an emergency

Your Surface Support should be present throughout the time that an instructional team is in the water and ready and able to raise the alarm, if required OR assist with managing any dive incident.  
 
This means they should be 

• Waterside for the entire time you have divers in the water – not wandering off for a cup of tea or coffee – eyes should be waterfront at all times.
• Log divers in and out of the water via whatever logging system you choose
• Have the means to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency
• Know what the dive time and dive plan are
• Hold some level of First aid qualification

 
How about making your students’ lives easier and provide some good quality customer care and have them assist your divers with

• Kitting up waterside
• Helping divers enter and exit the water

This is a common response when professionals are questioned about not having service support.   Even as a volunteer, if anyone is being paid by the student then you are 'at work' and HSE rules apply

​Yes, you do, our inland quarries generally supply an emergency evacuation process for divers within their quarries but that is NOT surface support, and they are not obliged to offer an emergency service.

First, congratulations on becoming a PADI Professional! Now, are you ready for the next challenge? YES?! 

Why did you choose to become a Divemaster?  Was it the personal challenge? Was it that you have a career in mind? Whatever the reason, it is  "Well Done and go for it", here at Dive Rutland,  we wish you well and are here if you want any help or guidance.

Below we have given you just a few ideas of what you could do moving forward, there are many more.

That is the most common way of using your newly acquired dive skills. Whether it’s a part-time job , seasonal adventure in the tropics, or a full-time position in a dive center, your main focus is to give an underwater tour to already certified divers or help instructors with the logistics and student's supervision. 

Here in the UK an instructor can not work without a certified assistant as we work under Health and Safety Exec.

You could do your Discover Scuba Diver Leader uplift or take the step to Assistant Instructor or straight to Instructor.  Here at Dive Rutland with our Professional staff and Course Director you can take any step you like.

Taking those next steps increases your chances of employment and gives you many more options.  In many popular dive destinations (like Indonesia, Maldives, Honduras, Thailand) you need a special visa to be able to work and those are mostly granted to instructors. ​

Many organisations will look for skilled, experienced divers just like you. This way you can progress your diving, gain further knowledge about marine life, and contribute to ocean conservation. Often you get food, accommodation, and of course, diving included. 

In the last decade the growth of the ‘superyacht industry’ increased positions for Divemasters and Instructors. However, these jobs often require additional boating qualifications like the STCW95 and can involve 80 percent deckhand/cleaning/maintenance work to 20 percent diving-related work. On a plus side, it will probably be the best-paid divemaster job ever and tax-free.

With the increased power of social media, there is a massive demand for underwater photographers. We don’t know a dive center that doesn’t have one. It’s a great source of income and the minimum required certification for that position is usually Divemaster

​While it might not be a dream come true for a newly graduated and excited Divemaster, you will still be surrounded by incredible marine life. It is a great option if you are still studying at university, need additional income, or are stuck in a landlocked location craving to blow some bubbles and we have instructors who have gone on to work at Aquariums such as Bear Grylls at Birmingham

​As a Divemaster, you are way more experienced than most recreational divers therefore you can provide others with your expertise on dive equipment, dive trips, and dive courses. 

​It’s sort of like a tour leader but for divers. By the time you’ve done your training, you should have an idea, how to run and supervise a dive trip. A great way to earn some extra cash and travel to top diving destinations is by organising dive trips for a group of certified divers. 

Get in touch and talk with us, let us know what it is you are trying to achieve and we will map out a training plan for YOU,

A stable platform is the most important skill in diving at any level and in any piece of dive equipment.  It is probably the skill that takes the longest to learn, in the early days of learning to dive the most frustrating, particularly, if in a Drysuit. It is a skill that we relearn the most often.
Every time we change our equipment configuration, or the diving environment, or the skills we are learning and mastering, in fact, sometimes buoyancy control just needs a little fine-tuning, but when you change a lot of things, it can take a lot of time to perfect.
 
So, whether you are still getting it right for the first time or fine tuning your skills you should PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE

Compensating for poor buoyancy by wafting your arms or hands around, kicking your legs, constantly swimming to stay buoyant doesn’t hide that you are not in control, it just wastes air, takes effort and remember diving should be relaxing!
 
So practice and be brave.  Keep trying to be still or moving slowly while controlling your position in the water.  Make a mess of it, who cares, you are at least trying to do something about it and practise makes perfect after all.

So how to improve buoyancy, remember back to your open water dives, where you had to hover for a period of time, or if you did your Drysuit speciality you had to hover, while you were probably looking at some object.  This is a visual reference, pick a spot, look at it and concentrate on not moving, trying to stay level with that spot
 
Then become less reliant on that reference and start to feel neutral / natural buoyancy.  Take your eyes of the spot and continue to try and maintain position.  Use your ears as a guide, they give you lots of clues, but more than that you can feel the water buoying you up and when you breath in and out you will feel the gentle rise and fall, once truly cracked there will be no movement at all!

Complete a Peak Performance Course - it does not matter if you have done one before! or have a Boost 121 session with a diving professional

Then is the time to practise with other pieces of equipment, such as a DSMB
 
Now importantly do not forget about balance.  If your kit is well setup and your buoyancy is good, you should be able to move fairly easily even if in bulky technical kit.  
 
Good buoyancy control allows you to pivot on your balance point, which is generally somewhere around your midpoint.  This balance allows you to dive in a flat / skydiving position, but easily allow you to adjust your position if entering caves or caverns (subject to be qualified to do so).

Make adjustments slowly and methodically.  So, if you do need to adjust your kit, make a note of what you are doing and what effect it has in the water.  Don’t forget it can take a little time to relax into a new kit configuration and what felt difficult on the first dive may improve with time.  Take baby steps.  Add new equipment a little at a time.  

IF you are changing to twins for the first time, it’s easier if the rest of your kit (Drysuit, baselayer etc.) is the same as normal and also if the environment you are diving in is familiar.  

​A new suit, new cylinder configuration plus DSMB’s, Reels, torches etc. maybe one step to far and always learn new skills with qualified professionals.

I remember the first time on my twinset, it was not a comfortable experience and until 2019 was one that I only did when I truly had to, but then I found an instructor and a buddy who wanted to learn more about the technical world and we spent time working together to resolve the issues, practising (as well as changing equipment!).  but in the end we had a great week diving Scapa Flow, it was comfortable diving.  

​It just shows you need to keep practising and finding the RIGHT instructor is also part of the package and we are still on our technical journey - watch our social media.

As with buoyancy you need to practice and not just by swimming around.  Practise skills, drills and using your new equipment until it is easy.  Usually the skills you like the least are the ones you need to practise the most.
 
Take it slowly at first.  The first step when doing a new skill, or a skill in new kit, is to think through and plan each step.  Visualise what it is you are going to do.
 
Once underwater, TAKE YOUR TIME when practising new skills and work with your instructor to achieve if doing for the very first time.  Check / correct your buoyancy and depth between each step.  Once you have done it a few times you will find that you move much easier and the skill completion will be much quicker.  
 
New equipment or new combinations of equipment can take time to master.  Auxiliary equipment such as an DSMB you will not necessarily use on every dive, so always when possible take time to practise.

The NEW Suunto EON Steel Black is on its way and now available for pre-order

The Suunto EON Steel Black comes with Suunto  Fused™ RGBM 2 and Buhlmann 16 GF algorithms. This gives technical divers the possibility to choose their dive algorithm:  Suunto Fused™ RGBM 2 or Suunto version of Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors, allowing  them to match dive profiles with other dive team members’ devices

The new Suunto Fused™ RGBM 2 (Software update already available for “existing” Eon Steel devices) dive algorithm provides better possibility to deep air diving and repetitive diving​
Gives divers an option to choose from continuous or stepped ascent mode in both algorithms – Suunto is the only dive computer manufacturer who gives continuous ascent mode for Bühlmann.

Wireless connectivity with Suunto App and Suunto Tank Pods.  Suunto App is the digital logbook for divers. Dives can easily be transferred via Bluetooth to your mobile where the user enrich the dive data by adding comments, pictures and dive location.

The Suunto EON Steel Black now comes in a hard case. This allows the user to store their unit safely when not using. The outer sleeve has also been updated, with the EON Steel Black standing out against the white background, catching the consumers eye. On the sleeve side, it's features are clearly marked.
 
What's in the case?

• Suunto EON Steel Black
• Protective Boot
• Bungee cord and adapters
• Scratch guard
• International warranty leaflet
• Safety and regualtion leaflet
• Quick guide
• Suunto sticker

Anyone who knows us here at Dive Rutland will be aware that we are 100% Project Aware.  We have embedded the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra fully into everything that we and occasionally it slows down some of our activities as we beg, borrow and steal (ok steal - not literally).

It also slowed down our application to become a PADI Green Star dive centre as we did not want to just tick a box, we wanted the entire ethos and philosophy to be truly embedded from policy to procedure, from idea inception to full delivery of any project no matter how small or big.  Our training and teachings to not only 'talk the talk' but to 'walk the walk'

But we are please to be announce that TODAY we have been awarded the PADI Green Star Award.

The PADI Green Star™ Dive Center Award is granted to PADI Dive Centers and Resorts that demonstrate a dedication to conservation across a wide range of business functions, including water conservation, energy use, environmentally friendly transportation practices, use of sustainable materials, conservation leadership and a donation to conservation through Project AWARE. The Green Star Award identifies dive businesses that care about the environment and are acting to protect it.