Dive Safety Information
Your Safety at Thresher Shark Divers
At Thresher Shark Divers we take your safety very seriously. Although we make every effort to ensure you have as much fun as possible, your safety and good health are our main priorities.
Our safety record is unblemished and we have had over 10,000 divers over the years who have done 100,000+ individual dives. We have never had a serious accident of any kind while doing any activities, including recreational and technical diving. This is not just luck, and we do not expect that to change!
- We ensure you have safe dive profiles, and always stay well within computer limits.
- We have top quality name-brand equipment that is serviced regularly, replaced regularly, and kept well maintained.
- We carry emergency medical oxygen and a first aid kit on our boats, with large 50L tanks for the day trips (the small kits that most boats use won’t supply enough for the trip home) and have a plentiful supply of oxygen at the dive shop.
- We are an accredited member of PCSSD, the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving. All members must prove they adhere to safe diving practices.
- Clean air. Our air is checked regularly by an independent U.S. company for contaminants. In addition, PCSSD conducts annual checks on our air quality. So you can be assured you are getting clean fills and our certificates are on display in the dive shop. Every one of our checks since we opened show our air to be 100% free of contaminants.
- The nearest recompression chamber is in Cebu. It is a 24 hour facility, extremely well run by excellent doctors and operators. In the unlikely event of an accident, PCSSD provide our customers with priority access to the chamber at discounted cost. However, the safety record of Thresher Shark Divers is impeccable and we do not think this will be a problem for you.
- In the unlikely event you need to go to Cebu we can get you there quickly, using helicopter evacuation if necessary.
- All diving staff including boat staff and shop staff are trained in first aid and CPR – and are PADI Emergency First Responders. All our instructors can teach Emergency First Response and we also have two Emergency First Response Instructor Trainers on staff.
So rest assured, you will not need to worry about your safety when you come diving with us!
Dive insurance.
We strongly advise everyone to get dive insurance. DAN (Divers Alert Network) and DiveAssure are two excellent options. You can get annual or short term trip insurance on both.
Safe Diving Tips presented by DAN Asia-Pacific, Your Buddy in Dive Safety.
Thresher Shark Divers is proud to support DAN Asia-Pacific (DAN AP). The Divers Alert Network (DAN) is a global network of not-for-profit, member-based, dive safety organizations working for the safety of all divers through education, research and training.
All diving involves a degree of risk, because, after all, we are air-breathing mammals and are not designed for breathing underwater. If we accept this premise, and admit to ourselves that we are voluntarily entering an alien environment, we are more likely to approach our diving with a sensible degree of caution.
We must also acknowledge that we rely totally on our equipment while diving.
These safety hints apply to ALL dives and should be read in addition to those hints for specific types of diving.
Dive insurance.
We strongly advise everyone to get dive insurance. DAN (Divers Alert Network) and DiveAssure are two excellent options. You can get annual or short term trip insurance on both.
Be Insured!
DAN AP provides Worldwide Emergency Evacuation Coverage and optional Dive Injury (Treatment) Insurance Services for Members. In addition the organization is responsible for funding and/or manning 24-hour diving emergency hotlines throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
DAN AP is a part of the International DAN Federation of Dive Safety Organizations with worldwide Membership presently exceeding 300,000. Wherever members live or dive around the world they have peace of mind knowing that DAN is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week to assist in the event of an accident/illness.
Why is it so important that as Divers we are protected with DAN Membership & Dive Injury (Treatment) Insurance? It’s all about being prepared for the unexpected, namely dive accidents and illnesses. It’s essential that divers have a reputable organization to call that will be able to co-ordinate a rescue effort and get them to the most appropriate treatment for their injury or illness. And then there is the issue of cost. DAN protection ensures the diver will not be lumbered with the burden of a potentially hefty invoice in the event of an accident or illness.
An Example In 2007 DAN was involved in the evacuation of a paralysed diver from the Solomon Islands to Australia. The evacuation cost was around AUD$90,000 (as an aircraft had to be sourced from far away). In addition, the treatment costs were in excess of US$30,000, plus on-going expenses.
The essence of DAN Membership & Dive Injury (Treatment) Insurance is about being prepared. DAN offers members peace-of-mind, which comes from knowing they have the experts in diver accident management to call in the event of a diving accident or illness. To learn more about DAN, or to become a member, visit Divers Alert Network.
12 SAFE DIVE TIPS
Be trained by a recognized agency.
Be sure that you are physically fit for diving.
Be sure that you are medically fit for diving.
Complete safety stops on all dives that exceed 10m depth.
Safety stops assist with reduction of excess nitrogen, which reduces the risk of DCI.
They also slow your ascent rate, by forcing you to stop for a period of time. The rule of thumb is 3-5 minutes at 5-6 metres. An additional deeper stop may sometimes be beneficial after deeper dives.
Thoroughly prepare and check your gear prior to diving.
You rely totally on your equipment while underwater.
Choose dives that match your training, experience and confidence.
Dive within your comfort zone on all dives.
Listen to your inner voice.
If you do not feel right while underwater, or you feel that you have exceeded your comfort level, abort the dive.
Watch your ascent rate on all dives.
Always dive with a buddy.
Your safety and your enjoyment will be enhanced by being with a companion while underwater.
Plan your dive.
You and your buddy should agree on depth, time, air cut-off, and safety stops.
Plan your dive so you surface with a minimum of 50bar.
Don’t look at it as wasted air, but as insurance against the possibility of some emergency that causes your air consumption to increase.
Take it easy if needed.
If you have had a layoff from diving, or you have been unwell, do some easier dives to regain your confidence and skill.
Revise your skills regularly.
Practice such survival skills as mask-clearing, regulator removal, and air-sharing regularly.
Log your dives.
A record of your diving history may come in very handy should you ever seek higher levels of training.
Diving Emergencies
As divers, we hope to never find ourselves in need of emergency medical assistance as a result of a diving accident. However, statistics highlight that accidents do happen, even to the most experienced divers, so we should all have a plan of action that will prepare us for the unexpected.
As we all know many of the world’s top dive destinations are in remote areas that are difficult to access and often result in significant costs in terms of emergency evacuation and subsequent medical treatment. Therefore, we strongly recommend that all divers be adequately covered for such a contingency. And remember, if you are prepared for the unexpected you can focus on what’s most important … enjoying your diving!
Diving Medical Questions - DAN Doc
Do you have any diving medical related questions?
Do you have any concerns about the effects of diving?
Find answers to many common and less common questions relating to diving medical issues.