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Regulations
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Scuba Diving Regulations
Contents
Qualifications
Divers and Dive Leaders must be at least 18 years old and present the following documents:
- Diving certification card from a recognised agency that allows the
person to dive without supervision in open water.
- Log book validating open water diving experience of at least 900
minutes, excluding training dives.
- Occupational diving medical certificate to Australian Standard 2299. The medical must be dated within 12 months of diving at Lizard Island and issued by a medical practitioner who has completed specific courses as outlined by the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society. Few medical practitioners outside Australia have done the listed courses so it is normally necessary to have the medical done in Australia.
- Evidence of current training in first aid, including CPR. Australian
first aid certificates are good for three years.
- Evidence of current training in administration of medical oxygen.
The course provided by Divers Alert Network is acceptable. Oxygen
training must be updated every year in Australia.
- Completed Lizard Island Research Station diver registration form.
A check-out dive may be required for people who have not dived within the last six months; there is a charge for this. The Diving Officer may impose restrictions on a diver's activities on the basis of his/her logged experience. Additional requirements may be imposed by the Diving Officer for diving by groups including undergradute student groups, research projects that utilise volunteer divers obtained through an organisation such as Earthwatch, and special interest groups.
Equipment
The following equipment must be carried by each diver unless specifically exempted by the Diving Officer:
- Mask, snorkel, fins
- Buoyancy compensator with both oral and power inflation
- Watch or other submersible time-keeper
- Depth gauge
- Tank contents gauge
- Secondary air source, e.g. octopus regulator
- Diver safety kit comprising chemical lightstick, inflatable safety 'sausage' and whistle. These kits are available for loan and for sale at the Station.
Dive tables and computers
- Use of the DCIEM dive tables is mandatory as they are the only ones allowed for repetitive diving by the relevant Australian Standard (AS 2299). Copies of these tables are available at the Station.
- Dive computers may be used for your own information, but you must still work out your dives manually using the tables and stay within the adjusted DCIEM no-decompression limits (see below).
- Because Lizard Island is several hours away from the nearest recompression chamber in Townsville, maximum no-decompression bottom times must be reduced to comply with AS 2299. A table showing the reduced limits is available at the Station.
- If you do three or more dives a day on three consecutive days, the DCIEM tables require a 24 hour surface interval after the third day.
- Multilevel dives can be calculated using the DCIEM tables. This can extend bottom time for deeper dives considerably but several important conditions must be observed. For all dives on which bottom time will be calculated using the DCIEM multi-level protocol, the calculations must be checked and approved by the Diving Officer prior to the dive taking place.
Dive teams
1. A normal dive team comprises two or more qualified divers and a boat person. One of the divers is to be nominated as the Dive Leader. Divers must dive in groups of two or three and remain within sight of each other throughout the dive. Responsibilities of Divers and Dive Leaders are shown below.
2. Within the shaded area shown on the map, diving without a boat person can take place provided that:
- The Dive Leader determines that low-risk conditions, as defined below, exist at the dive site;
- All Divers agree to dive without a boat person;
- Both boat and divers remain within the shaded area throughout the dive;
- All divers agree to abort the dive at a signal from the Dive Leader if low risk conditions cease to exist;
- The Dive Leader ensures that a 15 m float line is deployed from the boat and that the anchor is checked for security at the beginning of each dive.
- The Diving Officer may cancel this general dispensation at any time.
Low-risk conditions are defined as follows:
- Depth of bottom does not exceed 20 metres
- Swell and/or wave height does not exceed 0.5 metres
- Current is nil to slight (diver can swim against it with minimum exertion)
- Underwater visibility is greater than 4 metres
- Dive starts and ends in full daylight
3.Outside the shaded area, diving without a boat person can only take place with the express permission of the Diving Officer and under the conditions outlined above. This applies only within the Lizard Island Group - dives at other reefs must always have a boat person.
4. Away from the Lizard Island Group, there must be a person who remains on the surface during diving operations and who has the following qualifications and experience:
- Queensland recreational shipmaster's certificate or other Australian state equivalent. No overseas qualification is acceptable.
- Significant experience handling similar craft in conditions similar to those at the proposed dive site.
- Adequate knowledge of the actual boat to be used and of the proposed dive site area, gained under the supervision of a Station staff member or other person approved by a Director of the Station.
- Current first aid certificate (valid for three years only).
- Current oxygen therapy and resuscitation certificate (valid for one year only).
- Familiarisation session with the oxygen equipment provided on Lizard Island Research Station boats.
Dive leader's responsibilities
- Ensuring that the dive team operates within the diving regulations outlined here. A more detailed Diving Operations Manual is available on request.
- Ensuring that all divers and any boat attendant are sufficiently trained and experienced to carry out required tasks safely.
- Ensuring that all divers have understood and signed a risk assessment for the planned dive. Risk assessments are conducted on arrival at LIRS in conjunction with the Diving Officer.
- Discussing the dive plan with team members before each dive.
- Ensuring that a dive flag is flown during each dive.
- Ensuring that details of every diver in the team are entered in the Station's log upon return from each dive.
- Notifying the Diving Officer if planning any of the following: night dives, dives deeper than 20 metres, dives at exposed sites in rough conditions, any variation to the dive team regulations outlined below, any other potentially hazardous dives (e.g. handling dangerous marine animals, cave diving).
- Notifying the Diving Officer of any diving-related injury to any member of the dive team.
- The Dive Leader has additional responsibilities when diving without a boat person (see Diving Regulations)
Diver's responsibilities
- Diving safely within the limits of his/her capabilities. The Dive Leader and/or Diving Officer must be notified of any uncertainties concerning capability.
- Abiding by the LIRS diving regulations and any special conditions imposed by the Diving Officer.
- Being aware of the agreed risk assessment for the dive and complying with agreed risk controls.
- Not diving with faulty equipment.
- Notifying the Dive Leader of any injury sustained while diving.
- Maintaining contact with his/her buddy.
- Being proficient at using dive tables and any dive computers in use.
- Filling in the Station's dive log upon return from each dive.
Prohibited dives
- Decompression dives
- Dives deeper than 30 m
- Dives less than 24 hours before flying
Other considerations
- A safety stop at 5 metres for 5 minutes is recommended for all dives deeper than 9 metres.
- Because of its altitude (360 m), Cook's Look may only be climbed if your repetitive factor has returned to 1.0.
- When planning any strenuous activity (e.g. running, volleyball), consider your nitrogen load.
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