How to be safe when making sea dives

June 29, 2018

The United Kingdom - various opportunities for sea diving

Summertime has finally arrived in the northern hemisphere which now provides the opportunity for all those keen scuba divers to head to the sea for some amazing diving experiences. With approximately 17,820 km of coast line the United Kingdom (UK) has to be one of places in Europe with the most opportunities for sea diving. The marine environment rivals some of the best in the world, offering a fascinating range of wrecks and wildlife for scuba divers around the coastlines to enjoy:
  • The southern coastline of the UK is literally littered with historical wrecks.
  • The north east coastline is the home to some amazing scenery and marine life.
  • The Farne Islands are home to thousands of grey seals and each autumn hundreds of pups are born here.
  • Scapa Flow, is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland in which following the German defeat in WWI, 74 ships of the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet were scuttled here, making it a mecca for wreck lovers.

It is easy to see the attraction for scuba divers!

What many scuba divers might be unaware of are the potential hazards that UK diving can present. For scuba divers who have made their training around the inland dive sites or in warm water holiday resorts, the UK diving presents some challenges that they need to be prepared for in order to reduce the risks of accidents. With the right training, experience, equipment and conditions, scuba diving in the UK and Ireland can be phenomenal. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is an organisation that protects and patrols the UK coastline. The volunteer lifeboat crews provide a 24-hour rescue service in the UK and Ireland, and the seasonal lifeguards look after people on busy beaches. RNLI crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,200 lives since 1824 but they are more than a rescue service. They influence, supervise and educate people too. The Community Safety teams explain the risks and share safety knowledge with anyone going out to sea or to the coast. Their international teams work with like-minded organisations to help tackle drowning in communities at risk all around the world. There are over 350 lifeboats in the RNLI fleet based at stations around the UK and Ireland. Between them, RNLI lifeboats cover 30,000 kilometers of coastline and some busy inland stretches of water. The RNLI lifeboats are divided into two categories: all-weather lifeboats and inshore lifeboats. The different lifeboat classes within these categories means we can reach people in all kinds of situations and locations.

SSI UK Launches the Sea Survival Course

If you’re in danger at sea, knowing what to do can make the difference between life and death. That's why the RNLI, in partnership with SSI developed the Sea Survival course . Produced in conjunction with the British Diving Safety Group (BDSG), this course provides divers with essential open sea diving survival skills. You could be rescued more quickly or may not even need rescuing if you have the right diving survival skills and kit. The Sea Survival course will provide you with the skills and knowledge to survive.

What skills will you gain?

The SSI Sea Survival course covers:
  • Dive planning
  • Dive preparation
  • Navigation and safety equipment on dive boats
  • Diving in low-visibility conditions
  • How to deal with out-of-air emergencies
  • Use of surface marker buoys (SMBs)
  • Ways of calling for help
  • How to deal with an emergency on the surface.
The Sea Survival Course is now available through SSI diving centers in UK and we aim to roll the program out worldwide in the near future.

Be smart, get trained and dive safe.