DATELINE: 2 April, 2002

COASTGUARD ISSUE SAFETY WARNING AS UK DIVE SEASON KICKS OFF
Easter was the first big dive outing of the year for many UK divers. Falmouth Coastguard were called out to three incidents in 24 hours, and warned that inexperience is leading to an increase in accidents.
Entanglement with delayed SMBs and loss of buoyancy control seems to have caused the incidents, but more concerning for the Coastguard is that in two cases, divers did not contact them in the first instance, and in one case, divers contacted a distant Coastguard station rather than the local one.
Simon Rabett, Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager said after the latest incident; "Our concerns have been increased due to a minority of divers not being aware of the correct emergency procedures to follow when confronted by an unplanned dive related incident.
"We would wish to stress that the Coastguard is the main point of contact in a diving emergency. When an incident occurs, it is recognised that time is of the essence to ensure the diver is not affected in the long term by any problems he/she may have encountered either below or on return to the surface. The Coastguard understands those concerns and has in place tried and tested procedures to bring assistance to the individual in the fastest possible time."

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