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  SUF 25 Feb 07
Risk management vital concept in training of divers and scuba professionals
Stephen Beng President S.U.F.
Joe Keiser Chairman A.I.S.T.A.

Straits Times Forum 27 Feb 07
Diving deaths: Strange that victim surfaced alone with her dive buddy
Letter from Dawn Lee Peck Hua (Mdm)

Straits Times Forum 27 Feb 07
Was the buddy system strictly followed?
Letter from Alphonsus Chua Kwong Hwee

Straits Times Forum 24 Feb 07
Sting threat on seabed
Letter from Raymond Tham Kon Weng
Adelaide, Australia

Straits Times Forum 24 Feb 07
Raise safety standards for recreational diving
Letter from Dr Gregory Chan Chung Tsing
Vice-President Occupational and Environmental Health Society

Today Online 24 Feb 07
A vigilant buddy, adhering to rules are a diver's best bet against mishaps
Letter from Rick Lim Say Kiong

Electric New Paper 22 Feb 07
Missing Diver: Body Found
Victim badly decomposed. He's identified only from his teeth

Today Online 22 Feb 07
Control the impatience to get that diving certificate
Letter from Mandy Lim

The Straits Times 22 Feb 07
Pulau Hantu tricky for inexperienced divers
Ben Nadarajan

Channel NewsAsia 21 Feb 07
Divers say necessary precautions should be taken before a dive
By Hasnita A Majid

Straits Times 21 Feb 07
Body of diver found on Pulau Hantu coral reef
Ben Nadarajan

Electric New Paper 21 Feb 07
Singaporean Learner Diver Lost Near Pulau Hantu
How did he vanish?
By Arul John

Today Online 21 Feb 07
Missing diver's body found
He was on certification course off Pulau Hantu
Chow Penn Nee

Channel NewsAsia 20 Feb 07
Body of missing diver found in waters off Pulau Hantu
By S Ramesh

SINGAPORE : The body of a missing diver was found in the waters off Pulau Hantu at around 9.40 am on Tuesday. Singaporean Sue Qing Wen, who is in his 20s and who had just finished his National Service, was reported missing on Saturday, the eve of the Lunar New Year.

He and several others has gone for their first dive in open waters off Pulau Hantu - as part of their diving certification - but did not make it back. Pulau Hantu is 15 minutes away from Sentosa by speedboat.

Police said they received a call from a member of the public about the body. A diving wet suit and an oxygen tank were also found with the body. No one responded to Channel NewsAsia's queries when our crew visited his house in Chua Chu Kang. - CNA/ms

Electric New Paper 21 Feb 07
Singaporean Learner Diver Lost Near Pulau Hantu
How did he vanish?
By Arul John

IT WAS Chinese New Year's Eve but he was excited for another reason. Singaporean Sue Qing Wen was going for his first dive in open waters. If he passed, he would soon be certified fit to dive in local and international waters.

Everything was planned ahead for the training dive involving 14 divers and nothing was out of place. But Mr Sue didn't come back on Saturday, like the other divers. He remains missing at press time.

At Mr Sue's home, preparations for the Chinese New Year's Eve reunion dinner was in full swing when the phone rang on Saturday evening. It was the police informing his parents that the eldest son was lost in the waters around Pulau Hantu, a 15-minute speedboat ride from Sentosa.

One of the divers in the group, who declined to be named, said that all 14 divers had assembled at Keppel Marina near VivoCity shopping mall at 7.30am that day. They then boarded a boat to the island for the dive.

The group included two dive masters, the boatman, four experienced divers and six student divers, one of whom was Mr Sue. Another diver looked after the other divers' equipment on the boat. The student divers had taken lessons at a local dive school and were now deemed to be ready for an open sea dive. This would determine if they are ready to be certified capable of diving in local and international waters, said the diver.

'On the way to the dive site, the dive masters reviewed all the lessons we had learnt. 'They asked us if anyone was unwell or afraid and we even went over the sign language to use to communicate with our fellow divers when in the water. 'Everyone was well and had no problems,' said the diver.

By 8am, the boat had arrived at the dive site about 40m to 50m off Pulau Hantu. The student divers were paired up and put into two groups, each led by a dive master. Mr Sue was in one group together with another student diver. The other four student divers were in the other group.

At about 8.30am, both groups headed for their first dive - lasting about 30 minutes - to test their oxygen tanks. The divers then rested and did another training exercise. 'We were in the water for about 20 minutes and practised putting on and taking off our diving masks and regulators quickly without panicking. 'The missing diver - we called him Sue - performed well during both dives and he looked well,' said the diver.

At about noon, the larger group went into the water and dived in single file along the anchor line - the chain leading from the boat to its anchoring point about 10m below the surface. 'We were going to practise what to do if our air supply was cut off or disrupted. 'The smaller group dived in about a minute after the first group went in and they followed down the anchor line too.

'The dive master was moving around and supervising what was happening. Suddenly, he went to Sue's partner and asked him using sign language where he was. 'Sue's partner pointed up, indicating that he might have gone to the surface. 'The dive master went up to the surface but didn't find Sue there,' said the diver. What could have happened to Mr Sue?

COMBINATION OF FACTORS?

A diver with over 20 years' experience diving in Singapore and overseas waters said that a combination of high tides, strong currents and poor visibility might have contributed to Mr Sue's disappearance.

'The visibility of the water off Pulau Hantu is about 3m and the currents there can be quite strong, even up to three hours after high tide. 'At about 11am to noon on Saturday, high tide was about 3m,' he said.

Around noon, after discovering that one of the divers was missing, the dive master told the divers to return to the boat and then asked for a back-up boat to join them at the scene. He also asked that Police Coast Guard (PCG) be informed, said the diver.

Police told The New Paper yesterday that they were informed at about 1.30pm and a search was conducted by the PCG boats when they arrived at the scene. The divers also helped in the search.

Said the diver: 'We circled around the dive site to see if we could detect any bubbles on the surface or debris that could help locate the missing diver but we were unsuccessful.' They returned to Singapore at 5pm that day, said the diver.

At Mr Sue's flat in Chua Chu Kang, the family was too distraught to speak but a relative, who declined to be named, said that the missing man was an outgoing person who loved the outdoors and diving.

He said Mr Sue had just completed full-time National Service and had not yet found a job. 'This is a sad day for us. 'We have not heard anything so far, since the news of his disappearance,' he said yesterday.

Today Online 21 Feb 07
Missing diver's body found
He was on certification course off Pulau Hantu
Chow Penn Nee pennnee@mediacorp.com.sg

SHE did not want her eldest child to go diving during Chinese New Year. So worried was Sue Qing Wen's mother, she called up the dive school to check if it was safe.

But the 21-year-old was adamant. His sister Mei Ting, 16, said: "My brother was quite stubborn and he wanted to go."

Yesterday at about 9.40am, Mr Sue's body was found in the waters off Pulau Hantu--three days after he went missing during a dive. The car mechanic had gone on the dive as part of his basic diving certification on Saturday. There were 13 other divers in the group.

At about noon, they were practising underwater for scenarios involving a cut in air supply when a dive shop employee gestured to Mr Sue's partner asking him where he was. The partner pointed up towards the surface, but Mr Sue was not there.

The Police Coast Guard joined in the three-and-a-half-hour search, without result.

Yesterday, Mr Sue's body, clad in a wetsuit and strapped to an air tank, was spotted by a member of the public who called the police.

Mr Sue, who recently completed his National Service, had been working in his father's shop for six months when he was introduced to diving.

The dive shop had sent its company car in for repairs, according to Mei Ting. "They asked my brother if he would like to go diving."

Sounding composed over the phone, she described her brother as having many interests, such as playing the guitar. "But most of all, he wanted to be a pilot," she said.

He was disappointed about not making the cut because of his poor academic record. Diving looked like a possible career option. "He thought getting his dive cert would lead to work related to diving," she said.

Mei Ting, her elder brother and their 10-year-old brother were close and often played together. "We had our quarrels now and then, but we would make up," she said. About three weeks ago, she posted some bitter words about her brother on her blog--an act she now regrets.

But she and her family have resigned themselves to the news. "We have been waiting for the past four days," she told Today matter-of-factly. "We had prepared ourselves to hear that he had passed away."

Mr Gideon Liew, vice-president of the Singapore Underwater Federation, said it was difficult to say what might have happened. He said: "There are many possibilities: Environment, equipment, instructors; students may not be fit or have the aptitude. "Training is taken very seriously. We're concerned about diving procedures and protocol. If the cause was a lapse in procedures or protocol, we will investigate with the parties involved."

Straits Times 21 Feb 07
Body of diver found on Pulau Hantu coral reef
Ben Nadarajan

A PLACE had been set for him at the family reunion dinner, but Mr Sue Qing Wen never made it back for the meal. The 21-year-old went missing while diving off Pulau Hantu on Saturday afternoon, the eve of Chinese New Year.

Soon after his family decided to start eating without him, the police turned up at the Choa Chu Kang Central home with news that he had failed to surface. Yesterday morning, three days after he went missing, his body was found on a coral reef just off the island. He still had his dive gear on.

His father, Mr Sue Piang Hwee, 50, who runs a motor workshop, said: 'All these days, we were hoping for a miracle. But in the end, it's still bad news.' Qing Wen, who had completed his national service recently, was the eldest son. He had a sister, 16, and a brother, 10.

He was one of 14 divers on Saturday's day-long trip to a spot about 50m from Pulau Hantu. The group, which includes two instructors, had already made two dives that morning without incident.

During the third dive, while they were practising emergency drills on the sea bed about 10m down, one of the instructors realised Qing Wen was missing from the group. Divers usually stay in pairs and Qing Wen's assigned partner apparently signalled to the instructor that he may have surfaced. But there was no sign of him.

The more experienced divers tried to search the nearby waters, but could not find him. Police boats also combed the area.

Dive instructor Alexander Bryant told The Straits Times that visibility in the waters around Pulau Hantu was poor compared to more popular dive spots in Malaysia.

The Straits Times 22 Feb 07
Pulau Hantu tricky for inexperienced divers
Ben Nadarajan

MURKY waters and unpredictable currents make the sea around Pulau Hantu a tough area to dive in, especially for inexperienced divers.

On Saturday, 21-year-old trainee diver Sue Qing Wen went missing while on his third dive of the day. His body was found three days later on a coral reef near the island. He was the second diver to drown around Pulau Hantu in the last seven years. The last reported death in August 2000 was of an undergraduate who was part of a sea rescue training session.

Dive instructors told The Straits Times that they take extra precautions when taking trainees there for open-water dives, while others will not take trainees there at all. They said visibility in the waters around Pulau Hantu can range from 1m to 9m, with the average being 3m. The poor visibility is due to the land reclamation works nearby.

Mr Alexander Bryant, manager of Scuba Corner, said the area is safe for trainees, though he takes special precautions, like assigning one instructor to every four divers. The industry standard ratio is one to eight.

But Mr Choong Chow Siong, a part-time instructor, said he would not take uncertified trainee divers to Pulau Hantu. Mr Choong, who has been a qualified instructor since 1989, said poor visibility around Pulau Hantu was the 'main hazard'.

'I took a group there once and the visibility was so bad that they could not even see their fingers in front of them,' he recalled. 'We had to cancel the dive as it was just not safe.'

He said people diving for the first time can panic when they cannot see what is around them. To obtain an open-water certificate, trainees have to complete at least four dives out at sea, usually at a depth no greater than 10m. They have to perform several underwater drills, such as clearing their face mask when it fills with water, and demonstrate correct hand signals and emergency responses if their oxygen supply is cut.

Most trainee divers prefer doing their open-water courses at Malaysian dive resorts such as Tioman and Pulau Aur, where the waters are much clearer. But dive operators on these islands are closed during the monsoon season from December to February, so Singapore dive schools take their trainees to Pulau Hantu instead.

The agency Mr Sue signed up with, Dolphin Dive Adventure & Services, organises half-day dive trips to Pulau Hantu on weekends.

The owner of the company, Mr Francis Yeo, told The New Paper: 'I feel terrible about what happened but there's no way to make up for it. A life has been taken away.'

Mr Yeo, who has 11 years of experience, was one of two instructors who had accompanied Mr Sue's group out on Saturday. However, it is not known what visibility was on the day Mr Sue disappeared, and the company declined to be interviewed by The Straits Times.

Mr Sue, the oldest of three children, was cremated yesterday. His body was so badly decomposed after three days in the sea that he had to be identified by the dive suit and the air tank he had on, and by his dental records.

Today Online 22 Feb 07
Control the impatience to get that diving certificate
Letter from Mandy Lim

I refer to the recent diving mishap off Pulau Hantu.

From my experience at Pulau Hantu, I feel that it is not an ideal diving location for beginners. Visibility there is generally quite bad, sometimes as low as 1.5m. Such low visibility gives rise to higher chances of vertigo and disorientation, especially for inexperienced people. Moreover, it is more likely for them to get lost.

These uncontrollable environmental conditions make a first-time diver more susceptible to panic attacks under water, which can lead to dire consequences.

Having dived around the region, I can safely say such conditions are not the case in places such as Malaysia and Thailand.

Would-be divers should not be too impatient to get certified. Waiting a few more weeks for the monsoon season in Malaysia to end will ensure a safer start to the learning journey in diving.

Channel NewsAsia 21 Feb 07
Divers say necessary precautions should be taken before a dive
By Hasnita A Majid

Divers say diving around Pulau Hantu and other dive spots have its risks so it is always prudent to take necessary precautions.

31-year-old Jacki Ng, a certified dive instructor, has been to Pulau Hantu many times for dives, and also to train people.

He says the area is popular because the dive sites are sheltered from strong currents. It also has a large reef that extends out to sea.

While refusing to speculate on the cause of the latest accident which claimed the life of 21-year-old Sue Qing Wen, Jacki, who has been diving for 10 years, says there are risks at dive spots.

He says: "Not just Pulau Hantu but other dive spots in Singapore can have low visibility. When I mean low, I mean about 1 or 2 metres and sometimes even lower than that. When in that kind of condition, it can be dangerous because if you can't see, the boat on the surface can be a danger to you when you are surfacing."

Jacki says strong currents can also sweep a diver away but the key is to ensure necessary precautions are taken before every dive.

He said: "Well I would say that almost all accidents, (many) big accidents are humanly possible to be managed or avoided. Take care of your equipment and do a proper check before you dive, training wise - the competency of the diver to do a dive, or not to do a dive. These factors put together will mean whether you enjoy the dive, or you don't really enjoy the dive."

And Jacki says the accident will not put him and his friends off diving in the area.

This is the fourth diving fatality in Singapore waters in the last 16 years. The last one was seven years ago, when an undergraduate died while skin-diving - that is diving without an oxygen tank - off Pulau Hantu. - CNA/ch

Electric New Paper 22 Feb 07
Missing Diver: Body Found
Victim badly decomposed. He's identified only from his teeth

HIS family had no clue of the drama out at sea when the Singaporean diver went missing at around noon off Pulau Hantu, a 15-minute boat ride from Sentosa.

By Teh Jen Lee

HIS family had no clue of the drama out at sea when the Singaporean diver went missing at around noon off Pulau Hantu, a 15-minute boat ride from Sentosa. They kept expecting him to return for their Chinese New Year eve reunion dinner, until they heard from the police on Saturday evening.

So they didn't know of the frenzied search for Mr Sue Qing Wen by the diving group, after a certification exercise for the learner diver in the open sea went wrong.

Police had earlier told The New Paper that they were informed about the accident at about 1.30pm and a search was conducted by Police Coast Guard boats shortly afterwards.

However, the family thought that Mr Sue was on his way home. His father, who declined to be named in full, said that when he called the dive shop at 7pm, he was told that the divers had all gone home.

But Mr Francis Yeo, the owner of the dive company which runs the diving certification course, told The New Paper that was not the case. He said he and his staff were doing all they could to find Mr Sue.

He said: 'We were searching for the body until past 6pm. We only got back to Keppel Marina at 7.30pm. I don't know how the family got the impression that we had all gone home.'.

He was on the boat together with the course instructor, who has been working for him for two years. 'I called the family at 6.45am on Sunday and offered to take them to the dive site. They were agitated and kept asking questions like who gave permission for him to learn diving.

'He was old enough and didn't need parental consent. We know the family is having a hard time. We did our best to assist,' said Mr Yeo, who has been an instructor trainer for 11 years.

He added that the open-water dive was not done in Malaysia, where water visibility is higher, because it is monsoon season there.

The course instructor could not be reached as he is in the Philippines on another dive trip, said Mr Yeo.

Mr Yeo said: 'I feel terrible over what happened but there's no way to make up for it. A life has been taken away.'

PASSIONATE PURSUITS

Mr Sue would not have made it to the dive spot if his mother had her way. His younger sister, Mei Ting, 16, said: 'Whatever interested him, he would go and learn. Guitar, badminton, driving. He passed his driving test on his first attempt.

'As for diving, my mother asked him not to dive last Saturday because we would have reunion dinner that night, but he insisted on going because he wanted to complete what he started.'

Mr Sue's father recalled how determined he was to complete his diving course. 'He was eager to dive and set his alarm at 5.30am. He left at 6.30am after saying he would be back by 1 or 2pm,' said his father.

The family expected him to return in the afternoon but by dinner time at 7pm, there was still no sign of him. 'We were worried sick. When the police came at 9pm and broke the news that he was missing at sea, my wife cried and cried. 'We didn't sleep at all that night,' Mr Sue's father said.

After waiting for days, it was only yesterday morning that the family got the news that Mr Sue's body was found on a coral reef off Pulau Hantu.

At around 9.40am yesterday, the police received a call about a body, in a dive suit and with an oxygen tank, found near Pulau Hantu.

Mei Ting, who has a younger brother aged 10, said all their hopes vanished when the police told them the news. His body was so badly decomposed that his father could only recognise his elder son through a dental imprint.

The 51-year-old said: 'When my son was young, he fell and broke his teeth. When I saw that, I broke down and cried.'

Mr Sue, who would have turned 21 next month, was on his first open-water dive trip. Although the family was calm by the time The New Paper team visited them at their Choa Chu Kang flat last night, their distress was obvious from the many questions they had: Was there insurance coverage for the dive? Did their son get a medical check-up before paying $290 for the course? Should the authorities review whether Pulau Hantu is safe enough for people to learn diving there?

Mr Sue's ambition was to be a pilot. His father, who owns a car workshop, said his eldest son worked for him after finishing national service last October. He had to wait until he turned 26 to be a commercial pilot. The age restriction is imposed on Singaporeans 'to ensure the Air Force has its ready pool of applicants amongst our limited talent pool,' according to the website of the Air Line Pilots Association - Singapore.

CHILDHOOD DREAM

'He wanted to fly. It was his childhood dream,' said Mr Sue's father. His sister told the media that he was disappointed when he had not made the cut because of his poor academic record.

He took up diving to explore it as a career option. He lived simply, but passionately, his family said. He would have been happy with a packet of instant noodles for his 21st birthday meal, said his uncle, Mr K K Lau, 39, who was close to him.

Straits Times Forum 24 Feb 07
Raise safety standards for recreational diving
Letter from Dr Gregory Chan Chung Tsing
Vice-President Occupational and Environmental Health Society

I READ with sadness about the incidents involving two recreational divers, one of whom died during his basic diving training and the other during a leisure dive.

Recreational diving has inherent risks due to the underwater environment and physiological effects from changes in environmental pressure, which can place one at risk of decompression sickness, barotrauma, gas toxicities and hypoxia.

After a dive incident, one needs to study the contributory factors: the diver (self or otherwise; medical fitness and dive competence), dive profile (including depth, duration and pattern of dive), equipment (defects, lack of air) and the environment (such as current, visibility, sea state and weather).

However, it must be emphasised that these risks can be markedly minimised with adherence to safe practices and training standards. Risk assessment and management should be conducted before any diving activity and diving should not be carried out if conditions are less than favourable.

Having a comfortable instructor-to-diver ratio, a medical response plan and ensuring that the trainee diver is competent in the pool before starting the open water phase are just some other measures that will enhance training safety standards.

We firmly believe that dive fatalities in trainee divers should not occur. Recreational diving is not regulated in Singapore and many other countries.

That does not necessarily mean it is acceptable in its current state. Locally, there is but a code of practice entitled Diving At Work. Recreational diving seems to have no institutional ownership.

More people are taking up recreational diving, from the rather young to the not-so-young.

We believe there are more diving incidents than those reported, and there is little awareness of the duties of care owed to divers by dive operators and instructors. We sincerely hope that dive incidents involving recreational dive operators will be investigated and the findings shared to prevent further fatalities.

Standards of dive health and safety for recreational diving need to be raised.

Straits Times Forum 24 Feb 07
Sting threat on seabed
Letter from Raymond Tham Kon Weng
Adelaide, Australia

HAVING dived in the waters off Pulau Hantu where the latest recreational diving tragedy occurred, I agree with fellow divers on the dangers of low visibility and strong currents.

However, I found the presence of large numbers of stinging hydrozoa (Phylum Cnidaria) a greater threat to safe diving than low visibility and strong currents, as these inflict severe pain on exposed skin.

This is significant as many diving skill tests require divers to kneel on the sea bed, exposing themselves to unexpected pain and the possibility of panicking and choking, which can explain sudden disappearances of divers. Low visibility then contributes to the inability of friends to render aid.

I urge divers and dive instructors to consider this risk and take note of the dangers of seemingly safe and mundane seabed activity.

Today Online 24 Feb 07
A vigilant buddy, adhering to rules are a diver's best bet against mishaps
Letter from Rick Lim Say Kiong

Ms Mandy Lim wrote in her letter, "Control the impatience to get that diving certificate" (Feb 22) that low visibility at Pulau Hantu's waters is not ideal for scuba diving and can lead to panic attacks and a sense of disorientation.

I wish to say that there is more to diving safety than just the visibility of the water. I have dived at Pulau Hantu before and yes, it is true that the visibility was bad, probably only 1 to 1.5m when our group of divers was there.

What did we do? We stuck closer together. Not for warmth, but to make sure that we had our buddies in line of sight and near us.

Visibility there simply affected our enjoyment of the dives and marred our views of the ocean bed.

Based on the reports on the recent diving mishaps at Pulau Hantu and Rottnest Island, Perth, one critical aspect of scuba diving seems to have not been adhered to. That is, the victims' dive partners did not keep a close tab on their buddies.

A buddy system is always emphasised before a dive, be it in a certification course or an actual recreational dive. No one dives alone because in an unlikely event of equipment failure or other emergencies, the assigned buddy will be close by to lend a hand.

In both the above accidents, the respective partners either did not know where the buddy was or did not follow the buddy when ascending.

Scuba diving is a safe sport provided all safety precautions are taken, as in any other sports. Buddy system, equipment checks, listening to instructions, no alcohol before dives, no holding your breath, and having proper training are some of the pre-dive safety procedures that divers have to strictly adhere to.

To further ensure a great scuba diving experience, make sure that the chosen dive centre is reputable and its divemasters and instructors are qualified.

I hope the aforementioned mishaps do not put off any budding divers or anyone thinking of picking up this exciting sport.

SUF 25 Feb 07, also on the Straits Times Forum 27 Feb 07
Risk management vital concept in training of divers and scuba professionals
Stephen Beng President S.U.F.
Joe Keiser Chairman A.I.S.T.A.
Contact: Stephen Beng Phone: 98299087 Email: president@suf.org.sg

We are saddened by the diving tragedies which happened so close to each other last week. Our condolences to the family of Mr Sue Qing Wen, and we send our deepest concerns and wish a speedy recovery for Ms Serene Teng.

While it is important not to speculate on causes of the accidents or make assumptions on the information presented to us up to this time, the Singapore Underwater Federation (SUF), in partnership with the Association of International Scuba Training Agencies (AISTA), has been evaluating both incidents, even though the operators involved are not members of the Federation.

Dr Gregory Chan’s article posted on the Forum of the Straits Times Feb 24th 2007 reiterates our concerns as an industry regarding three broad issues on which the SUF and AISTA have been advising the public and diving community over the years.

These are the needs for complete compliance to training standards, emphasized operational safety and heightened consumer awareness and responsibility (refer to Mr Rick Lim’s post on Weekend TODAY Feb 24th-25th 2007)

Preventing accidents is a key concern in scuba diving which is why the concept of risk management is emphasized in both the training of a diver and in the training of a scuba professional.

Risk Management is taught in order to anticipate, plan for and manage environmental considerations versus our human capabilities. Diving in our waters, and for that matter anywhere with limited visibility, requires specific procedures coupled with a keen local knowledge of the reefs.

Special considerations must also be taken in selecting a location for a dive holiday. The appropriate training is essential for safe diving in areas with deeper waters and stronger prevailing currents.

The SUF’s mission is to recommend safe national operational procedures which are aligned with international training standards.

It is a National Sports Association managed by concerned members of the diving industry on a volunteer basis.

In that respect, there is institutional ownership of recreational diving by community stakeholders in the form of the SUF, which has introduced a continuum of measures aimed at tight self-regulation. AISTA consists of regional heads of every International Training Agency represented in Singapore.

SUF’s partnership with AISTA in June 2006 means that now there is a coordinated voice regarding both training and operational procedures for the sport in Singapore.

For standards to be improved, we would hope that all operators and service providers will join in our campaign. We also need consumers to be more aware of inherent risks in the sport and assume responsibilities required of a diver in order to enjoy the sport to its fullest.

The National Operational Code of Practice for Recreational and Sport Diving (NOCOP) was implemented in March 2002 and has progressively been improved for practical applications.

The NOCOP is a localized set of guidelines for the Singaporean dive operator and service provider to formulate their standard operating procedures and recommends practices which help them with their own risk assessment process.

The code also serves as a guide for divers in Singapore to understand what makes good diving practice in and around our waters. The code serves the mission of the SUF in its efforts to promote safe diving practices and all SUF members are obliged to adhere to it.

The rest of the diving community is also strongly encouraged to adopt these guidelines.

An even higher safety level is maintained by SUF corporate members, mainly dive operators, who voluntarily allow the SUF and its external auditors to regularly assess their adherence to this code.

These are members the SUF strongly recommends to the public.

All recognized training standards are beyond reproach. This means that the dive professional must assume the appropriate duty of care and due diligence when conducting training for the diver, especially at the entry level. In the same instance, the diver must have a good learning attitude and be prepared to participate in the required training for the different types of dives they intend to do.

Certification for the diver does not represent the end of the learning process, so the diver must also be prepared to continue learning and assume standard safe diving practices as a habit. (refer to www.suf.org.sg).

Together the SUF and AISTA have a group of experienced personnel actively engaged in the sport, who can provide and inform an authoritative view on matters pertaining to recreational and sport diving.

We will be happy to address enquiries from both the media and public who seek clarifications on such matters.

The SUF and AISTA are available for a Press Conference on Friday 2nd March 2007 5pm at Raffles Marina.

Straits Times Forum 27 Feb 07
Diving deaths: Strange that victim surfaced alone with her dive buddy
Letter from Dawn Lee Peck Hua (Mdm)

I feel a great sense of regret reading about Ms Serene Teng who is in critical condition after she was involved in the diving accident in Australia.

I was surprised to read that she had surfaced alone without her dive buddy. Why had the dive master allowed that?

My husband and I have been divers for more than 10 years. One of the safety precautions of diving is that divers must always remain in pairs with his/her dive buddy. It is a rule which my husband and I diligently adhered to. If he feels uncomfortable and wish to abandon the dive, I will follow suit regardless of how much I was enjoying the dive. Vice versa.

In one of our dives a few years ago, I suddenly experienced shortage of air through my regulator. I immediately signalled to my husband (who was my dive buddy) to let me have his spare regulator. It turned out that my compressed air tank was not turned on to the fullest. I cannot imagine what would have happened if I had been diving alone.

The assumption that divers will be safe once they have surfaced (even if alone) is not correct. There could be strong currents at the surface of the water. In times of emergency, the dive buddy can help or seek help.

Being avid divers, I do not wish to have people perceive that diving is a dangerous sport. Like all sports, diving has its risks. However, these risks can be minimised if precautions are taken. The underwater world out there is worth the minimal risks.

Straits Times Forum 27 Feb 07
Was the buddy system strictly followed?
Letter from Alphonsus Chua Kwong Hwee

I have been diving for more than 16 years and have my fair share of wonderful as well as sad experiences. My heart aches for the victims referred to in the reports, "Woman in coma in Perth hospital" and "Body of diver found on Pulau Hantu coral reef" (ST, Feb 21).

It is a good thing that over the years, interest in leisure diving has increased. However, I have also observed that many new divers are overconfident. So naive are they that they do not realise the danger they pose to themselves as well as those around them while in the water.

There is a buddy system where diving is concerned--where two divers will pair up at all times while in the water. No matter how experienced I may be, I hold dearly to the buddy system--I would never let my buddy out of my sight more than a body length away because that buddy is my only link to survival if something goes wrong.

In the two reports cited, I am curious what the other buddy was doing. On hindsight, if they had watched out for each other, these tragedies could have been avoided.

I urge leisure divers to go back to the basics of the buddy system for the sake of their partner even if they do not know him/her well enough. Don't be the cause of pain to a family.
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Fatal accident at Hantu on the fins forum

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