FIU
Dive Safety Program
Mission
The Dive Safety Office will promote awareness of the
unpredictability of the marine environment and to prepare
divers to practice the proper safety procedures, consistent
with nationally recognized standards, in order to prevent
and/or respond to the health and safety challenges likely
to be experienced in FIU sanctioned scuba diving activities. Top
Objectives
The Dive Safety Office will insure the safety and welfare
of all divers participating in FIU sanctioned scuba diving
activities. It will accomplish this through premedical
screening, providing the latest in educational techniques
in creating safe divers, require dive plans to be filed
and that all divers know dive safety standards and procedures
towards accident prevention and accident management.
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Introduction
Established in 1996, the FIU Dive Safety Program has
promoted and represented FIUat several international science
and diving conferences each year. Our research diving statistics
has put FIU as one of the top ten active marine research
institutions in the United States. The Dive Safety Office
is also involved with the Divers Alert Network promoting
research in dive safety. Locally FIU works closely with
the American Red Cross in safety program development and
is working towards a working relationship with the Metro-Dade
Fire Department supporting them with scuba air for emergency
operations.
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Facilities
A dive locker is maintained by the Dive Safety Office
which supports the FIU Scuba Program. It is at its infancy,
in comparison to other University dive lockers, but it
has given FIU an incredible start. The Dive Locker houses
20 sets of scuba gear and a 8.5 CFM Mako Compressor. For
the most part, equipment repairs and scuba cylinder inspection
can be performed in house, making the locker self sufficient.
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Training
The Dive Safety Office also supports the University community
in providing training in accident prevention and management.
The courses include CPR, First Aid, Oxygen Administration,
Heat Stress Management, and how to deal with emergency
situations and activate the emergency medical system. Particiapnts
in these training include all levels of FIU faculty and
staff.
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Program
Affiliations
American Academy Of Underwater Sciences - AAUS
National Association of Underwater Instructors - NAUI
American Red Cross - ARC
Divers Alert Network - DAN
Southeastern Association of Dive Officers
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society
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Current
Research Projects:
SERC, The Southeast Environmental Research Center is
what the Dive Safety Office supports for scientific divers
in the field. SERC works to protect and restore our unique
ecosystem, and is conducting research in the Everglades
and throughout the Keys.
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Program
Statistics
The Dive Safety Office monitors all scientific diving
and with a scientific diving staff averaging 15, FIU has
conducted over 1000 research dives since 1996 every year,
totaling well over 4000 dives.
The FIU Dive Safety Program also oversees the administration
and training of entry level divers from basic , advanced,
rescue and leadership courses. These students, often biology
or environmental science students graduate utilizing their
diving skills in future marine research. The FIU Dive Program
has trained over 600 divers since its conception in 1996.
All of this dive time underwater has taken place without
incident or accident.
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