InDepth Forum

I seem to recall that there was a planning meeting back at the start of the year for dive trips; did a schedule of intended events get put together; I could find one? Thanks. Nick.

The RNLI and MCA can no longer accept out-of-date flares from the general public, Expired marine pyrotechnics are classified as explosives under the UK’s Explosives Regulations 2014 and so they must be disposed of responsibly. If you have flares which you need to dispose of you can find more information on the following government website - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/disposing-of-unwanted-marine-flares. 

SAA Guidance on the use of Full Face Snorkelling Masks We have seen a growth over recent years of full-face snorkel masks. A large number of these come from dubious sources and have not been tested, those that have been subject to some level of testing still carry what many see as unacceptable risks. The SAA has considered the use of these masks and has concluded that these should not be used by our members while undertaking SAA diving activities. Some of the factors in reaching this conclusion include: • There are no standards covering these types of masks, the current standards cover scuba equipment not full-face snorkel mask. • There is a draft BSI standard being produced which specifies the standards for these masks, the professional opinion is that few, if any of the current masks will satisfy this new standard. • The risk of a CO2 build up is too great • The instructions provided with the better masks state that these should not be used for swimming or diving. They are only for gentle floating on the surface – so not a lot of use then. Any incident involving the use of a full-face mask would not be covered by the SAA liability insurance. FULL FACE SNORKEL MASKS SHOULD NOT BE PURCHASED OR USED BY ANY InDepth CLUB MEMBER