Diving in the UK is fun, but the more challenging conditions (for example the reduced visibility) can create problems for the less experienced diver.

The Aquanaut dive club has an established safety policy and encourages all members to dive in accordance with this safety policy and PADI guidelines.

What we now fondly refer to as the "UK diver safety guidelines" has been developed and refined over the past few years and is now a significant document, which is issued to all club members prior to diving. Below are a few bullet points to give you an idea of the sort of issues covered

• Divers must always carry out full buddy checks, not undertake dives for which they are not adequately qualified or experienced and must analyse their nitrox prior to each dive
• Divers must descend and ascend slowly, maintain eye contact and be in close proximity to their buddy
• During the dive, buddy pairs must regularly monitor their air supply and surface with not less than 50 bar in their cylinders
• All dives must end with a 3 minute safety stop at 5 metres unless the dive profile requires a longer stop