Dive Management Steve Cox

History 1979 – RN Ship’s Diver and Supervisor 1979 – 2005 – Went diving! – OIC JSSADC Today – Diving Officer PDCSAC BSAC Instructor Trainer Contract Instructor JSSADC BSAC DTP Review Team - DM CCF Dive Team BSAC NI and FCD, PADI OWSI

When I’m not diving - So keep your speed down!

Contents of My Mess Tin The SADS Scheme BSAC Dive Management Training Some thoughts on the future of teaching and assessing DM

The Sub Aqua Diving Supervisor The Gold Standard in Sports Diving Is it? If so - Why?

Back to Basics SADS system is based on the BSAC Diver Training Programme (DTP) We add the MOD regulations Plus Dynamic Dive Management training

BSAC DTP A lot of DM training across the Diver Grades It starts at Ocean Diver level – but not everyone realises that! Dive Leader and Advanced Diver are the cornerstones of DM training They are the grades we use to underpin the SADS system

Team DM Buddy DM Personal DM Competency Dive Planning

Dive Manager BuddyDiver Triangle of Responsibility

What do we do that is Different? Centralised Training A Single Training Team – trained to teach and assess DM A strength and a weakness?

Critical Difference Dynamic Dive Management The way the SADS courses and assessment use the BSAC DTP

What about us? Are we different? Do we learn differently based on our military training?

A Traditional View

We do use drills to deal with emergencies extensively The D Question

The SADS Not hierarchal Qualification based The LCpl SADS with the CO and RSM diving

The Big Issue Getting enough SADS into the system Getting them early enough

The SADS Value SADS put your hands up Hands down if you did NOT have passing the assessment reported on your OJAR/SJAR Has it ever appeared on your report?

So What? We have 150 SADS registered today (Of those about 15 work in the Centres/DST) 135 SADS 41 are BSADS The “Non-availables”/ASI

The Balancing Act AT Authorities need “Bums on Seats” We need some “headline” expeditions Lots of divers on courses and expeditions

The Out of Balance Bit! The SADS to make all this happen come from the Single Service Associations The vast majority of Service divers are not in the Associations The Associations have about 2,000 members – 0.97% of the Services SADS are about 6% of Association divers

Force Structure 2020 Same percentage of divers gives us about 1300 Association members Same percentage of SADS gives about 80 SADS More AT in the programme as contingent ops have finished (ish!) Need to up the conversion rate to SADS

Linked Issues Time off to get to the AT Centres (ESADS package requires two weeks to complete) Getting the students from the courses into the Associations

The SADS Value Demanding leadership and management qualification (not rank based) Get it on the OJAR/SJAR and sell it Non-contingent era – target the junior leader with something that can help get them promoted

The Gold Standard? Maybe a bit arrogant Maybe a bit complacent But it is a proven system that works well for us today

The Diving World is Changing too! The BSAC DTP Review Dive Management

Components of DM Dive Planning Dive Briefing Site Set up and Management Practical Rescue Management Post Dive Activities

A Missing Component We do teach Advanced Instructors to teach DM in the new AI course I’m not sure we teach Dynamic Dive Management as well as we could

A Possible BSAC Outcome Dive Management modules at: Entry Level (Personal DM) Development Level (Buddy DM) Leadership Level (Team DM) Advanced Level (Team DM) Delivered by OWIs and AIs BSAC Instructors trained to deliver Dive Management at those levels

Opportunity for the SADS Scheme? Could we deliver the Branch SADS through Distributed Training? BSAC DM qualification plus a presentation on BR2806 (5) Practical Session – Dynamic Dive Management

Expedition SADS ESADS Development Course delivered through Distributed Training by appropriately qualified instructors (ESADS/AI?) ESADS Assessor to attend as Quality Assurance ESADS Assessment held centrally at JSSADC

Training the Trainer SADS Refresher Course Add a training module Add a two or three day Train the SADS Trainer course to the JSSADC programme DST to provide the BR2806 (5) training module

Possible Advantages Less time away from units for candidates More courses Quality Assurance in place Utilizes the new BSAC DTP to support the training of SADS

Non Diver Dive Manager There is a demand within the BSAC - Role for families/friends - Role for those who want to dive but medically can’t What would you need to teach in addition to the DM skills to achieve this?

The Centres Deliver the courses to support the AT Scheme Help deliver the “Bums on Seats” Deliver the Instructors for Distributed Training Deliver the diving equivalent of the Ocean Racers – CCR, TRIMIX, Advanced Diving Techniques Deliver the ESADS Assessment

This is only one thought on a possible way ahead! The Services are changing – what will Force 2020 actually look like? The BSAC DTP is changing – delivery in 2016/17 is the target

Now is the time for thinking and discussion to be ahead of the curve

My Aim – to stimulate that discussion I’ve offered just one option – there are plenty more you will come up that will be better I can only offer one guarantee – change will happen and it is better to shape the battlespace ahead of the event.

I’ve left questions for you to consider Questions For Me?