DEMA Comments on Marine Advisory and Requests New Statement Correcting Erroneous Information

DEMA submitted a letter  to the United States Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the Marine Safety Advisory 01- 12 that was distributed on June 21, 2012. The letter was submitted by Tom Ingram, DEMA’s Executive Director and expressed concerns regarding the Advisory, and requested that the Coast Guard withdraw it due to its inaccurate and misleading premise and the confusion it created for operators.

“Some of the recommendations stated in the Advisory conflict with long-established and existing industry practices and create confusion similar to that created by federal regulatory OSHA efforts which conflict with Coast Guard regulations relating to commercial diving,” commented Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA.  “[This] creates an intolerable level of confusion for the dive industry.”

The Advisory was addressed to Passenger Vessel Operators, Owners and Crewmembers providing commercial transport and support services to recreational divers, and reminded them of safety responsibilities to themselves and their passengers. It also provided recommendations and lessons learned from recreational diving casualty investigations, and promoted awareness of industry best practices.

“As an alternative to this Advisory,” Ingram added, “DEMA requests that the Coast Guard include in future communication the recommendation that passenger vessels that support recreational diving activities follow the protocols outlined by the recreational diving industry, the acknowledged experts in this field, which have proven extremely effective in providing a high level of safety for divers.” 

DEMA has strong interest in conferencing with Coast Guard representatives about the conclusions that were reached, and how the Dive Industry and the Coast Guard can work together to serve our common goal, diver safety.