surprising- that means that i would not be allowed to stop at a beach pull a tank from my car and go diving (outside of restricted areas of course)? that's sounds very restrictive and surprising. i could understand if this is the case when you are diving within the responsability of a club/center/organisation. reason i say this is i live in france where diving is very regulated, but only within the constraints of diving through a club/center... if i go on my own to the beach i can do whatever i want.
This is Article 24: in red what is related to the topic....what I find most incredible is use of Nitrox for up to 55...I guess they meant Trimix...
Norms of Security for the Exercise of Subacuaticas Activities.
ORDER of 14 of October of 1997, by that it is approved the Norms of Security for the Exercise of Subacuaticas Activities. BOE núm. 280 of 22 of November
Emitting department: Ministry of Public Works and the Economy.
I CAPITULATE III. Sport-recreational diving
Article 24. On the practice of the sport-recreational diving.
All medical instructor of one of the modalities of subaqueous activities, will have to be in possession of a "Insurance of accidents and civil responsibility", that can cover any type with incident that can take place during the development of the same ones.
In the accomplishment of operations of diving, he will be avoided to plan the immersions to the limit of the decompression tables, giving him to the diver a time or depth of security, on the limit of the same ones. The programs of education for the obtaining of the different titles, will have to include explanations and handling of the established tables of decompression in these norms.
Actually of the sport-recreational diving, the tables of decompression including in annexed the III could be replaced by descompresÃmetro digital properly approved.
When by exceptional questions the risk of an immersion in solitaire is justified, the diver will go always united to the surface by a security end rope.
In the immersions anticipated to more than 40 meters of depth, the use of communications equipment is advisable with surface.
In the transport of the bottles of diving it will have to be procured that the same ones always are fixed holding them by the faucets and the body of the cylinders, not by the harnesses, to avoid their breakage and possible fall.
The compressors driven by explosion motors, will only have to be made work in deep spaces, placing the taking of aspiration to about two meters of the level of the ground and to windward of the escape of the motor of the compressor.
The limits of depth for operations of diving with air are determined by the following levels to level of the sea:
40 meters: Immersions with independent air equipment.
55 meters: Exceptional immersions with air or nitrox (enriched air).
They will only be able to conduct recovery or corpse rescue operations, the Forces of Security of the State and/or divers with the corresponding, safe professional degree in emergency circumstances where the intervention represents the protection of human lives.
The responsibility of the preparation and planning of an operation of diving, will always fall on the diver of greater rank. In the same way, all the personnel who participates in the same one, will have to be found out the program that is going away to carry out.
Precautions will be taken when immersions in bottoms become of mud, to avoid the loss of visibility or the interment of the diver or of its equipment.
Methods of treatment and measures will be anticipated to adopt in case of accident caused by the marine, toxic or aggressive life, when water immersions become with high concentration of dangerous marine life.
There will be a boat in surface to aid and aid of the divers. Whenever it is possible, it will be had in her a pair of security, list to make immersion.
All boat that participates in operations of diving, will have to raise the flag ALPHA of the International signal code and, if possible, will mark out with buoys with the same signal TWO points of the zone of immersion.
One will demand to the centers of material rent and to the divers the responsibility and completion of the same one.
The minimum unit in the water to carry out immersions with independent equipment will be a pair of divers and who will have to be put under the following restrictions:
That diver will not be able to make subaqueous activities all who is in low physical, psychic state, tension, anxiety, embriaguez, disease, dream, ingestion of drugs or similar effects.
Diving activities will not take place when the atmospheric conditions prevent the normal maneuver of the amphibious fire support ship for the collection of the divers.
Immersions will not be made that require shutdowns of decompression in the water when the state of the water does not allow to make, surely, the prescribed shutdowns or to maintain the depth with exactitude.
It will be avoided, as far as possible, the accomplishment of immersions with currents superior to a knot.
The obligatory minimum equipment that it must take an independent diver will be:
Compensating vest of the bouyancy, that will have to consist of a system of buccal inflation, and another automatic direct one of the bottle of provision main, or fed by means of a small bottle.
The bottle will count on a mechanism of reserve or a system of control of the inner pressure.
Clock and digital depth gauge or descompresÃmetro.
Knife.
Two second stages, although are recommended to take two independent regulators.
