“NHS England has confirmed that, following the recent procurement process, contracts for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) services have been awarded for three of the six planned regional centres (East of England, London and South East, and South West). At this time, no contracts have been awarded for the North East, North West, or Midlands regions.
This decision affects four existing hyperbaric chambers — LHM Healthcare (Whipps Cross), Midlands Diving Chamber (Rugby), North England Medical Hyperbaric (Hull) and Hyperbaric Treatment and Training Services (Wirral)— which, unless alternative arrangements are made, they will no longer be under NHS contract as of 1 October 2025.”
“This decision will leave divers across the Midlands and Northern England without timely NHS-funded access to vital recompression facilities — a critical component of emergency treatment for decompression illness.” British Diving Safety Group.
This move raises serious concerns over treatment inequality and regional discrimination. While facilities in the South remain available, divers in the Midlands and North will be left with limited access, significantly compromising diving safety and emergency response capabilities across large geographic areas.
“This isn’t just about geography – it is about fairness, safety and survival” said a Spokesman for the British Diving Safety Group. “Diving emergencies cannot wait and removing access will not save money in the long term. It simply shifts the cost to lives lost, prolongation of treatment and illness. It will also unnecessarily tie up blue light emergency services.” It should also be noted when looking at travel if you are diving in eg of the North East coast and Great Yarmouth is full, there is a potential that you could be shipped down to DDRC for treatment so will not be far off travelling the entire length of England.

The removal of these services raises significant concerns regarding equity of treatment and diving safety. With the absence of these resources, divers in these regions will face increased risks due to delayed access to life-saving treatment. It should also be noted that London divers could also be affected, whilst the Chichester chamber is within an acceptable travel range, it is manned by Royal Navy physicians, it is not clear how are they going to provide a service to the 12 million population of London without affecting the care of their navy divers.

When we also consider out inland dive sites for example Stoney Cove, Matt King, Stoney’s director had this to say, “This is an extremely concerning decision for UK diving. Reducing operating hyperbaric chambers by over 60% and confining coverage to only the east and south of the country places divers who find themselves in difficulty across the midlands and north at significantly larger risk to their health, forcing them to travel far further and longer for appropriate medical attention and placing an unnecessary amount of strain on an already stretched ambulance service.”
The move undermines efforts to ensure a fair and consistent level of safety to all divers, regardless of location. Recompression chambers provide the definitive treatment for those suffering from decompression sickness and are a cornerstone of diving safety management. Without access to these facilities, the risk to divers in affected areas will be significantly heightened, leading to concerns about the integrity of the entire national diving safety framework.
The reduction in diving safety services compromises not only the health of individuals but also the reputation of diving safety management across the country. The lack of a renewed contract for these chambers further exposes the vulnerabilities in our healthcare system and raises concerns about the prioritisation of diver welfare.
“Diving warrants immediate and specialised treatment in the event of decompression illness,” said a Spokesman for the British Diving Safety Group “The absence of contracted chambers in central and northern regions of England exposes divers to increased health risks and undermines national diving safety protocols.”
The decision highlights a growing inequity in NHS service provision and has been met with alarm by diving safety advocates, emergency responders, and the wider diving community. With the UK’s extensive coastline and inland dive sites, ensuring timely nationwide access to recompression services is vital to safe diving practices and emergency preparedness.
Stakeholders including the dive training agencies are today urging NHS England to reconsider this move and engage with diving and medical communities to develop a more equitable model of care.

A petition will also be released, please an I ask all to sign it and discuss this with your MPs

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Arnewood Divers are proud to announce that we have been awarded a grant from Sport England to support the construction of a fully accessible dive boat. This is a monumental step for our club, and we are honoured to be one of the few Sub-Aqua Association clubs  to successfully apply for and receive this funding.

This grant will be used to develop a brand-new accessible diving platform built on top of a recently acquired hull. The boat will be purpose-built to ensure inclusivity and access for divers, opening up the underwater world to a wider and more diverse community.

“We believe diving should be for everyone,” said a spokesperson for Arnewood Divers. “Our goal is to make this vision a reality through collaboration, shared experiences, and inclusive opportunities for all SAA divers.”

A Call to All SAA Clubs

Arnewood Divers would like to extend a warm invitation to all SAA dive clubs to connect, collaborate, and dive together. Let’s create more shared diving adventures across the UK – visiting each other’s sites, welcoming one another with standard membership rates and no additional guest fees.

Let’s build a stronger SAA community by diving more together.

We hope our success will inspire other SAA clubs to explore similar opportunities. If you’re considering applying for a grant or want support, we’d be happy to share our journey.

Upcoming Diver First Aid Refresher – All Welcome

Arnewood Divers will be running a Diver First Aid Refresher course on [SUN 11 MAY 25], and you’re very welcome to join us if you’re in the area. This session is designed for qualified First Aiders whose certification is due for renewal.

To take part, you must hold a current First Aid qualification, fill in a National Course Aplication Form https://saa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/National-Course-Application-Form.pdf).

Please contact Arnewood Divers Diving Officer Wendy Holt email:adsac.training@gmail.com in advance to apply.

Support Our Vision

To help bring this accessible boat to life, we have launched a crowdfunding campaign. Any donation, big or small, will make a real difference. Together, we can create a more inclusive and connected diving community.

 https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/new-dive-boat-for-local-scuba-divers

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The Zenobia was a Swedish roll-on roll off ferry which in June of 1980 was traveling from Sweden to Syria. She reached Cyprus at the of port Larnaca, where here  she developed a problem with the ballast computer, which led to water being pumped to the port tanks which in turn became the main cause in her sinking.

She was carrying 104 articulated trucks valued at £200,000,000 the salvage rights to the wreck have never been agreed.

The Zenobia lies on a sandy sea bed on her port side at approximately 42 metres fully intact, including the main propellers, all her cargo  as well as the Captains Blue Skoda car!

We arranged an inclusive dive package holiday with Alpha Divers based in Larnaca, this included flights from Manchester/Lanaca, Accommodation in city centre apartments close to the harbour and 6 days diving with between 2/3 dives a day. The dives were all carried out using 28% EAN x gas mix for safety purposes.

Our diving started the morning after our arrival with the warm (24 degree C) Mediterranean Sea awaiting, everyone was
expectant and excited at the same time of how good the diving would be.

Arriving at the site of the Zenobia wreck we received a full dive briefing, which occurred for all the dives throughout the week. We were assigned Dive guides who would lead us on all our dives.

The first dive of the trip was to be a familiarisation dive on the Zenobia. The decent/assent to and from the wreck was always via the fixed shot line which is securely fixed mid ship to the wreck allowing divers to carry out safety stops using the shot line

The first dive included a trip across the hull to the stern of the ship to visit and swim around the twin propellers of the ship, on the return trip to the shot line the local resident turtle made a short appearance which was a great bonus for a fantastic first dive.

The following day due to  windier conditions  we went shore Diving to the Greko caves and the underwater sculpture park (MUSAN) at Ayia Napa https://musan.com.cy/about 

The next  day with the wind having abated we spent our time diving on the Zenobia and also on the wreck of the Elpida. A ship sunk on purpose to create an artificial reef.

The following morning was to be our last dive of the week on the Zenobia, and Alpha Divers had left the best dive of the week to the last, a penetration dive into the main engine room at the stern of the wreck at around 35-40 m.

Everyone agreed a most memorable and enjoyable last dive to round off a fantastic week’s diving.

A big thank you goes to the APLHA Divers team, especially to the dive guides who were extremely professional,
approachable and good natured and made the week extremely pleasurable.

Bill Ritchie
Preston Divers

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The SAA is made up of volunteers who put in an incredible amount of work in running clubs, courses, regions and the SAA nationally. There are some people who always seem to  be  putting  in  that extra effort over and above everyone else or  going far beyond the minimum requirements of their roles. Now is your chance to acknowledge the efforts of these people.

You can say “a big thank you” to those hard-working Regional Instructors, Club Officers, and Instructors, Divers, Clubs and Regions that you’ve been able to rely on throughout the year by nominating them for an SAA Award.

In addition the SAA Awards recognise achievements in Archaeology and Conservation.

The awards criteria and nomination forms are available from Head Office or the SAA website.

Closing date for nominations is Friday 24th January 2025

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At a recent meeting of the BDSG a failing of a cylinder at the neck was highlighted. The image shows an O ring ballooning between the cylinder neck and the valve. This occurs because the tread above the O ring is exposed to sea water and can be prone to corrosion. There are reports of cylinder necks being ground to remove the area of corrosion, this reduces the depth of thread and will result in an automatic fail.

These days, while still costly, cylinders are at the lower end of dive kit costs. They do represent one of the greatest dangers to divers and dive centre operators when they fail under load. We should treat cylinders as consumable and accept that they have a finite safe life.

The post Cylinder Safety appeared first on Sub-Aqua Association.

Irene, at head office, is currently working through the members with CMAS cards and entering their details on the new CMAS system. Members will receive a system generated email when this has been completed.

If you wish you can register yourself on the portal by clicking on this link

When you access the page, scroll down to “Need to register an account” Go to Individual then Create Account. Please note that when completing the personal information you only need to complete those boxes with a*

When you visit the CMAS Portal you will find a list of features on the left hand side. For now you only need to view “My Certificates”. The portal functionality is still being developed and we will let you know when additional functionality is available. We are looking at what guidance might be needed and this will be published at a later date. Please also keep in mind that the portal supports all aspects of CMAS so there will be areas which will not be relevant to the diving.

Steve Orange
National Diving Officer

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Sport England has launched a new funding application process with the view of making it easier for sports clubs and other organisations who help people to take part in physical activity apply for money.

The new Movement Fund was designed to simplify funding applications and will help those with the greatest need secure investment to support people to live active, healthy, lives.

The fund, which is worth £160 million over the next four years, replaces the existing Small Grants Programme and Active Together fund, and will offer crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to provide physical activity opportunities that can help tackle long-lasting inequalities.

Figures show there’s still a significant activity gap between people based on where they live, how affluent they are, their sex, ethnic background or whether they have a disability or long-term health condition. The Movement Fund aims to help close these gaps and will especially welcome applications that focus on doing so.

The Movement Fund is aimed at community groups, local clubs and grassroots organisations that are at the heart of delivering physical activity opportunities that boost people’s health and wellbeing.

How your SAA club could benefit

There are amounts of between £300 and £15,000 on offer if your project aligns with Sport England’s priorities, which can be used to fund a broad range of costs and items.

General eligibility criteria for the Movement Fund include:

• An organisation working with people living in England
• An organisation being not-for-profit

Further criteria apply to the fund and there is guidance available to help people in the application process.

There are four ambitions of what Sport England are looking for in an application:

• encouraging positive experiences of sport and physical activity
• involving the community in planning and delivery
• prioritising environmental sustainability
• a good use of public money

How to apply – and succeed!

If your organisation and project are eligible for funding, and your project aligns with Sport England’s goals, you could receive up to £15,000.

Funding will be provided as either a contribution to a crowdfunding campaign or as a grant.

You can use money awarded to cover a wide range of costs and items that’ll help deliver positive change in your community.

Crowdfunding enables organisations to raise funds by setting goals and promoting them to attract supporters who can contribute financially – often using discounts and experiences as rewards for donations.

Get started

Before applying, take a look at the funding guidance which explains who Sport England are looking to support, the kinds of projects they’re interested in, what information you’ll need to provide and the help on offer.

To help check if your project and organisation are suitable for the funding, you’ll be presented with a short quiz at the beginning of the application process.

If you’re unsure if the Movement Fund suits your project or need more information, contact Sport England on 0345 8508 508 or email funding@sportengland.org.

Movement Fund – apply now  

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• Myocardial Infarction. You can access the guidance here
• Neurodiversity
  This now only applies to new divers (and does not apply at all to dyspraxia or dyslexia). Those on medication still need to contact a Medical Referee as they would be answering yes to the medication question.
  These new divers need to complete a Neurodiversity or Neurodivergence Declaration for New Divers form, found on the website under Downloads (there is also a link to it in the Medical Conditions section under Neurodiversity). Only those answering yes to any of the questions numbered 2 to 12 on this form need contact a Medical Referee.
  There is no longer an age restriction and no longer a requirement for a report from an instructor after pool training. If the instructor is happy with the diver’s progress (as in any diver irrespective of any medical issues) they can go on to open water diving without having to get a report or contact a Medical Referee. There is no longer an age restriction and no longer a requirement for a report from an instructor after pool training. If the instructor is happy with the diver’s progress (as in any diver irrespective of any medical issues) they can go on to open water diving without having to get a report or contact a Medical Referee. You can access the guidance here
• COVID
  For those who have had COVID there is now no need to declare it, except in those cases that were severe enough to require admission to hospital and would then need a 3 month lay-off from diving as opposed to a year. These divers only (likely to be few) would then still need a medical and possibly detailed lung function testing. The “score sheet” attached to the UKDMC Medical Declaration form is no longer required.

Revised Medical Form
You can download the latest medical  form here. This latest form, dated May 2024, no longer has the COVID score card. When completing your medical form, you should always download the form from the UKDMC website rather than reuse a version you have saved locally.

Dealing with Medical Referees
I have been made aware of medical referees receiving abuse. It goes without saying that any abuse is totally unacceptable and one of the main problems seems to be the perceived high cost of a dive medical.

In reality the cost is held at artificially low levels when you consider the high cost of setting up and ongoing costs including additional training courses and specialised insurance. When looking at what the doctor is charging consider how this compares with the hourly rate tradespeople and garages charge, I suggest we are getting very good deals.

Not every medical results in being able to continue diving, in such cases don’t blame the referee they are only ensuring that the next dive doesn’t kill you (or put your dive buddies at risk).

Finding a medical referee can be difficult in some areas. The DDRC provide a telephone screening service (https://www.ddrc.org/diving/fitness-to-dive/) where they can offer advice and guidance on how you should proceed, there is a small charge of £10 for this service.

Medical Certificates
The completion of a medical certificate is a requirement of SAA membership and where required divers must have been cleared by an approved UKDMC medical referee.

Failure to dive without a valid medical clearance would invalidate your SAA insurance and would very likely invalidate any personal insurance a diver has, as they would be diving outside of the guidelines of their diving agency.

I have no reports of members falsifying their medical certificates and I would ask that club diving officers make the following checks:

• Is the name of the medical referee one that is known to you? If not check the list of authorised medical referees on the UKDMC website. (The list of authorised medical referees does change so if the certificate was issued several months earlier and doesn’t list the name on the certificate use the contact form on the UKDMC website – https://www.ukdmc.org/contact-us/ to confirm.
• Does the certificate have a valid stamp? These will normally show the doctor’s name and contact details as a minimum.

If you, as the club’s Diving Officer, have any doubt as to the validity of a medical certificate I would strongly recommend that you contact the referee named on the certificate, who will gladly confirm if the certificate is genuine or not.

Take care and stay safe
Steve Orange (ndo@saa.org.uk)
National Diving Officer

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During the strikes we are asked to avoid high risk activities, we should be taking this
approach when planning our dives. Ask yourself is the 100% oxygen supply enough to
support a casualty for an hour or more where previously we could expect an ambulance
with large quantities of oxygen to be with us is 20 minutes or so.

You may be asked to take the casualty direct to the chamber for treatment. If the casualty
can be transported by car remember to ensure that it is well ventilated, it only take a small
increase in the oxygen concentration in the car to create a potentially lethal situation – oh
and don’t smoke!

Insurance as Divers
The subject of insurance is very wide and it is always recommended that you read the
small print so that you know what cover you are buying. I am not an expert in this field and
I would recommend you speak to an insurance expert if you have any questions about
your own policies. Some personal observations:

• Travel insurance.
  A lot of policies include cover for scuba diving to 30 metres, or in some cases to the
  depth you are qualified. However do check your own policy to ensure that you are
  covered, especially if you have bought a budget policy. I would check that your
  policy covers helicopter recovery as this can prove costly.
  It is not only scuba diving some policies exclude: parascending, rides of bit yellow
  bananas, rock climbing in fact anything even slightly out of the “norm”.
• Life Insurance
  A number of years ago when I took out life insurance to cover my mortgage I had to
  declare that I was a diver and provide details of my qualifications and dive
  parameters. These were consider by the underwriters and my premiums reflected
  that additional risk. Like holiday insurance any activity which is perceived to carry a
  higher risk than normal day to day living should be declared.
• Third Party Insurance
  Most household policies include a level of cover for claims from a third party.
  However these tend to cover you as a householder and not any liability you might
  incur as a diver, instructor or officer of your club or the SAA.
  This is why SAA membership includes this vital insurance for our members,
  however you must remain within the SAA guidelines to ensure you remain covered.
• Equipment Insurance
  Again home contents policies can provide some level of insurance for your dive
  equipment. However this tends to be cover against theft while stored at home and is
  unlikely to cover loss while diving, including equipment you might need to dump in
  an emergency. You can buy a policy from dive insurance specialist, such as
  Westfield Insurance (https://www.divinginsuranceuk.com/), to cover your equipment.
  I have always worked on the basis of tell them everything as any omission will give the
  insurer a reason to reject your claim.

Finally check that any policy covers where you are planning to travel, few policies cover
the USA and Canada (including the SAA’s) due to the costs in those countries. If planning
to dive in the USA or Canada you will need a policy with a much higher level of cover.

Take care and stay safe.

Steve Orange (ndo@saa.org.uk)
National Diving Officer

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