Calling all Queensland dive and snorkel operators! Showcase your assessment and rescue skills and establish your organisation as one that is committed to safety in the marine tourism industry.
This year, we’re challenging you and your crew to submit a video demonstrating your organisation’s ability to assess snorkellers and provide a simulation of a rescue of an unconscious snorkeller.
Queensland has some of the most spectacular marine environments found anywhere in the world. Each year millions of tourists visit the Great Barrier Reef for a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the wonders of the reef in a safe and controlled environment. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of operators a small percentage of people lose their life participating in snorkelling activities.
In an emergency situation dive and snorkel operators need to have a safety plan ready.
The Recreational Diving, Recreational Technical Diving and Snorkelling Code of Practice 2018 (the Code), requires snorkelling operators to make an assessment of each snorkeller and their ability to conduct the activity. This assessment includes a person’s medical fitness and ability to snorkel. Where a person has been deemed to be at risk there is an obligation to provide further control measures to protect their health and safety.
Practice drills are also required under the Code to ensure operators and crew members are prepared and understand their roles in an emergency situation.
What to include in your entry
To enter the Snorkel safety challenge, entrants must film the steps they would take to assess a snorkeller and how they would manage an emergency when a snorkeller loses consciousness in the water. The filmed drill should cover:
- conducting an assessment of a snorkeller to determine their suitability to conduct the snorkelling activity
- providing control measures to minimise a person’s risk in the water including how crew are aware of who they are and how they are identified in the water
- your lookout identifying an unconscious snorkeller in the water, with an immediate rescue to commence
- your scenario should conclude with first aid commencing and emergency services being contacted.
For operators who only provide recreational diving activities the scenario should include:
- assessing the ability of a certified diver to conduct the diving activity
- the diver being found unconscious on the surface and identified by the lookout, and an immediate rescue being performed
- your scenario should conclude with first aid commencing and emergency services being contacted.
Entry in the challenge can:
- raise your profile in the industry
- attract more customers and establish your organisation as one that is committed to safety.
How to enter
- Entries must be a video and demonstrate the steps outlined in the “What to include in your entry” section.
- For the entry to be valid entrants must:
- complete all the fields in the entry form and include it with their entry
- complete the consent form for each adult/child in the entry.
- Video entries must be submitted in MP4 format, submitted on a USB and posted to:
Dive Unit – Snorkel safety challenge
PO Box 5464
Queensland 4870 - Judges will have complete discretion in assessing entries against the criteria and terms in determining the winners.
- The Queensland Government will not accept any responsibility or liability in respect of any lost entries.
- Entries will not be returned to entrants.
- By entering the competition, each entrant guarantees that their entry is their original work.
- Queensland Government will seek permission from entrants to use the entries (other than confidential information) for any purposes seen fit including, but not limited to, promotional purposes which may include being published to the WorkSafe.qld.gov.au, electricalsafety.qld.gov.au website, media and social media.
- Entrants who breach any of these Terms are subject to disqualification.
- If you have any enquiries regarding the competition please contact WHSQDiveUnit@oir.qld.gov.au.