84 APPENDIX NAUI Nitrox B Diver
Being a Responsible Diver, Following Guidelines,
Appendix B
and Practicing Good Diving
As a responsible diver, you must follow
certain guidelines for etiquette (good manners),
boat diving, and diving in general.
DIVER ETIQUETTE
As a NAUI Diver, you should observe the
following guidelines for proper etiquette:
• Manage your equipment and vehicles as
compactly as possible so that you do not
block sidewalks, driveways, or public accesses.
Maintain a tidy equipment area to avoid clutter
at the dive site.
• Take care with spearguns. Loaded spearguns
are forbidden on land and on boats, and any
spearing should not be done in crowded beach
areas.
• Ask before using or crossing private property,
whether to gain access to a dive site or for
recreation after a dive.
• Do not change clothes in public. Be discreet,
and use vehicles, changing robes, or tents. Think
of others who are passing the site or using the
beaches.
• Create a good impression of divers. Talk
pleasantly to interested non-divers who are
curious about your sport. Be careful of your
language and behavior, particularly regarding
the use of alcohol or other drugs around dive
activities.
• Do not violate the rights of others to enjoy the
environment, run businesses, or have a pleasant
town to live in.
• Obey all laws, whether they are fish and game
regulations or designated parking and access
areas. Cooperate with local police.
• Do not litter beaches or otherwise destroy
property. Beach environments are often fragile
ecological systems that require your careful use
if they are to survive.
• Patronize local merchants. Divers can have
a positive economic impact on an area, from
restaurants to dive stores to motels. Good
economic rapport with a community means
continuing good communication and access
for divers.
• Begin your dives early in the day for optimum
diving conditions, less crowded beaches, more
parking, and more freedom of choice regarding
dive sites. Do not exceed your diving capabilities
in selecting your site. Ask local residents or
divers about possible sites, and rely on their
knowledge of water and bottom conditions.
• Make sure that your fishing license is current,
and obey local fishing regulations. Take only as
much game as you can use. Collect as little as
possible, clean fish only in designated areas, and
dispose of any waste properly.
• Be helpful to other users of our aquatic
environment. It makes you, as a diver, better
than the faceless crowd, and it gains respect for
your sport. Also, it removes many hassles of
diving and makes you a happier, calmer, and
safer diver.
NAUI RESPONSIBLE BOAT DIVING
PRACTICES
The NAUI Responsible Boat Diving Practices
include the following:
• Select a licensed boat that is fully equipped with
all required safety gear, including oxygen and
other diver support and safety equipment.
• Ask to receive boat diving techniques training
as part of your Advanced or Master Scuba Diver
course.
• Rely on the captain’s knowledge of the most
suitable dive sites. Plan your dive using the
specific site information provided by the crew or
divemaster.
• Sign up only for trip destinations consistent with
your ability and dive plan.
• Arrive at the boat at least one-half hour before
departure. Stow your well-marked gear in its
assigned location, and respect the boat facilities,
such as no wetsuits in the bunk cabin or not
dropping weights or cylinders on the deck.
• Between dives, keep your gear in your bag to
avoid loss or breakage, and always assist your
buddy with their cylinder. Do not sit on the
deck to don your scuba unit, or you might get
hit in the head by another diver’s cylinder.
• Use your equipment properly to dive easily and
safely. Do not overweight yourself. Only use
your buoyancy compensator to fine-tune your
buoyancy during the dive or to compensate for a
heavy game bag at the end.
• Do not take a loaded speargun on a boat or
boarding ramp. Bring a container for your game.
Help keep the deck clean and clear.
• Use the boat exit points that are identified by
the crew. Move away from the boat exit once