Irish Underwater Council

2017 Annual Report

Irish Underwater Council

2017 Annual Report

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WELCOME ...... 4

MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT ...... 5

MESSAGE FROM HEAD OFFICE ...... 6

OUR RESOURCES ...... 9

STRATEGIC PLAN ...... 11

BOARD REPORTS ...... 12

PRESIDENT’S REPORT ...... 12

VICE PRESIDENTS REPORT ...... 14 NATIONAL DIVING OFFICER REPORT ...... 15

INCIDENTS OFFICER REPORT…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....20

HON. TREASURER REPORT ...... 23

NATIONAL OFFICER REPORT…………………………………………………………………...... 24

SCIENTIFIC OFFICERS REPORT ...... 26

CHILDREN’S OFFICER REPORT ...... 28

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER REPORT……………………………………………………………………………………………………..29

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2017 ...... 30

DIVING...... 30

SEARCH & RECOVERY ...... 32

DIVING INTO SPACE ...... 33 DIVE IRELAND 2017 ...... 34

TRY A DIVE ...... 35

UNDERWATER HOCKEY ...... 36

SNORKELING ...... 38

LOOKING FORWARD ...... 40

2 | P a g e OPERATIONAL PLAN 2017 ...... 42 OPERATIONAL PLAN 2018 ...... 47

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS & CLUBS ...... 51

CHILDREN & IUC ...... 51

DIVING RULES & REGULATIONS ...... 51

HELP AVAILABLE ...... 51

3 | P a g e Welcome

Welcome to the 2017 Irish Underwater Council Annual Report. Following on from the success of our Annual Reports over the last two years we continue to bring you a complete record of activity for our organisation from year to year which will enable us all to chart the development and success of the Irish Underwater Council as we move forward.

Thank You

Before we begin however let us take this time to recognise and thank our instructors and club committees from around the country. Everyday these people give up their free time to manage, teach and guide our clubs and members. Without them we would simply not exist and each year we are humbled by their dedication. Your commitment does not go unnoticed and because of you, many thousands of people have found the freedom, peace and beauty of underwater Ireland, Thank You.

4 | P a g e Message from our President

I am very pleased to present the annual report for IUC for 2017. As President of IUC I am very proud of IUC’s long tradition of providing good value, excellent service and support to all our members. As we move towards 2018 we will continue to focus on our 2017-2019 ‘Strategy of Better Together’ by maintaining and renewing the customer service and club engagement and continue our journey to good governance.

I am delighted to report that 2017 has been a very positive year for IUC. For the first time in many years the downward trend in membership has reversed and through prudent financial management we have managed to avoid another year in deficit. Our excellent safety record has also been maintained.

It was with some trepidation that I took on the role of IUC President at last year’s AGM. I had, after all, big shoes to follow in Mike Orth who had expertly guided the organisation over the last three years. It was the generosity and enthusiasm of the volunteer diving community and backup of the administration staff who have made my first year a productive and positive experience.

Standards and Training IUC is the National Governing Body for in Ireland and safety is one of our core values. We are the body that sets the standards for diving in Ireland and these standards have evolved over many years and reflect our experience and best international practice. It is up to each Member to take their training seriously and to know and abide by the rules and recommendations in order that we continue to enjoy happy and safe diving.

Club Growth and Governance The year 2017 was the first since the recession when our membership has started to rise again. New members and trainees are the life blood of every club and should be welcomed and encouraged. Training and self-development as divers, players, snorkelers, search and recovery divers, photographers, archaeologists, sea searchers, scientists, environmental advocates, committee members and volunteers is what IUC is here to support in as many ways possible. Together we can make a difference and grow all aspects of our sport.

We need to continue to grow membership and the Executive encourages all clubs to recruit and welcome new members. Openness and transparency about our operations at all levels is a key element in developing our underwater community. Working with Clubs to enhance their operations and governance is a core objective under the strategic plan. There is a renewed focus in the Sports Community and at government level on strong governance practices in all organisations in receipt of any public funding. In 2017 the IUC and its member clubs received over half a million in public funding. This is critical to our operations and there are opportunities to grow this in the future. However, public funding is now being linked to performance in areas such as governance so it is in everyone’s interest that we ensure that the IUC and its member clubs are leaders in this area. A particular focus in 2017 was the new requirements in relation to child protection and you will have seen a range of communications on this issue.

Conclusion

We have a great product. We have an excellent support system within the IUC office and at a national, regional and club level with our volunteers. We must continue to work together to promote this wonderful and sell it to a wide variety of potential members. We will strive to collaborate above and below the water with the ‘esprit de corps’ that comes with being a member of CFT/IUC.

IUC President Jean Kelleher

5 | P a g e Message from Head Office

We had another busy year in HQ in 2017, with plenty of challenges and achievements along the way as well as some big changes. Although we are a small team of two staff we work hard to bring our members a professional and efficient service. The following graphic demonstrates just some of the areas we work in throughout the year.

Some of our achievements this year include:

 Continued Implementation of a new document control system into head office and agreed with Technical Commission and Executive for use in all official company documents.  Successful tendering for the new IT membership system.  Completed and passed with ease a PHECC audit of our administration procedures and company administration.  Once again successfully applied for the NGB Core Grant Fund.  Joined with Science Federation of Ireland to run “Diving Into Space” in Cork. This event, while lots of fun, was designed to bring meaning to science for young adults and we were proud to be partners in this.  Chaired the successful Dumping in Dublin Bay campaign

6 | P a g e  Transparency, good governance and adherence to company law continues to be central to how we operate. While we welcome further development in the area of corporate governance it does bring with it the need for more resources and time. We believe it is essential we dedicate time to this area to ensure we continue to operate in an open and transparent manner. We welcome queries and suggestions from our members regarding this.  E-vetting procedures, we were one of the first National Governing Bodies to begin E- vetting, the system has now become activated and we are processing a large number of Garda Vetting applications. This service is open to all of our members and we warmly welcome applications. E-Vetting is about protecting the member as much as it is about protecting young people. It is a strictly confidential service and easy to use.  As the company develops so does the support we offer and so in the past three years we have expanded to provide a full admin and project management support for our National Executive.  As IT infrastructure advances and technology moves on so should we and so we have begun the process of redesigning our IT systems to allow clubs and instructors greater flexibility to organize and manage courses along with greater public access to the activities of the organisation.  We assisted clubs to advertise their Try A Dives through a targeted Facebook advert campaigns and invested €10 per participant club to ensure greater coverage.  We have worked on the promotion of a number of large events including the Santa Scuba Dive, European Week of Sport, etc,

This year has seen many challenges, successes and some hard times. Earlier this year we bid adieu to our Development Officer, Anthony Wright, as he moved on to a new position within Sport Ireland Coaching. We would like to thank Anthony for all his hard work, particularly in developing the area of snorkeling within the IUC. Your hard work will enable us to move forward and bring snorkeling more to the light within our Sport. As I am sure many of you will know this year we also said farewell to Louise Gilligan, who was the driving behind the Irish Underwater Council for many years. Louise with her vast knowledge of all aspects of the work that the Council does has been sorely missed and we wish her well in all her future endeavours. No doubt she will still be attending future dive shows, dive rallies and working hard to promote diving within her own club but nonetheless her contribution to diving in Ireland will never be forgotten and will always be appreciated. Though the work load increases by the week, we are seeing the results with an increase in membership and a return to the black in our accounts. This is a promising start to what will hopefully be an upward trend for the Irish Underwater Council. However the hard work must continue as these success do not come of their own accord. While clubs are central to how we operate, we would be negligent and foolish as a company not to explore new avenues of

7 | P a g e revenue, participation and membership models. To this end we must continue to develop and promote our suite of snorkeling products such as, centre accreditation programs, nationally recognized snorkel instructor qualifications and new snorkel activity products. It is our intention that commercial centres can “sell” our products during the summer when our clubs are busy enjoying the sport. Early signs are very positive with centres signed up to the scheme and more in the pipeline but to continue these encouraging strides we must as a body represent a sport that is performed to the high standards of safety and governance that are expected. We are a united front to promote snorkeling, and underwater hockey across the island of Ireland.

As staff members we see on a daily basis the amount of work, the enthusiasm and the herculean effort all our volunteers put into their club, their regions and the sport as a whole. We would like to thank you for everything you do and all the advice, support and encouragement you offer us. We are looking forward to working with you over the next year and see what 2018 will bring.

Thank you,

Linda and Sarah

IUC Staff

8 | P a g e Our Resources

Members Fundamental to the success of IUC are our volunteers. Our members have shaped and defined who we are. They are our corner stone and without them we could not exist. From ground level to the highest Executive Committee position volunteers provide an essential service. All training, club and regional administration is undertaken by volunteers. This contribution and the volunteers within our organization must be maintained, supported and recognised appropriately if IUC’s core strengths are to be maintained

Company Directors Our board is made up of 8 volunteers who give their time freely to develop and grow underwater sport in Ireland through the Irish Underwater Council. The Board meet once a month, at these meetings progress against our goals are measured and discussed, future plans are made and from time to time presentations are made by both internal and external stakeholders. Each position on the board has a two year term.

The Board is dedicated to the growth and development of the council but they need your help and support. Each year the board actively seek new members to come on board and help us grow. If you are interested in taking a position on the board please email [email protected].

The positions up for election this year are: VP, NDO, PRO, Science, and Treasurer. Technical Commission & Regional Officers

The Technical Commission (TC) is made up of 6 Moniteur *** divers as well as the 8 Regional Diving Officers and the National Snorkelling Officer. Their remit is to monitor and set out all of our diving and snorkeling standards. They meet at least four times a year and work extremely hard to ensure our programs are up to current best practice and that the safety of divers is kept paramount through review of our diving rules and regulations.

Last year the TC roles were redesigned and defined for greater understanding and transparency of the work of the commission.

Our diving clubs are divided into 8 different regions and each region is managed by a Regional Diving Officer. Their role is to coordinate all courses and tests for their region as well as assisting clubs throughout the year who may need a little extra support.

9 | P a g e Instructors Each year members put themselves forward for the Moniteur * and Club Instructor courses. We are extremely lucky to have a large group of dedicated instructors who give up their time to guide others along the way. Currently we have 410 Instructors registered with the council, each one of these is responsible for guiding and showing new members the wonders that diving & snorkeling has to offer.

Club Officers We have 72 active clubs in the organisation and each of these has its own committee which guide, oversee and organize club activities and training. Club committees are the lifeblood of our organization and we are privileged to have such dedicated members.

Staff We have a small but very dedicated staff who work hard to ensure that the day to day operations on the council are carried out in an efficient and professional manner. They also are involved in policy making and strategic planning to ensure that the IUC follow national and international best practice. Most importantly though we are committed to ensuring that our members receive the support necessary to feed their enthusiasm as well as promoting the sport to potential new members.

10 | P a g e Our Strategic Plan

Our current strategic plan, “Better Together” is now well underway.

Our Vision

To inspire and share a passion for the underwater world

Our Values

 Community - In terms of how we interact with each other and wider

 Environment - We will promote the ethos of “take only memories, leave only bubbles”

 Safety - The first principle of every- thing we do

 Adventure - In our sport and our approach to life

 Quality - In all our activities particularly training, governance and processes

Our Mission

 To grow the safe and active participation in the underwater activities

 To support and empower our community of clubs to promote the healthy enjoyment of underwater activities

 To promote the protection and preservation of our rich underwater environment and heritage

How do we achieve this

We are now entering our second year of our three year Strategic Plan “Better Together”. This plan has five main themes which are:

1. Increase Participation

2. Improve Training and Delivery

3. Improve Communications and the Promotion of Underwater Activities

4. Improve Membership Services

5. Improve and Promote Excellence in Governance

Each of these themes is then broken down into targets and goals and assigned to different officers and staff of the council. Out of these goals and objectives yearly operational plans are produced and monitored quarterly by the Executive Board and Sport Ireland. Each year a review is completed to ensure the objectives are in line with current best practise in good governance and are on their way to being successfully completed.

The Strategic Plan “Better Together” is available from your membership account and will also be circulated separately to this report.

11 | P a g e Board Reports

President’s Report

It has been my privilege over the past year to work, on your behalf, with a very dedicated group of people who are determined to follow our vision of inspiring and sharing a passion for the underwater world as set out in our Strategic Plan for 2017 – 2019 ‘Better Together”.

Our Better Together Group of people is made up of every member of Irish Underwater Council (IUC), as well as the hard-working administration and finance staff in Head Office and our Medical Officer. To make all of us better together we are so fortunate to have a myriad of volunteers at every level from club committee members, instructors in both diving and snorkeling, underwater hockey teams, Search and Recovery members and coordinators, members of the Technical Commission and members of the Executive Committee.

Our Executive Committee members have been working on a variety of items, a few of which I will summarise here. Each Officer has also prepared their own report to give you more details of their work on your behalf.

People Changes Changing of the guard – IUC Head Office 2017 was a year when we encountered many changes some planned and some not planned. Our biggest challenge from an organisational point of view was the resignation of our General Manager of 14 years, Louise Gilligan. Louise resigned to follow her passion for adult education in the academic arena. We wish her every happiness in this next phase of her career.

We have been extremely fortunate to recruit a super addition to the staff, Linda Monaghan to work, along with Sarah Campbell, as Senior Administrator. With Sarah and Louise’s help, Linda has hit the ground running and brings to our organisation a wealth of experience in sports administration.

Change of Medical Officer After many years of dedicated service to all of us in IUC Gerry Bury stood down as Medical Officer. We again were very fortunate to recruit Richard O’Regan who has been working tirelessly to align our medical procedures to other organisations and has now opened our organisation to diabetics under strict conditions. Richard has also run a day long course on diving for Medical Doctors

Replacement for COMS System COMS has been used as our Membership System for the last 10 years and is now outdated and expensive to maintain. A number of tenders were accessed during the year with Azolve Ltd chosen to build a new system to be rolled out later in 2018. With the new system implementation, we have planned to ensure adherence to the new GDPR legislation due to come into force in May 2018

Child Protection Legislation New Child Legislation planned for 2018 was carefully monitored during 2017 by our Children’s Officer, Fidelma Carroll. She has done extensive work preparing our organisation to be compliant with the new legislation. All clubs have been notified of their obligations to keep children (and vulnerable adults) safe in all aspects of our sport.

Governance In line with our Strategic Plan, we are working towards improving our organisation’s governance in both Head Office and within clubs around the country. We have been on this journey for the last number of years and plan to expand the culture of good governance at IUC to club level this year.

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Search and Recovery We will always remember 2017 as being the year of the tragic events on Blackrock where four of our brave Coast Guards were lost on a rescue mission. We mourn the loss of these brave people on whom we have relied on so much to help us and other water users if we get into difficulty.

We can be very proud of all our Search and Recovery teams who launched the largest ever search and recovery mission to assist to recover the bodies of winch operator Paul Ormsby and winch man Ciáran Smith. Unfortunately the search was unsuccessful but we continue to hope that they will be returned to their families

Underwater Environment Protection Protection of the underwater environment is a key objective of IUC. We continue to be vigilant in our monitoring of activities that may harm this environment. Our Scientific Officer Claire Kavanagh has been working with a small but determined group to ensure that bodies that are granted licenses to dump spoil in our waters do so according to their relevant license conditions.

Diving 2017 was a year of fantastic events all around the country. Clubs organised regular dives/snorkel and underwater hockey events. Clubs also organised a number of dive and snorkel rallies, which promote chances to dive in different locations with new and familiar buddies.

Our National Diving Officer Dermot Moynihan has spent the last four years enabling happy and safe diving. He will be stepping down this year and I would like to thank him for all the time and effort he has given to every member of this organisation.

I plan to continue my two-year term and endeavour to serve our organisation as best I can to deliver your Better Together Strategy and continue to inspire and share my passion for the underwater world.

IUC President

Jean Kelleher

13 | P a g e Vice Presidents Report

I was co-opted in August 2016 to fill a vacancy with a specific focus on developing the new Strategy Statement 2017-2019 (“Strategy Statement”) and supporting its implementation until the 2018 AGM when my term expires. The Strategy Statement was developed in several phases with input from the Executive and the Technical Commission in autumn 2016 and was approved at the 2017 AGM. The document is a much shorter document than its predecessors with an externally focused Vision, an organisational focused Mission and 5 related values. The objectives were used to shape the 2017 Executive work plan. This document was also much shorter than its predecessor. Ensuring the Executive remains focused on the Strategy remains a key activity for me. As the end of year report indicates, most of the actions in the work plan were fully delivered in 2017. The timeframes on some activities were pushed out primarily due to the staff change in 2017. These related mainly to organisational development and I am confident that the lost time can be recovered over the lifetime of the Strategy Statement. As you will see the 2018 Work plan reflects a further refinement of the 2017 version and was approved by Executive in October and Sport Ireland in December. My other roles over the past year have focused on generally supporting the work of the Executive Committee in relation to specific projects such as recruitment, tendering for the dive-show and interaction with internal and external stakeholders. Ciaran Kissane 04/02/2018

14 | P a g e National Diving Officer

Technical Commission. The outgoing Technical Commission members are; Regional Diving Officers:

 Noel Furlong (southeast) who was succeeded by Fergal McGrath.

 Aoife Mooney (Dublin South) who was succeeded by Mary Donohue.

 Fiona Gillespie (Dublin North) who was succeeded by Paddy Lambe.

 Stephen Smyth (Southwest).

 Don McCarty (South).

 Gearoid McCarty (North) who was succeeded by Martin McGee.

 Bernie McCarrick (Midlands).

 Thomas Moore (West). I wish to thank the RDO’s for the fantastic work they put into their regions year after year. They are the backbone of the organisation who I and the TC depend on to keep the diving courses and tests going smoothly. Elected members:

 Mehdi Entezary.

 Damian Ryan.

 Ray Yeates.

 David Jackson

 Don McCarty.

 Joe Fegan. Search & Recovery Coordinator:

 John Jo Rowland

TC Governance and future structure

In line with the executive strategic plan a structure was agreed on the future governance and responsibilities of the TC. The role of the TC is set out below. The TC welcomes both feedback and input from the membership. The current membership of the TC and responsibilities are set out in the table below. Please contact any member of the TC via email at [email protected] or via social media.

15 | P a g e Role Description

National Diving Officer National Diving Officer is chair of the TC. The position of NDO is to oversee the safety and training standards of diving and Dermot Moynihan certification within the Irish Underwater Council.

Incident Officer Incidents Officer is responsible for recording incidents as reported by members of IUC. The incident officer is also Damian Ryan. responsible for amalgamating the information from these reports to look for trends or areas where regulations or training may need to be introduced to ensure safety. The officer is also responsible for feeding back details of reported incidents to the membership and actively promoting safety issues including the publishing of an annual incident report to members.

Document & Standards The DSO is responsible for ensuring that any changes in rules, Officer regulations or training is documented in an agreed format and that revisions to courses are issued in an agreed standardized Communications format. They will minute meetings and maintain the T&S B. Work with head office on document housekeeping. Promote the work Ray Yeates of the TC and insure work is communicated to the membership. Fill the two-way role of liaison between the membership and the TC.

Course & Jury Planning The role of the CJPO is to oversee the annual course and Officer assessment schedule for IUC. This officer will liaise with the Regional Diving Officers and Head Office to publish a quarterly Joe Fegan list of IUC courses to assist members in planning activities. The officer is also responsible for putting together Jury assessments for the IUC. The CJPO will also liaise with the instructor base to develop course activity.

Educational Officer The role of the EO is to oversee and manage the schedule of course revision and to ensure that all new training course Mehdi Entezary revision are in line with the overall educational philosophy of the IUC. The EO will lead course development, promotion, and facilitation.

National Snorkeling Officer A member of the executive, the national snorkeling officer is responsible for the safety and standards of snorkeling and Bernard Larkin associated sports in the IUC. They represent these minority sports on the technical commission to ensure standards are kept in line with international best practice.

TC members There are two more positions available on the Technical Commission, these members may be made up of Moniteur 3’s or Dave Jackson, others who hold skills required by the TC from time to time.

Don McCarty

Regional Diving Officers Regional diving Officers are responsible for organizing and overseeing training, assessments, and standards within their region.

16 | P a g e Children’s Officer This person is also an executive member and will work with the TC members to ensure that the work of the TC will take into Fidelma Carroll consideration the juvenile membership.

National S&R Officer To represent the interests of the S&R Teams within the Organisation. John Joe Rowland

Objectives. Review training, certification, and safety standards to ensure they meet international best practice. Conduct periodic review of IUC training courses to ensure they are fit for purpose. Review assessment strategies of IUC to ensure fit for purpose, open and transparent and in line with best practice. Promote safety in diving and work to advance the goals of the strategic plan. In addition, Term limits were introduced for officers of the TC which will follow the Executive term limits format. Members can spend two years in any one position and a total of six years’ maximum. Members must be two years off the TC before returning. All TC members must agree to work within the structures of the strategic plan. To bring these changes into effect the outlined roles and areas of responsibility were defined for the 2017 incoming Technical Commission members. The TC convened for 4 meetings over the 2017 season and the TC liaised with the Executive of the IUC via the NDO participation at the executive meetings and the TC meeting minutes.

Projects undertaken: 1. Introduction of a new Sea survival course that was designed by the British Dive Safety Group in association with the RNLI. This course was adapted for the IUC by Ray Yeates and is being reviewed by a roll out committee consisting of the IUC, RNLI and the Coast Guard on Feb 19th in preparation for use by the membership. 2. There is ongoing work on the Training and Standards manual throughout the season. Ray Yeates has continued to update this document and clean up the formatting and terminology. Some of the items addressed were,

 New CRF form  Medical Form  Logbook V22  Equivalence form V4  Corrected T & S buddy depths for Club Diver / Advanced Club Diver  Drysuit Form and Certificate  Diver 1 * and Club Diver booklet

3. The equivalence document has also been updated and an instructor crossover section added. 4. Search and Recovery training program has been updated by Timmy Carey and his team including new slides and a search paper. The Search and Recovery group are very well organised and

17 | P a g e growing section of our organisation. The SLA with the Coast Guard is working very well and both of our organisations are very happy with its implementation. 5. There is now a certificate for established drysuit diving members and those new to drysuit diving who complete the drysuit lecture and a practical pool session. 6. There is an ongoing update of the One Star training program, the Blending Course and the Rescue course which will be delivered by the incoming TC.

Certificates issued in brief, Mon* - there were six certs issued last season. Leading Diver Mod 1 there were 13 certs issued last season. Leading Diver Mod 2 there were 12 certs issued last season. Leading Diver Mod 3 there were 12 certs issued last season. There were 8 leading diver certs issued last season. There were 15 Rescue certs issued last season. There were 13 certs issued last season.

Incidents; Please see the report compiled by Damian Ryan the Incidents Officer included with this report.

AGM Diving Officer, Training Officer and Instructors meeting. Saturday March 3rd at 10am. Agenda items include, Dr. Richard O’Regan is going to host a segment on the new medical system. The responsibilities of the Diving Officer, a review. Training and Standards manual update. Sea Survival Course rollout. The Incidents report. The work of the TC for the 2017 season. Introduction to the new go membership instructor portal. I'm also inviting topics for discussion from the membership that you would like to see on the agenda for this meeting so please send in any suggestions to [email protected] .

18 | P a g e Sign off; This is my last NDO report as I will be stepping down at this year’s AGM having served four very rewarding years in this position. I want to express my deepest gratitude to all of the RDO’s and TC members who gave so generously of their time and experience over the past four years. As an organisation we are so lucky to have members who are dedicated to making the IUC work on a day to day level. I would also like to thank the members of the executive for their cooperation and support over the years. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the huge efforts put in by the office staff in supporting the TC, RDO’s and all instructors on a daily basis. Louise Gilligan who has moved on now was a great support to me in my role as NDO and Linda Monaghan is taking up the pace admirably with Sarah as ever filling her essential role also. I want to finish by thanking all the instructors around the country who show up night after night weekend after weekend, year in year out, to deliver the lecture, pool session or sea training dive. Your hard work and dedication keeps the IUC going and I look forward to re-joining your ranks again this season. I thank you all. Yours in diving,

Dermot Moynihan National Diving Officer Irish Underwater Council.

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Incidents Officer Report

After taking up the position of Incident Officer after last year’s AGM there have been 28 report incidents.

The Incidents reports are in two categories, 1: Accident Report Sheet as downloaded on COMs and 2: Near miss report assessed from the CFT website page.

The reports are broken down as follows, 11 Accident reports and 17 Near Miss reports.

This year no fatalities were reported, however there were a number of incidents that needed Hospital and the Chamber to be used (5).

The breakdown for the Incidents reported are as followed

1: Amputation

1: DCS

1: Dead Leg/Pin and Needles

3: Boating

3: Chest Pains

10: issues/Uncontrolled Ascent (a number of these were due to equipment failure)

1: Equipment failure (free flow)

1: Fall on Slip

4: Missing/Separated divers

2: Sinus/Suit Squeeze

1: Nitrox

As shown above the highest percentage of incidents are buoyancy issues with equipment been a main factor in some cases.

Damian Ryan

Incidents Officer

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Incidents Report type Description of Incident Date Club Amputation Accident report Left hand little finger severed ,holding 02-04-17 Blackwater SAC mooring entering water

Rib Overturned Accident report Rib hit by Rogue Wave 19-03-17 Leitrim SAC Diver knocked unconscious

Grainne Uaile Chest pains Accident report Chest pains after Snorkel 20-04-17 SAC

Rapid Ascent Accident Report BCD malfunction 11-05-17 Cork SAC

Nitrox Near Miss M1 on nitrox ,trainee on air 22-06-17 exceed NDL

Missing Divers Near miss Divers overdue , 22-06-17 coastguard call found 30 minutes

Uncontrolled Ascent Near Miss SMB still clip to diver coastguard Called 17-06-17

Boating Near Miss Rib travelling at speed 27-06-17 Near snorkelers

Uncontrolled ascent Near Miss While preforming mask exercise 26-04-17 uncontrolled ascent

Rapid Ascent Near Miss Diver tried to surface BCD disconnected 14-06-17 BCD reconnected surfaced quickly ditched belt on Surface

Uncontrolled Ascent Near Miss BCD valve stuck open (10 m) 16-07-17

Equipment Failure Near Miss Freeflow in Portroe quarry 18-07-17

Suit Squeeze Accident Report Suit squeeze, overexertion, cold 18-03-17 remove from water treated for shock

Grainne Uaile Dead Leg Accident Report Dead leg/ Pins and needles after dive 30-07-17 SAC Buddy OK O2 given Chamber alerted

Sinus Squeeze Near Miss Trainee with sinus issue bleeding into 28-08-17 mask

Boat Issue Near Miss Hydraulic leak on steering 28-08-17

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Separated Divers Near Miss Trainee lost instructor took 09-09-17 Curragh SAC a few minutes to surface OK

BCD/ Vertigo Near Miss Faulty BCD /vertigo sign given on 02-09-17 dive returned to surface O2 given as precaution

DCS Accident Report DCS after 30 mtr dive 01-09-17 Ems called Evacuated to Chamber by Helicopter

Rapid Ascent Accident Report Two diver in group of three 17/0 9/17 Marlin SAC had rapid ascent EMS called Hospital 24hrs obv

Separated Divers Near Miss Divers got separated in surge 24-09-17 recovered no further action

Separated Divers Accident Report Divers separated on 40m dive 24-09-17 Smerick LD exam Safety stop omitted(LD exam)

Fall On Slip Near Miss Fall on Slip 02-10-17 Dunmore East Stepping off boat

Erratic Ascent Club Test Near Miss Erratic Ascent on test 01-10-17 Lough Owel O2 Given

Loss Of Buoyancy Accident Report Buoyancy loss and missed 29-10-17 Baltimore Safety Stop DCU

Rapid Ascent/Chest Pains Accident Report Loss of Buoyancy/Chest Pains 29-10-17 Baltimore Hospital for observation UCD

Buoyancy/Equipment/Ear Near Miss Equipment failure on BCD 18-11-17 Killary Caused lack of buoyancy UCD Ear barotrauma 1* star Diver Fault on Scubapro BCD's

Equipment Failure Near Miss gauge came off hp hose 12-01-18 Lanzarote Loss of buoyancy Reg serviced DEC '17 Loss Of Buoyancy

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Hon. Treasurer Report

We have incurred a surplus in our accounts this year of €332 (inclusive of depreciation). This is in comparison to a deficit of €16,225 for 2016. Our overall income is up by €1,432 on 2016 coupled with a decrease in expenditure of €15,175 has helped to improve our financial position. Membership has Grown for the first time since 2013 albeit it by a small number. There has been a significant growth in our diving members however our snorkel membership continues to fall.

Membership Numbers

2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 Divers 1,717 1,613 1,662 1,659 1,788 Snorkelers 166 264 280 302 336 Total 1,883 1,877 1,942 1,961 2,124

It is proposed to keep membership fees the same for 2019 Full Diver €110 Student Diver €55 Snr Snorkeler €55 Student Snorkeler €35 Jnr Snorkeler €20 Non Diver €30 U/W Hockey Player €30

I would ask all IUC members to review the accounts sent out to all club secretaries and posted on the IUC website. If you have any questions please email me at [email protected] before the 26th of February, this will help to ensure that all information is available, otherwise I may not be able to give a reply on the day. My term as treasurer is now completed and the position will be up for election this year. Due to my own personal circumstances I will not be putting myself forward for re-election. I would like to thank everyone for their assistance over the last two years, in particular the office staff who work so hard throughout the year.

Karen Furlong

23 | P a g e National Snorkeling Officers Report

I was co-opted to the position of Snorkelling officer in April 2017. Since then I have attended all apart from two executive meetings in head office and have attended TC meetings as well, it was a steep learning curve initially as I looked to take on board all the role entailed. I was involved early on with the introduction of the new Snorkel program which was spearheaded initially by Tony Wright, Martine McCarthy and Louise Gilligan.

This new Snorkel program is a consolidation of a large body of work where a lot of CFT members and Instructors gave their valuable input which is greatly appreciated.

Snorkel Program – This now covers a range from early introduction right through to Instructor level that allows snorkelling to be taught at a commercial level. The levels are as follows

Try a Snorkel – Basically a snorkelling version of the Try a dive.

Snorkel Safari – A more advanced course dealing with some of the wildlife etc. on our coastlines but also building on the basic snorkelling skills.

Snorkel Skills – Replaces the Snorkel Fundamentals, or the old Junior Snorkeler program

Advanced Snorkel Skills – An advancement on the basic skills, essentially the equivalent to the old senior snorkeler.

Snorkel Instructor – Being able to Instruct Snorkelling at all levels. This also now has a commercial option whereby interested parties can obtain this certification and use it in a water-sports centre or equivalent to instruct snorkelling, under CFT guidelines.

RSO – Thanks to some of the previous RSO’s who continued on in their position. I hope to tie these positions down again for the coming year and appoint new RSO’s where necessary.

Snorkelling within Clubs – Unfortunately we don’t have an accurate snorkelling database to see how many clubs or members are actually snorkelling. In the coming year I hope to make contact with each club and see can we put together a picture of what snorkelling is happening, where and get neighbouring clubs working together. At least then we can see what clubs are actively snorkelling and where we can send interested new snorkelers.

On-going courses – Snorkelling courses are continuing at a number of clubs around the country with a number of Instructor courses also now pencilled in for the near future. Two full courses were completed in the Dublin region with another two planned across the country in the coming months.

Snorkel Rallies – 3 Rally’s took place this year, the Midlands Snorkel Rally in Clondra which was organized by County Longford Scuba Divers, the Great Jamestown to Drumsna swim or fin in Leitrim hosted by Leitrim Sub Aqua Club and one held in Achill that was hosted by Athlone Sub Aqua Club. All these rallies were a great success, lots of people involved and plenty of interest from non CFT members.

Conclusion

With Tony moving on from his position as the sporting development officer it landed on myself to cover off a lot of the work he was involved in from a snorkelling point of view and I am starting to get to grips with

24 | P a g e some of it. As I said above, I hope to have two more snorkel instructor courses up and running in the near future, a start on a snorkelling database within all clubs to gauge the level of snorkelling and a contact list for all clubs to assist with new potential snorkelers.

There is a lot more snorkelling happening that is not really being captured. Most clubs have adult members out during the year snorkelling both for fitness and general interest. If we can get more details on these types of outings then we can build on the current snorkelling programs and maybe introduce more snorkelling across the board.

Bernard Larkin

NSO

25 | P a g e Scientific Officers Report

I would like to thank those in the CFT membership who have assisted with the Scientific Officer role over the last 2 years. There have been many that suggested ideas, took part in courses, assisted with highlighting and investigating environmental threats and unfortunately I cannot name everyone here as the report would be way too long!! I do want to mention our Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) coordinator Bairbre Mullee and Seasearch coordinators Tony and Rory O’Callaghan for their activities over the last two years. Also, Tim Butter for his extensive and very time consuming work on dumping issues arising from the dredging in Dublin Bay, Peadar Farrell for his commitment to the same issue and Louise Gilligan for her continuing work on this, even after finishing up her role as CFT office manager. Many of those on the last two Executives have had a great interest in environmental and underwater archaeological issues and have committed time to these along with their own roles on the Executive. Finally thank you to all the CFT office staff over the last 2 years, Linda, Sarah, Louise and good luck to the next Scientific Officer!

Nautical Archaeology Society

Activities for the Nautical Archaeology Society began in 2017 with a trip to the conservation studio in the National Museum Ireland, Collins Barracks, which took place on the 24th of February 2017. This was a fantastic trip which included viewing the cannons of the Streedagh Armada wrecks and the bell of the Tayleur. One of the many highlights was seeing the Banagher Sword, which was recovered from the Shannon by divers from Shannonside SAC and is presently being conserved. We ran a combined introduction and Part I course hosted by Hook SAC over the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of April 2018. Divers from Hook SAC and True Blue SAC took part in the course, which included a water work survey element held at Slade Harbour. This course was run by Claire Kavanagh and Bairbre Mullee with assistance from Darina Tully. A photogrammetry course was run on the 19th of November for CFT by Gary Dempsey, a 3D Environmental Designer and Historical Researcher with RealSim Ltd. The course took place in NUIG Galway and was suitable and extremely interesting for anyone even those with limited digital or photographic experience (like myself!). Gary specialises in producing 3D simulations of real world environments and while his work to date has mainly applied to terrestrial sites, it is increasingly applicable to an underwater environment. In 2017 we issued a survey to assess the awareness of the legal requirement to apply for a licence to dive wrecks over 100 years old and whether divers would appreciate a reminder to submit licence applications and associated reports on a yearly basis. This reminder will now be issued annually as part of the Scientific Officers brief. We are planning on organising another trip to the National Museum Conservation studio and will hold another photogrammetry course both in June 2018, if anyone is interested please let us know at the CFT stand or at [email protected] and we will keep you updated. We are planning to again have a stand at Dive Ireland 2018 and to run a short session on how to complete a NAS project and another on completing a Dive Licence application, both based on issues that we have seen arising during the year. CFT will run the NAS course on demand. If any club/non CFT body has sufficient numbers to run a course please contact us at the email address above or the CFT office and we will arrange a course as required. CFT continue to hold a bank of archaeological survey equipment available for loan to anyone engaging in an archaeological project. This equipment is only available for survey where the necessary permits have been acquired. Please contact the CFT office for further details.

26 | P a g e We are always looking for assistance with the NAS courses and if anyone has archaeological qualifications and would like to get involved as a tutor we would love to hear from you.

SeaSearch

Tony and Rory O'Callaghan are continuing to run the Seasearch Ireland activities for CFT while collaborating with Seasearch Northern Ireland to ensure that Seasearch activities are available to divers on an all island basis. Seasearch Ireland currently offers 3 levels of training consisting of the Observer, Surveyor and Adopt a Site scheme for which 22, 21 and 100 forms were returned in 2017. In 2017 Seasearch Ireland ran 2 Observer courses, 1 in Waterville, Co Kerry, 1 in Louth with Dundalk SAC hosting and 5 Adopt a Site courses with Dalkey SAC, UCD SAC, NUIG SAC, Grainne Uaile SAC and Lough Derg SAC. In late 2017 a number of surveys of divers were conducted facilitated by CFT to gauge interest in Seasearch activities and inform the program for 2018. Arising from this a new Facebook group was set up (Seasearch Identification and Recording Group) to allow clubs to post photos of marine life directly to Seasearch Ireland without completing forms and a programme of specialist courses for 2018 was initiated based on demand. In 2018 Seasearch Ireland will be running an Algae workshop in April, a General Marine Identification workshop in June, a Sea Squirts workshop in September, and a Sponges workshop at a yet undetermined date.

Seasearch Ireland will run Observer and Adopt a Site courses as requested by any CFT club on a suitable date where sufficient demand exists. Please contact the CFT office if interested or otherwise visit the Seasearch stand at Dive Ireland 2018 to discuss with Tony and Rory.

Other issues

Dumping in Dublin Bay was an issue again this year with dumping occurring under the new licence for the Alexander Basin Project. Again, CFT have found and queried issues. CFT are continuing to investigate and keep an eye on these activities and will do so for the remainder of the project. Diving into Space ran again this year in Cork under Aoibheann Bird, DCU, thanks to everyone who volunteered to assist with this. CFT has joined the Irish Ocean Literacy Network which is a new informal network aimed at bringing together organisations individuals and educators on the island of Ireland who are currently involved in, or would like to become involved in, working towards achieving an Ocean Literate Irish society. Further interesting activities are in the pipeline for the next Scientific Officer for 2018 most particularly in relation to working with community bodies and local authorities for environmental protection and promotion and formalisation of a CFT Scientific Committee.

Claire Kavanagh

27 | P a g e Children’s Officer Report

This year has been an important one with regard to child protection issues. There are now legal requirements that the Irish Underwater Council and clubs need to have in place if there are members under 18 taking part. The Children Policy has been updated to reflect these changes. The policy is a substantial document which includes recruiting, vetting and training procedures as well as codes of conduct for all members of Irish Underwater Council. The policy is on the diving.ie website. I attended meetings for National Children’s Officers of sport governing bodies hosted by Sport Ireland and NSPCC, Northern Ireland. These meetings discussed changes and requirements for governing bodies and clubs on the island of Ireland. I am happy to put my name forward for Children’s Officer again this year. I would like to support clubs who have active young members and ensure child protection is integrated into snorkelling and diving activities.

Fidelma Carroll

Children’s Officer

28 | P a g e Public Relations Officer Report

The IUC Mission Statement is ‘To Inspire and Share a Passion for the Underwater World’ and with that in mind the shop window for our sport lies in how we promote ourselves though the various media sectors.

In October 2017 the IUC made a call for Expressions of Interests for the vacant post of PRO and I was subsequently offered the position until its tenure next comes up for election.

Bearing in mind the IUC Strategic Plan ‘Better Together’ over the next year I would like to establish a working rapport with as many clubs as possible to promote their interests though both the print and social media.

IUC already has excellent social media platforms in place and the plan is to populate them on as regular a basis as possible with news items that will be of interest to both divers and the general public.

To do this I have commenced a process of developing contacts with a number of clubs already and they have been kind enough to let me know what they are doing and provide me with some excellent photographs to publish.

Currently these contacts are limited and we are also in a quiet time of the year for diving activities, but the ambition is to broaden the scope as far as possible over the coming year.

To that end I have contacted all the RDO’s and will attempt to talk to as many clubs as are willing to engage with me over the coming months, with the intention of gathering stories that can be published not just on the CFT social media platforms but ideally in the local press for the relevant clubs.

Consequently this Report is as much an appeal to anyone who wishes to provide me with stories of what they are doing – or indeed what they may have done in past – so that I can promote their club and in the best manner possible.

Dearn Mc Clintock

CFT PRO.

29 | P a g e

Highlights from 2017

There was much to celebrate in 2017 and here is just a selection. Of course each club and region will have their own stories to tell all of which cannot be included here. All clubs and regions are welcome throughout the year to share any stories, good news, interesting learning experiences and photos with head office which can then be shared on the website and social media. Let’s work together to improve the promotion of all the fantastic aspects of diving, snorkeling and underwater hockey in Ireland.

Diving

Education & Training Congratulations to all members who achieved certification last year, from the basic snorkelling grades right the way through to the Moniteur ***. Below is just a quick snapshot showing some of the many newly certified divers in 2017.Each grade and certification requires dedication, commitment and an attitude to “give it a go”. If you achieved a certification this year, well done, you are a credit to the IUC. If not why not make 2018 the year you “give it a go”!

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Underwater Photography Our group continue to grow and grow with over a thousand members on Facebook alone. Each week new photographs of the wonders of the underwater world are posted on this group showcasing the wonderful talent of many of our members. Last year the Underwater Photography stand toured the highways and byways of Ireland showcasing the very best of Irish diving and we will look forward to the same in the coming year.

31 | P a g e Search & Recovery

With last year showing the coming together of the Irish Underwater Council and the Irish Coast guard in signing a Service Level Agreement SLA for Search and Recovery, 2017 has shown an increase in the awareness of divers with regard to Search and Recovery. This was believed to be the first time a government agency has ever entered into a Service Level Agreement with a voluntary organisation. This is a credit to the Irish Coast Guard and the hard work of the IUC S&R teams over the years. Congratulations again to all involved in bringing this agreement about and to all those who have worked hard this past year in undertaking training, instruction and scenario training in order to ensure that our S&R team are prepared, safe and organised. It is a validation of the professionalism and dedication of our Search & Recovery teams who endeavoured over the years to return the remains of loved ones to their families. This is an extremely important service they provide for their communities.

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Diving into Space

Diving into Space took in the Cork Institute of Technology and Leisure World place on Saturday 7th October.

Following on from last years hugely successful event which kicked off with a talk by Ireland’s only Dr. Marc O’ Griofa, who took part in NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations programme (NEEMO) to the bottom of the sea, we were back in Cork to Dive once again into Space. Thank you to Aoibhinn Bird from Science Federation Ireland and our own DCU Sub Aqua Club for her organisational skills as well as all of our instructors for their assistance and guidance in bringing a whirlwind adventure through the science of weightlessness and how SCUBA diving is used to train astronauts to the lucky participants who were also lucky enough to experience the feeling of weightlessness in the safety of a pool.

33 | P a g e Dive Ireland 2017

Dive Ireland International Expo 2017 took place in the Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone, Co Westmeath. The show was a huge success and saw speakers from near and far as well as photography workshops and a fully loaded international trade fair. We held our National Dive Conference and AGM at the event and both were very well attended.

Our sincere thanks goes to Athlone SAC who hosted the event. Roll on Dive Ireland 2018

34 | P a g e Try A Dive and European Week of Sport

Try A Dives showed their popularity and success again this year with many of our clubs opening their doors once again and welcomed in a new cohort of diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. These events are the lifeblood of our organization and set the bar for a new generation to come through our sport. This year we worked in conjunction with Sport Ireland and the European Week of Sport to promote our Try A Dives to a wider audience. Thank you to Sport Ireland who promoted our events on their website and social media sites and included us as a feature event for their European Week of Sport campaign. Following the success in the publicity and promotion campaign for club Try A Dives initiated last year we continued to invest in targeted Facebook Advert campaigns for each club who contacted us. This has been reported to show an increase in the number of participants inquiring and taking part in Try A Dive events which in turn has surely had a positive effect on turning the on declining membership. A huge thank you must go out to all the clubs who put in an enormous effort to organise and deliver this Try A Dive events

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35 | P a g e Underwater Hockey

Underwater Hockey is a competitive sport under the umbrella of the Irish Underwater Council. This three dimensional sport has been growing quietly over the last few years but to make real waves on the international scene it is going to require all hands on deck.

Underwater Hockey (UWH) in Ireland has had a history based in Dublin since the 1970's. The Cork Club was founded in 2009. Since then they have been joined by new clubs in Belfast (2014), UCD (2015) and The North side of Dublin, who have just started a new club in January of this year.

A national league was started in 2015: It is a series of 5 one day competitions held in the National Aquatic Centre spread between September and May each year. During every round each team plays against each other. A handicap system keeps games competitive between teams of differing abilities.

The level of each team is mixed with both beginner and experienced players. It has become a good opportunity for new players to cut their teeth in competition before going on to play further afield as well as an opportunity for more experienced players to play in domestic competitions. The League is comprised of 6 teams with further potential to have new teams join the competition.

Plans for the future In the next 12 months the hope is to further integrate UWH into the structure of the IUC starting with the opportunity for divers to declare themselves as Underwater Hockey players on COMS.

Support of divers and dive clubs to learn how to play is already in place with equipment available to loan and coaches available to give an introductory course.

National Squad training and selection camps are set to begin this summer. Through this we hope to build cross border men's and women's teams for international competition with the best players from each club being invited to participate, learn and try out for international duty. Training camps will be directed by the national selection team consisting of coaches, head referee, physiotherapist and international players. The aim of this camp is to develop players with potential from every club by providing training advice, personal development and top level coaching. This will be achieved by enabling players to learn the necessary UWH skills and strategies to build a national team as well as providing the best players with structures and training drills to disseminate to their clubs.

If you or your club might be interested in taking part in Underwater Hockey get in touch today ([email protected]) or come to a training at the following locations:

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Dublin Otters: Fortunestown Leisureplex, Tallaght. Monday 8:00pm – 9:30pm

Dublin Vikings: National Aquatic Centre, Blanchardstown Thursday 8:30pm-10:00pm

UCD Krakens: (UCD students, Staff and Alumni only) University College Dublin, Belfield, Friday 9:00pm-10:00pm

Cork UWH: Mayfield Community Pool Wednesday 8:00pm – 9:00pm

Belfast Sinking Sheep: PEC Queens University Botanic Park, Stranmillis Embankment, Belfast BT9 5EX, Monday and Thursday 8:00pm – 9:00pm

We are always looking for new members and clubs to come on board. We are happy to assist any club to develop underwater hockey within their club. If you are interested please contact [email protected]

37 | P a g e Snorkeling

Snorkeling has always been an important part of the IUC, indeed it is where our roots began and where everyone starts their journey. With no age or physical restrictions it is a great way to get active and enjoy underwater Ireland. The IUC have long been committed to snorkeling, however with falling membership we have concentrated investment in this area in order to develop it into a mainstream sport that can be enjoyed by all. It is a sport that can be easily integrated into youth organisations, schools, activity groups and as a standalone sport. However in order to do this we needed to develop programs and activities that can be used outside of our traditional club structure. So what has all this development activity achieved?

1. IUC is central to the development of the Blueway trail network in Ireland. As these “Blueways” come on-stream, interest and activity in snorkeling will increase. While Blueways target mainly tourism, much of Ireland’s tourism is home grown so that tourist giving snorkeling a go in Keem beach may just be from your local area. We hope that by developing the standards, training and infrastructure needed for these trails that people will become more aware of our organization and sport. 2. Development and aligning of the new Snorkel Instructor grade to the Coaching Ireland framework. A lot of questions have been raised about what the IUC are aligning our instructor grades to Coaching Ireland. The answer is simple, we all know how much effort and dedication goes into training to become an instructor in the IUC, however people outside the organization have no idea. Aligning our grades with those on the Coaching Ireland framework gives visibility, recognition and understanding to our grades. The Snorkel Instructor course has now been accepted onto the framework as an intermediate instructor. What this means for snorkel instructors trained under the new program is that they can produce their Coaching Ireland Intermediate Instructor Cert to other Sports, employers and in education and gain recognition for their achievement. Aligning this course to the framework has also meant that the course is now available on two Outdoor Education Courses nationwide and we expect that number to grow in 2017 and beyond. It also ensures that snorkel instructors going for employment in Outdoor Education Canter’s will have a recognized and approved qualification. 3. The IUC have also developed a center accreditation scheme for outdoor Education Providers to teach and certify snorkeling grades up to Advanced Snorkel Skills. Similar to canoeing and mountaineering our products will now be available for centers who are approved by us. We hope that this will mean the snorkeling will begin to be taught throughout Ireland during the summer months by OEC centers with the anticipation what these member’s will join clubs following their training, - A rising lifts all boats! 4. Development of commercially viable snorkeling products. This year we have slightly revised the snorkeling programs to make them commercially and club viable. In some cases we have simply

38 | P a g e Renamed and simplifies the way the course can be delivered. The new Snorkel Safari is a standalone half day activity which can be run by clubs and centres to entice people into the sport of snorkeling.

Development work takes time however we have now completed most of this development work and are poised to reap the benefits of this investment. The signs are very positive among commercial centres to embrace our products, we now have two centres signed up with another 3 on course to be ratified by the summer. Hopefully 2018 will see snorkeling really come into its own!

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Looking Forward – Operational Plans

Now that 2017 has passed its time to go forward and build on all the work we begun through the development of our strategic plan, while ensuring we encompass and address members concerns and ideas for the future. We may not be able to act on every concern but we are determined to work with our members to address and solve the common issues that span all regions. The most important message to come out of past forums is that as an organization, we need to simplify how we do business and communicate more effectively. We live in a complex world that is full of rules, laws and best practice procedures, and while as a company we need to ensure we abide by all of those, as a sport we need to keep it simple. We dive & snorkel to escape the everyday so let’s try and keep it simple while ensuring we do not lower our safety standards. It’s a challenging task and one we hope you will support us to achieve.

As you will see below we accomplished the majority of the objectives and goals set out for 2017. Next we must look forward to the plans for 2018 laid out below. Achieving success with our operational plan requires the combined effort of the IUC staff, Executive Board, Technical Commission and all our members.

Some of the plans on the table for 2018 include:

 Building and redesign of our IT membership system.  Redesign and simplify www.diving.ie to “sell” the IUC, diving, snorkeling and underwater hockey products more effectively to the general public while providing support to our clubs.  Continuing to review our course system to give transparency and certainty to instructors when teaching our courses. Courses will be reviewed on a planned and periodic manner and instructors will know when the next upgrade is due.  Streamlining and adopting new and innovative ways to teach our basic courses allowing clubs and instructors greater freedom to deliver these courses in a method and venue

40 | P a g e that is most suitable to their candidates.  Working with the new accredited snorkel centres to provide on demand training and taking these newly trained member’s and assisting them into their nearest club. This will greatly assist clubs to gain members during the summer when traditionally they do not have a capacity to train.  Review the governance structure of the IUC executive and enable clubs to look at a process of good governance.  Support our clubs to run the very successful Regional Dive & Snorkel Rallies  Provide high quality membership service to our clubs and member’s

This is just a snapshot of some of the work planned for 2018, the full details of which can be seen below.

41 | P a g e IUC OPERATIONAL PLAN 2017

INCREASE PARTICIPATION Establish and implement an Plan and run 3 National Dive South West, South East, North and West all ran successful organisational strategy to attract, rallies hosted by IUC clubs. Rallys recruit and retain members. Co Longford Scuba Divers hosted the 4th Midlands Snorkel Rally in clondra just outside Longford in August. Plan and run 2 National Leitrim Divers organised the Great Jamestown to Snorkel rallies hosted by IUC Drumsna Swim Fin Snorkel in August clubs To promote the new national Funding application being processed by IUC - costs underwater hockey provided are being confirmed tournament / winter league and increase underwater hockey membership by 10% To pilot “Adopt-a-Site” 4 clubs currently participating in the adopt a site with programme with 4 clubs and monitoring and evaluation taking place. 1 club (Donegal evaluate programme against Bay) beginning the process of becoming involved in the environmental targets and programme. participation numbers Increase the provision of This year the IUC have been involved in numerous Search & Recovery units searches in conjunction with the Coastguard. We manged operating under the IUC the largest ever underwater search following the loss of Rescue 116. This has led to an increase in s&R units and enquiries. IUC are also working with the Garda Missing Persons Bureau to review the processes behind their water based search and recovery units.

Develop an action plan to enhance Establish a working group to Working group has been established and work has been the operation of our clubs. meet with a small selection of put towards producing a report on minimum clubs to review club structure, requirements to run an IUC affiliated club. Aim to work viability and options for the with clubs of different sizes as 'one size does not fit all' future. Produce a report on the minimum requirements for running an IUC affiliated club. To work in partnership with external Develop a programme in IUC worked with Sport Ireland to establish the Flagship providers and agencies to increase partnership with an LSP to Event of the National Try-A-Dive/Snorkel/Underwater participation in sport and promote a promote participation in our Hockey. Working with LSP to promote Club Try a dives in healthy Ireland. sport and a healthy lifestyle. order to boost awareness of the sport. Pilot this programme and evaluate results

Accredit 5 Outdoor Education Working with three current centres and promoting Centres as IUC Snorkel programme to further potential participants. Providers delivering IUC Snorkel Programmes and evaluate success of programme over Q3 2016 Maintain World Underwater IUC completed Re-affiliation to CMAS Federation (CMAS)affiliation Maintain affiliation with IUC completed Re-affiliation to EUF European Underwater Federation.

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Maintain accreditation of IUC IUC completed audit in 2016 and have passed our annual Emergency Care training and evaluation for 2017 certification with the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council Maintain affiliation Nautical IUC have maintained our affiliation with the Nautical Archaeological Society in the Archaeological Society in the UK UK Maintain affiliation Seasearch IUC have maintained our affiliation with Seasearch UK UK

IMPROVE TRAINING AND DELIVERY Establish and implement a framework Implement a periodic training Completed. There is a schedule of course reviews now for reviewing and modernising the review schedule and include completed. The One Star course is currently up for content and delivery of our training new revisions in revision. courses in order to increase documentation system. participation in training Review delivery of CMAS * The course contaent has been divided up and assigned to course in line with Coaching three groups led by a Mon 3. There has been little Ireland principles of good feedback so far mainly due to core diving activity taking teaching place. Progress expected to improve over the off season.

Implement modulisation of The Leading Diver course has been further tweeked Leading diver course to bring following on from last year’s course. It is now locked in in line with current best and published on COM's in its final draft. The current practice course has had a successful uptake and the 3 modules are at various stages of progress. 105 participants attended the various modules and test weekends.

To map snorkel leader This is now complete with the TC ratifying the course at qualifications onto the the July 2017 meeting. A course was completed over the Adventure sports Framework summer and two additional courses planned for the Autumn.

Grow the capacity of, and the Deliver 2 Dive instructor Nine new instructors qualified to AI level numbers involved, in our network of programs and certify 10 new “quality assured” training instructors to Advanced providers/instructors in order to Instructor on ASF enhance and expand training delivery Deliver 1 national Dive A Mon 2 course was delivered on Saturday July 29th with Examiner course for 10 dive 16 candidates instructors Complete certification process In progress, there is limited availability of teaching for 12 Coaching Ireland tutors sessions for tutors to avail of due to Dive instructor program running once a year. We have now opened the snorkel instructor course to tutors looking to be certified. Two Snorkel Instructor courses planned to take place before year end.

Run National Dive Conference Completed with over 100 attending for all Instructors to provide CPD Training

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Have trained & certified 10 There are currently 4 qualified and 6 to complete course Snorkel Instructors in Athlone at end of September with a further 8 to complete course in DCU.

Have trained & certified 10 Snorkel guide course has amalgamated with instructor Snorkel Guides Have 3 Snorkel Instructor 4 tutors have completed training Developers qualified or in training Develop & pilot Underwater Postponed till 2018 as time restraints and availability of Hockey Coach training prospective coaches limited.

Train and certify 15 new Achieved through two courses run in Athlone. PHECC Community First Responder Instructors

IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS AND PROMOTIONS OF UNDERWATER ACTIVITIES Develop and implement a To design, tender and complete a Working Group has been established and communications action plan that will restructure of our online administration meet on a regular bases to establish the flow enhance the profile of, and grow system to allow clubs to "sell" their charts for membership and course phase. participation in, underwater activities products and services while reducing IT in Ireland. costs. To continue to represent snorkelling at the IUC continue to represent snorkelling at the national Blueway Steering Group National Blueway Steering Group Generate content for, publish and distribute Final Issue of Subsea for Calendar year to be 3 editions of SubSea magazine to 2,400 published an distributed in October. people Maintain IUC primary website, including IUC Primary Website continues to provide up generating & publishing content to date information to all members and the interested public. Generate content for and publish at least E-newsletters publish on a regular basis to 15 e-newsletters provide information about registrations, course, qualifications and general interest pieces To promote the protection of the Undertake periodic reviews of major IUC have joined the Irish Environmental underwater environment and planning applications that are water Network and have kept up continued prioritise action in areas where we related and identify projects that are of correspondence with the EPA regarding the have the required resources to be concern Dumping at Sea Licences. effective. Develop and implement strategy for each Strategy established for Dublin Bay Dumping project in line with our resources. at sea Project - working group meeting on regular basis Promote and deliver 1 Nautical Nautical Archaeological Society Accredited Archaeological Society Accredited course took place in Underwater Archaeology Course April with 4 participants Promote and deliver 1 Seasearch Course Seasearch Observer Course took place on 2nd accredited Observer Course September with 12 participants

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IMPROVE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES Develop and implement a new IT To design, tender and complete a Working Group has been established and action plan that will enhance current restructure of our online administration meet on a regular bases to establish the flow structures and support the system to allow clubs and instructors set charts for membership and course phase. implementation of this Strategic plan up and deliver courses and allow public to 2017-2019. view and express interest in such courses Redesign current website to compliment Project on hold until restructure of online new system and focus on selling training to administration system completed. the general public

Continue to grow participation in social Courses, national news, club news and media & other IT to increase events all promoted regularly through social awareness of the IUC media and website to promote awareness of IUC

Continue to improve the delivery of a Process 2,000 individual memberships 1882 to date Beginning of October high quality membership and qualification service Process 700 diving and snorkelling 512 to date Beginning October qualification certificates. To complete internal data protection audit Working group to be established to work to ensure continued compliance with data towards compliancy. Will need expert advice. protection best practice

To develop and implement changes to Medical Officer in place alongside a new modernise the medical disclaimer system. medical disclaimer form.

To assess the viability of gaining ISO ISO system currently changing so we will not accreditation for the administration system be seeking this in 2017 and produce a report to the Executive board to determine the cost and time implications. Continue to deliver a high quality, efficient IUC Continues to deliver a high quality, membership service to meet the queries efficient membership service to meet the and needs of our membership queries and needs of our membership

Continue to train and advocate new IUC Continues to train and advocate new Evetting system to members and audit Evetting system to members and monitor clubs to ensure compliance clubs to ensure compliance

Process 30 ROI vetting applications as 23 completed applications with a further 8 requested by IUC clubs processing as of Start of October. Due to be completed in December after new Garda Vetting Signatory attends training. Vet all new / revalidating Instructors Garda vetting obligatory for all new/revalidating instructors working with Children. Service offered to all members of the organisation with all requests facilitated.

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IMPROVE AND PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNANCE Establish a good governance To, in partnership with ISC, further develop Completed with assistance to Sports Ireland framework for all levels in the IUC and the induction training programme for all implement the framework at new members of the IUC Executive Board. national/regional levels and pilot at club level To continue the process of adopting the Members of the executive work to progress recommendations from the Governance our adoption of the Governance Code, two Code members to attend Sport Ireland Governance Evening. Expecting to be completed by 2018

Deliver regional training days for club DO/TO meetings due to take place in committees to include aspects of Safety, November where emphasis will be put on Child Protection, Governance, promotion Safety, Child Protection, Governance and of club, and working with LSP network. working with the LSP Network. Budgeting constraints restricted the number of specialised events to take place.

Review our structures at national and Set up working group to: Review the Included in 2018 Operational plan regional level and implement any governance structure of the IUC executive changes required to ensure that the and compare to other NGB's at national organisation is fit for purpose and international level. To restructure and instil the pillars of good TC working under new governance structure governance at Technical Commission level and other working groups within IUC Identify key people within clubs who Identification of Key people within clubs took require Safeguarding training and liaise place and training was advised through with LSP to provide this training liaising with the LSPs

Review & revise work programme in line Monthly Executive meetings take place to with available funding / resources review and revise work programmes in line with available resources.

Review & revise work programme in line Monthly Executive meetings take place to with progress made on operational plan review and revise work programmes in line with the operational plan.

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IUC OPERATIONAL PLAN 2018

INCREASE PARTICIPATION Establish and implement an organisation Plan and run 3 National Dive Rallies hosted by IUC clubs strategy to attract, recruit and retain members

Plan and run 2 National Snorkel rallies hosted by IUC Clubs

Work with clubs to promote Fin swimming as part of the CMAS initiative to have Fin Swimming included as an Olympic Sport

Increase underwater hockey membership by 10% through the promotion and support of the underwater hockey league

Work with 2 clubs to complete 'Adopt-a-site' programme and meet monitoring targets alongside Seasearch Develop Action Plan to enhance the Develop and Pilot club structure programme to support clubs to secure their future and operation of the clubs strengthen club structures.

To Work in partnership with external Develop National 'Try-a-dive' week working in conjunction with LSPs to promote this providers and agencies to increase event across Ireland participation in sport and promote a healthy Ireland

Develop and Promote underwater activities in conjunction with Sport Ireland and the European Week of Sport through Try-a-Dive and similar programmes

Accredit 4 further outdoor education centres as IUC Snorkel Providers delivering IUC Programmes.

Explore Opportunities to promote participation and a healthy Ireland through partnership initiative with Go For Life and LSPS

IMPROVE TRAINING AND DELIVERY Establish and implement a framework for Complete and implement the review of Trainee Diver or Diver* training programme reviewing and modernising the content and delivery of our training courses in order to increase participation in training

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Continue the promotion of the new modulisation of the Leading Diver Course in order to increase participation and completion of qualification

Work alongside Coastguard and Garda Missing Persons Bureau to enhance provision of Search and Recover units operating under IUC

Grow the capacity of, and the numbers Progressing all ID’s currently in training through assessment & certification involved, in our network of “quality assured” training providers/instructors in order to enhance and expand training delivery.

Deliver 1 national Dive Examiner course for 10 dive instructors

Deliver 2 regional CMAS 3* Leading Diver courses

Deliver 2 Regional Dive instructor programs and certify 10 new instructors to Advanced Instructor on ASF

Develop and implement a CPD programme for Scuba Diving Instructors

Initiate review of the Moniteur 2 (Mon**) Diver Examiner qualification.

Agree and document objectives and time frame for development of UWH skills courses and coach awards.

Train and certify 15 new PHECC Community First Responder Instructors

Have trained & certified 10 Snorkel Instructors

IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS AND PROMOTION OF UNDERWATER ACTIVITIES Develop and implement a To design, tender and complete full restructure of online administration system including communications action plan that will phase 2 enhance the profile of, and grow participation in, underwater activities in Ireland.

Generate content for, publish and distribute 2 editions of SubSea magazine to over 2400 people

Generate content for 4 quarterly e-zine magazines to keep members aware of activities

Maintain IUC Primary Website with the view to provide up to date information to all members and interested public

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Promote the CMAS Initiative to have Fin Swimming included as Olympic Sport

To promote the protection of the Promote and Deliver 2 Nautical Archaeological Society Accredited Underwater underwater environment and prioritise Archaeology Courses action in areas where we have the required resources to be effective.

Promote and Deliver 2 Seasearch accredited Observer courses

Work in partnership with other groups to protect the Underwater Environment including the EPA and the Irish Environmental Network

IMPROVE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES To design, tender and complete full restructure of online administration system including Develop and implement a new IT action plan phase 2 that will enhance current structures and support the implementation of this Strategic plan 2017-2019. Redesign current website to compliment new system and focus on selling training to the general public

Run National Dive Conference for all members and the public to promote Underwater Activities, Clubs and the IUC

Further progress use of social media to grow participation and to increase awareness of the IUC with the younger cohort

Continue to improve the delivery of a high Process 2000 individual memberships quality membership service. Process 700 diving and snorkelling qualification certificates

Run a series of events that will promote understanding of the underwater environment including talks, showcases, film screenings, meet and greets and workshops

Generate content for, publish and distribute 2 editions of SubSea magazine to over 2400 people

Generate content for 4 quarterly e-zines to keep members aware of activities Set up working group to begin the process of internal data protection audit to ensure compliant with data protection best practise

Establish Medical Board to assess medical in order to provide opportunity to take part in underwater activities to more of the public

Promote and Advocate Evetting system to all members and monitor clubs to ensure compliance

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Process 30 ROI vetting applications as requested by IUC Clubs

IMPROVE AND PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNANCE Review our structures at national and Continue the process of adopting the recommendations from the Governance Code regional level and implement any changes required to ensure that the organisation is fit for purpose. Develop and promote Critical Incident Procedure in accordance with national guidelines

Deliver specialised training days for club committees to include aspects of Safety, Child Protection, Governance, promotion of club, and working with LSP network.

Establish a good governance framework for Establish working group to review the governance structure of the IUC compared to other all levels in the IUC and implement the successful NGB's at national and international level framework at national/regional levels and pilot at club level. Ensure that appropriate people within clubs are identified and provided with appropriate level of safeguarding training

Ensure all new and revalidating instructors working with children or vulnerable adults are garda vetted

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Important Information for Members & Clubs

Children & IUC

Over the past decade the number of under 18’s in the IUC has dramatically reduced, there may be a number of reasons for this however the result is that the average age of our membership has increased. In the past the IUC had a great record of training juniors in both competitive and open water snorkeling and it is a shame to see this trend die out. I would like to congratulate Athlone, Viking, Ennis and Shannonside Sub Aqua clubs who continue to fly the flag for junior participation. If your club are interested in taking on juniors but are a little concerned about the new child protection procedures please rest assured these procedures are easy to follow and are there for both your protection and that of the child. Please check out www.diving.ie/children for more details and please don’t hesitate to contact our National Children’s Officer at [email protected]

Diving Rules & Regulations

It is essential that any diving member of the organization become familiar with the diving rules of the organization. These rules are there for your benefit alone. Each year the TC review these rules against international best diving practices and also lessons learned from past incidents. Your insurance is only valid if you are diving within these rules but more importantly they are there for your safety. The rules and regulations are available in the Courses & Tests book which is downloadable from your COMS account.

Help Available

As a member of the IUC you have many avenues of assistance open to you from your club members to committee members, instructors, Regional Officers, the Executive and of course Head Office. Please never hesitate to contact us of you have a query and we will do our utmost to assist you.

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Thank you for your support!

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