Wicked Diving Wicked Diving

At Wicked Diving we feel that the safety of our guests is our highest responsibility. We hope to offer service, fun and a great experience – but foremost in all our actions is your safety. It is our ethical responsibility to make sure the trust you have empowered us with is repaid with safety and concern. This is not something we take lightly – nor should you. In the parts of the world we operate in there are no government agencies that check on safety, nor are there real rules to follow…dive centers are free to choose what standards they adhere to. At Wicked Diving we hope to offer the same level of safety that you would expect at your local dive center in your home country.

During your diving experience here with us at Wicked Diving – you, our guests, should feel safe, comfortable and confident at all times. We are fully committed to ensuring you get the best service we can provide to make your holiday and diving experience with us as exciting, truly memorable and fun as possible. However while diving is considered a safe sport, it is not without its’ risks. Dive safety is the priority and and incident can ruin your holiday!

At Wicked Diving our team works extensively to minimise these risks and we are always happy to answer any questions you may have about our safety policies and precautions. Our main priority is to prevent any accidents from occurring both in the water and on board and to ensure that your safety and comfort is of the highest standard during your holiday with us. Prevention of accidents is an essential part of what we do.

All of our Dive Professionals here at Wicked Diving have been fully educated and trained to and exceeding SSI and PADI standards. They are all experienced divers and are all qualified Emergency First Responders, their certifications are renewed every two years and we offer an in-house training and orientation at the beginning of each season. We require each staff member use and understand all our dive safety equipment – from satellite phones to bandages. We also have a very experienced Dive Medic on our staff who has been employed by the local Recompression Chamber as the local medic. In addition the owners of the company consist of two more Dive Medics.

Many of the staff at Wicked Diving are survivors of the 2004 tsunami that devastated the region. We have experienced first-hand the need for preparation, for proper training and the ways to deal with even the most horrendous of crises. We all realized that safety does not consist of simply smoke alarms and a list of phone numbers. Awareness, constant training and ability to cope with stress are all part of the Wicked Diving way of doing things.

Part of our Dive Safety procedures

• On board all of our boats, we carry complete first aid kits, a satellite phone, two – way radios and our radar system is regularly checked and tested.
• All of the boats in our Wicked Diving fleet come equipped with Fire Extinguishers and smoke alarms in each cabin and our on board life boats are large enough to accommodate 25 people (although we only carry 12 guests per trip).
• Each boat’s first aid equipment also contains tanks of pure oxygen, which all of our staff are qualified to administer.
• All of the safety devices carried on our boats are regularly, tested, serviced and maintained every six months, so that in the unlikely event of an accident they are 100% reliable. (Please ask to see our service records as we retain all records and purchase receipts).
• All staff are certified in first aid, oxygen provisions and CPR.
• At all times a form of safe communication is available – local phones, radios, emergency GPS beacons and/or satellite phones are on hand. And all staff are familiar with their use.
• If conditions pose a risk to a diver, to a staff member or the trip in general – we will stop and change the situation. If this is cancelling a dive, changing equipment or simply cancelling a trip due to weather – we will always make safety the priority.

Before every dive you will be given a detailed dive briefing by your Dive Leader on your dive site with descriptions of the conditions in the water, standard procedures to follow during your dive and how to communicate underwater. We observe a strict “No Touching” policy here at Wicked Diving – this is not only to protect the fragile marine life but also to avoid any injury to you, our guests.

The equipment used by our guests on each dive is purchased from professional dive retailers and is regularly maintained and serviced by qualified technicians according to industry recommendations and standards, our Dive Professionals on board also make sure that buddy checks are completed before every dive. That way as our guests begin their dives, they can be confident that they are diving with safe and perfectly functioning equipment.

Diving really is an inspirational and exciting adventure and with hard work and dedication our staff will do our best to ensure that your holiday with us is as safe as possible so that you are completely comfortable and confident enough to begin your amazing and unforgettable diving experience with us here at Wicked Diving.