DIVING & SNORKELLING - SAFETY
There are a number of safety regulations covering the sport of diving at Sodwana Bay the most pertinent of which are listed below:
Diving Vessels:
Vessels are required to display an identification number and a current small craft safety certificate. Vessels are required to display a current small craft safety certificate. Vessels must be seaworthy and carry all safety equipment. Skippers must adhere to the vessel’s licenced number of crew (passengers).
All crew must wear life jackets while launching or beaching.

A 'top man' shall always be present on the dive vessel whilst divers are down, and he shall not move further that 50 metres from the divers he is in control of.
Flag 'Alpha', the international diver down flag, must be displayed by vessels who have divers in the water. There is a 100 metre exclusion zone for other boats around any vessel displaying a flag alpha.

Except in the event of an emergency that is declared on the 29 MHZ ski-boat radio, no vessel may anchor in the Marine Reserves. Skippers must be in possession of a valid skipper’s ticket for the type of craft they are operating. Commercial dive vessels may only be operated by a commercially licenced skipper.

Skippers are required to log their launch, the number of divers they have on board, and their dive destination before launching.

Divers:
All divers (excluding trainees with instructors) must be qualified ( minimum open water one certification or equivalent)
Trainees divers must be accompanied by a qualified instructor.
Dive groups must tow a visible surface buoy.
All equipment must comply with the SABS 019 safety regulations concerning dive equipment and high pressure vessels such as dive cylinders.
No diver may dive, and no operator may allow a person to dive, with an out of date dive cylinder that has not been visually tested in the last year or hydrostatically tested in the last four years.
Any dive deeper than 50 m may only be conducted after prior consultation with the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation service, who reserves the right to impose any conditions with regard to safety and protection of the environment that it may deem fit.

Night Diving
Permission to conduct a night dive is required from the Marine Reserve Officer. His decision will take into account weather and sea conditions as well as the skipper’s knowledge of the area.
The dive operator must advise the MRI paramedic that a night dive will be taking place.
Launching must take place during daylight hours.A beach control team, standby boat and a manned 29 MHZ radio are required at the launch site for the duration of the dive.
All vessels and skippers are required to be registered in terms of the Small Craft Safety Regulations
regarding the use of small vessels at night.
All divers are required to carry a cylume light tube attached to their person. During beaching, the cylume should be placed up the sleeve of the diver’s wetsuit so as not to blind the skipper, but is easily accessible should the diver fall overboard.

Beaching of a vessel at night requires:
Two lights on the beach, one behind the other, as markers to denote the beaching line. On the back-line of the surf the skipper may fire a white 1000 foot parachute flare to light up the bay area. The beach controller is required to hold a red hand held flare to light up the beach area once the vessel is through the surf back-line and in the bay. Prior to the beaching, the beach control team are required to ensure that all other lights on the beach are extinguished.

Medical
Although MRI / DAN exists mainly to service their subscription holders, they are available to assist with all diving accidents at Sodwana Bay.
When planning a dive trip to Sodwana it is vital that one should be in a good physical condition. A trip for a check-up to the local diving doctor is highly recommended prior to any diving activities if you are in any doubt about your health.

Malaria
The area is considered a moderate risk area for malaria and prophylaxis is advised.