Welcome To Mass Bay Divers

		Mass Bay Divers 1986 - 2012

Useful Club Information

Club Diving Policy

Meet at the South Shore Divers shop at the appointed time.
Beachmaster and Divers wait fifteen minutes before leaving.
If a dive site is changed, a note is left in the Mass Bay Divers milk box behind the shop.
Leave a note for late comers.
Call the beachmaster the night before the dive in the event the dive site changes due to weather conditions or by popular demand.
DO NOT go to Burger King, for North Shore dive sites, or directly to the dive site without talking to the beachmaster the night before or the morning of the planned dive. If you can't reach the beachmaster, try one of the officers.

Weather Policy

During questionable weather, such as rain or fog (volcanic eruptions, you get the idea.. .) use your best judgment or call the beachmaster to determine if the dive has been cancelled. If you don't know who the beachrnaster is, call an officer of the club. Call after 7 am on the morning of the dive, or 2 hours before an afternoon or night dive.

Dive Gear Rental

South Shore Divers has plenty of rental gear for rental purposes. If you qualify, they will also discount the rental package so don't forget to ask them about it. Members renting gear should tell the store that they are planning to dive with the club and they will mark the rental slip appropriately. A representative from the club will check with the store before the dive in hopes of getting a handle on how many are expected at the dive site.

Dive Flag Laws

Massachusetts
Mass General Laws Chapter 90B Section 12A (March 1990)

Every scuba diver or group of scuba divers while swimming on or under the surface of the waters of the commonwealth shall display for each diver or group of divers as a warning device to boat operators a diver’s flag, so called, constructed of rigidity supported material at lest 12 inches by 15 inches in area of red background with a white diagonal stripe. Such divers flag shall be displayed on a boat or surface float and shall end a minimum distance of three feet from the surface of the water. Divers shall remind in an area within one hundred feet of such displayed diver’s flag while at or near the surface of the water. A boat operator with sight of a diver’s flag shall proceed with caution and with a radius of one hundred feet of such flag shall proceed at a speed not to exceed three miles per hour.

MGL Chapter 90B Section 14B
Whoever as a scuba diver, so called, or boat operator violates an provision of section five, five A, seven, subsection (b) of section nine, section twelve, twelve A or thirteen A or of any regulation pertaining thereto shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more fifty dollars.

Dive Flag Policy

The club policy is that each buddy team dives with flag meets state requirements.

Buddy Team Policy

The club, both officers and members alike, strongly feel that it is everyone’s best interests to practice the Buddy Team Policy. Put simply, following these guidelines promote safety. Safety is cool; so where’s the beef?

Dive with a flag.
Have at least one compass for the entire group. More is acceptable
Use a 30-second rule. When you become separated from your buddy, search for him/her/them for 30 seconds. If you can’t make contact, please surface. This helps to make sure that everyone is buddied up and also, makes the dive more enjoyable for everyone.
All divers should finish the dive with 500 lbs of air in their tanks.
Try to plan the halfway point of the dive to coincide with the halfway mark of your air supply, leaving 500 lbs as your personal comfort zone. Discuss with your buddy at what point you turn back.

Point System

A point system is employed during each dive season, primarily to promote attendance at club dives. At the annual Christmas party the overall point winner, runner up and third place winner are rewarded with a nice prize. Other prizes are awarded to those that follow. The point system allots one point for each of the following:

Shore Dives	Boat Dives	Other
Beachmaster For Diving	Boat dive organizer	Talk to dive class
Diving with a new diver	Boat master	Get Speaker for meeting
Going to the dive site (without diving)	Boat Diving
	Diving with a new diver
	Going on boat without diving

Beachmaster Responsibilities

At each club dive we always try to have at least one “beachmaster.” While this individual does have some responsibilities, he or she can participate in the dive if practicality allows for it. With a large group of divers, it may not be advisable. This is a voluntary job, we ask everyone to take their share. A beachmaster will:

Be at the shop to meet other divers.
Make sure all divers (members and guests) have a signed release form.
Lead a weather discussion to help decide to dive or not, should the conditions be questionable.
Make sure everyone has a dive buddy.
Check divers in and out of the water.
Fill out a beachmaster report and return it to the shop so the points can be logged.
Indicate, in the Mass Bay Divers milk box behind the shop, any change that has been made in the dive; location, time left, cancellation, etc.

Scheduled Club Meetings

Mass Bay Divers meets at South Shore Divers in Weymouth once a month. Meetings begin at 7:00 pm and last until 8:30 pm. Every effort should be made to attend these meetings. Meetings are scheduled for the first Monday of every month. Whenever possible Mass Bay Divers tried to get a speaker to come in and talk about various topics related to diving. South Shore Divers has always been more than accommodating to our club by allowing us a place to have our meetings. We encourage everyone to show their appreciation by leaving the parking spaces at the shop for other customers while we have our meetings.

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