Two Scuba Duka crew members at the rinse tank

Howwe handlesafety

Safety in diving is not a promise, it is a set of habits — and habits can be described.

This page sets out what we do before, during and after a dive, and the criteria we use to call one off.

Done properly it produces confidence rather than anxiety. You should enter the water prepared, relaxed and excited.

Written by The Scuba Duka team · Reviewed by Ali, founder and Divemaster Instructor · October 2026

Instructor demonstrating how a regulator works

Six habits, every dive

Not a policy document: the six things that happen on the boat and in the water, in the order they happen.

Briefing

Site, depth, conditions, signals and turn pressure, every dive

Buddy check

Air, weights, releases and final OK, in the water order

OK signal

The one signal every diver gives and answers, constantly

Stop signal

Anyone can call a stop, including you, at any point

Emergency plan

First aid on board, and a rehearsed plan for getting help

Right to abort

No dive is worth doing. Calling it costs you nothing

Before the dive

Medical disclaimer

A medical disclaimer forms part of the form you complete before diving. If anything on it applies to you, it goes to a physician — we are not doctors and will not clear you medically. No schedule is allowed to rush that.

Certification and logbook check

Certification level and last dive date confirmed before the boat, not after. If it has been a long time we suggest a skills update rather than hoping.

Conditions logged

Tide, wind, visibility, current and entry condition recorded before every dive day. Every course day has a primary site, an alternate and clear criteria for postponing.

Equipment fitted and checked

Checked before every dive, rinsed after every trip, serviced on schedule. If something feels wrong we swap it rather than talk you into it.

The briefing

Site, entry and exit, expected depth, water conditions, marine life commonly seen, underwater signals, buddy procedures, environmental guidelines and safety procedures — tailored to the experience of the people in front of us rather than recited.

If you are nervous, this is the moment to say so. We will take ten extra minutes so you do not enter the water unsure, and the questions people are embarrassed to ask are usually the ones worth answering.

Small groups are a safety measure

Two to four students in training, and small groups on guided dives. It is presented as a comfort feature, and it is really about supervision: an instructor watching four people can see a mask problem starting. One watching twelve cannot.

Solo travellers are paired with a guide or another diver rather than left to find a buddy on the boat.

When we call off a dive

Deciding in advance what would stop a dive is what stops it being decided by momentum on the day.

We move, change or cancel when

Sea state or wind makes the site unsafe or unpleasant Current is running harder than the group can handle Visibility is too poor for the training or the depth A diver is unwell, anxious or not ready that morning Equipment cannot be made right before departure

What we will not do

Compress a certification to fit a flight Sign off a skill that is not comfortable Take a diver deeper than their certification Clear anybody medically — that is a physician's decision Run a dive because it is already paid for

Flying after diving

Leave a proper surface interval before a flight. Tell us your departure time and we build the week backwards from it — and if a safari with altitude is in the plan, send the itinerary and we will tell you which dives fit safely around it.

How we plan a diving week →

Emergency preparedness

—Every instructor is a certified rescue diver and trained in CPR

—First aid kits and emergency oxygen at the centre and on the boat

—Written procedures for the boat and for the dive, briefed before you get in

Our full boat and diving procedures are being written up for publication here. Ask us for anything specific in the meantime and we will answer it directly.

Who you will dive with

Seven people run the centre, four of them born and raised in Diani Beach. Between the four instructors sit more than 13,000 logged dives on this stretch of the Indian Ocean. Two qualified dive guides, Sampuli and Captain Michael, guide dives alongside them.