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SPUMS POLICY ON EMERGENCY ASCENT TRAINING
The SPUMS policy on EAT developed at the 1993 Workshop is summarised below.
1 The frequency of recreational divers becoming low on air or running out of air completely is unacceptably high. Instructor agencies must increase the training emphasis on attention to air supplies and to avoiding unnecessary inflation of buoyancy vests, especially when air supplies are low. The latter will also require an improvement in buoyancy control. The availability of alternative air supplies does not obviate the need for avoiding low on air and out-of-air situations. A sonic reserve alarm may be helpful.
2 An alternative (i.e. independent; e.g. SPARE AIR or redundant scuba cylinder) supply of air is recommended for deep diving (beyond 30 m), cave diving, penetration wreck diving, staged decompression diving and other diving where entanglement is likely. The alternative supply must be appropriate to the circumstance.
3 Emergency ascent training should be taught to and practised by entry level scuba trainees.
a Academic information only. Positive buoyant ascent (when the diver drops his or her weights and utilises lift from all forms of buoyancy, BCD and exposure suit).1
b Academic information and confined water (eg pool or lagoon) skills training. Weight-belt removal and buddy breathing, when two or more divers share a common air supply by passing the regulator second stage from one diver to another.1
c Academic information, confined and open water skills training. Emergency (controlled) swimming ascent (when the diver swims to the surface with the regulator in the mouth, exhaling continuously), octopus assisted ascents (using an alternative air source, usually an additional second stage known as an octopus regulator) and normal ascents (a direct swimming ascent, with the mouth-piece in place).1
4 Emergency ascent training to the surface should be confined to a maximum depth of9 m.
5 Emergency ascent training should be conducted vertically and involve a vertical safety-line.
6 The number of students per instructor, the number of assistant instructors and the conduct of EAT should be organised to minimise the number of ascents that instructors and their assistants have to perform.
7 The safety and efficacy of buddy breathing is suspect and is under active review.
Reference
1 Richardson D. Current philosophy and practice for emergency ascent training for recreational divers. SPUMS J 1993; 23 (4):214-222
REVISION of THE SPUMS POLICY ON
EMERGENCY ASCENT TRAINING
The Society’s policy on emergency ascent training (EAT) was published in the Journal in 1993. 1 One of the features of that policy was that buddy breathing was considered to be suspect and to warrant ongoing review. This review is now complete and, especially in the context of the Diving Incident Monitoring Study data that Dr Chris Acott is to present to the 1994 Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Undersea and Biomedical Society, the advocacy or teaching of buddy breathing can no longer be supported, with or without reservations. It follows that the Society’s policy on emergency ascent training should be amended to include the following statement in-lieu of the original statement about buddy breathing.
Buddy breathing as a form of emergency ascent appears to cause an unacceptable level of risk to participants in either training or an actual emergency. Consequently, the Society advises divers to discontinue buddy breathing and instead practice less risky out-of-air procedures such as the use of alternative air sources. The Society believes that buddy breathing should neither be taught nor practised .
Des Gorman and Drew Richardson
Co-Chairmen
Workshop on Emergency Ascent Training 1993
Reference
1 SPUMS Policy on emergency ascent training. SPUMS J 1993; 23 (4):239 | 
