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Alaska Diving Safety: Workshop Proceedings
Date: July 22, 1997
SITKA, Alaska--Professional and recreational divers and experts on dive safety and rescue from Alaska, Maine, Washington, and Michigan will meet in Sitka on Friday, July 25, at the Harrington Centennial Hall to discuss opportunities for enhancing commercial and recreational diving safety education in Alaska. As more people dive for fun and profit in Alaska's cold and often remote waters, the need grows for safety information and effective emergency response and medical treatment. Commercial diving for sea urchins and sea cucumbers and recreational scuba diving are rapidly growing activities in Southeast Alaska. The state's shipping, mineral extraction and dredging industries, along with Alaska's government and academic research communities, all require skilled divers who understand and use effective safety procedures. "We plan to have a good discussion that will help us identify safety concerns surrounding commercial and recreational diving in Alaska. By the end of the day, we should have a good idea of where the University can provide information that will help people avoid problems diving in Alaska," said Kurt Byers, a spokesman for the University of Alaska Sea Grant College Program, cosponsor of the meeting. The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA), based in Sitka, is helping the Sea Grant Program plan and host the meeting. A featured speaker will be Dr. Lee Somers, an internationally known dive safety expert. Somers will describe new techniques in recreational scuba diving, dive emergency response procedures and dive accident investigation techniques. He will also give a seminar to the Sitka Fire Department Dive Rescue team on Saturday, July 26. Somers' visit is sponsored by the Michigan Sea Grant College Program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The National Sea Grant College Program is a marine research and public education program whose state programs are jointly administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and state universities. AMSEA provides marine safety and survival training to commercial fishermen. Since 1985, AMSEA has trained more than 400 marine safety and survival instructors nationwide, who in turn have educated more than 65,000 mariners.
Dive Safety Education in Alaska July 25, 1997 Harrington Centennial Hall Sitka, Alaska
Confirmed Attendees Organizers: Kurt Byers, University of Alaska Sea Grant College Program, Fairbanks, 907-474-6702 Jerry Dzugan, Executive Director, Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA), Sitka, 747-3287 Participants: Matt Anderson, State of Alaska Emergency Medical Services Program, Juneau, 907-465-3027 Burke Barrick, Diving Officer, Tactical Dive Unit, Alaska State Troopers, Sitka, 907-747-6611 Charlie Brown, Head, Dive Rescue Team, Sitka Fire Department, 907-747-3223 Dave Dinsmore, Director, NOAA Dive Corps, Seattle (206) 526-6705 Dan Falvey, Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, dive harvester, Sitka, 907-747-3287 John Fetterman, Marine Patrol Officer, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Brunswick, Maine, (207) 729-6008, (207) 758-1173 Sue Jorgensen, Commercial Fishing Safety, U.S. Coast Guard, Juneau, 907-463-2292 Alexander Kotlarov, rescue diver, scuba charter operator, Ketchikan, 907- 247-8988 Jennifer Lincoln, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Anchorage, 907-271-2382 Scott Marshall, Dive Safety Officer, Commercial Fisheries Division, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Juneau, 907-465-4260 Shawn Newell, Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, Sitka, 907-747-3287 Barry Noll, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Anchorage, 907-271-5152 Brian Paust, Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, Petersburg, 907-772-3381 Lee Somers, Diving Safety Specialist, Michigan Sea Grant College Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan,(313) 936-0518 Althea St. Martin, Allstate Life Specialist, NAUI certified recreational diver, Fairbanks, 456-2287, 452-8807 Larry Trani, dive harvester, Sitka Terry Wilson, Arctic Diving and Exploration, industrial diver, sea rescue and body recovery, expert witness, AMSEA instructor, Nome, 907-443-3663
Agenda
8:00-8:30 a.m.
Welcome
 Overview
8:45-9:00 a.m.
Commercial Diving in Alaska Seafood Harvest Diving Safety
9:00-9:15 a.m.
9:15-9:30 a.m.
9:30-9:45 a.m.
9:45-10:15 a.m.
11:00-11:15 a.m.
11:15-11:45 a.m.
11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Recreational Diving in Alaska
New Approaches to Recreational Diving: Mixed-Gas Deep Diving and Other Techniques Presenter: Lee Somers, University of Michigan Sea Grant College Program
1:45-2:15 p.m.
2:15-2:30 p.m.
Dive Emergency Response in Alaska
2:30-2:45 p.m.
2:45-3:15 p.m.
3:15-3:30 p.m.
3:30-4:00 p.m.
4:00-4:45 p.m.
The Alaska Sea Grant College Program is a marine research, education and outreach service headquartered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. It is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in partnership with the state of Alaska and private industry.
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