Let's keep scuba diving safe

Ever year, Malta and Gozo host about 60,000 visiting divers, attracted to these islands by the promise of a nature-based experience, clear clean seas, an unspoilt underwater world and safety. The main source markets for this segment are the UK, Germany, France, The Netherlands and Scandinavia. On average, visiting divers stay in Malta for 10 nights and spend Lm 53 a day.

Although Malta has established itself as a diving destination, competition is becoming harsher every year. The affordability of exotic long-haul alternatives continues to put more pressure on Malta's market share. This means we have to continue enhancing the quality of our product offer to be able to compete effectively.

Over the past year, the Malta Tourism Authority has been particularly active in the provision of a legislative framework to upgrade the standards of dive centres.

Immediately following the issue of the new Recreational Diving Regulations 12 months ago, the MTA's enforcement directorate set in motion a plan to audit the status of licensed dive centres and weed out all illegal operations. Meanwhile, pending applications for a licence which required no further processing were immediately issued.

A team of inspectors were instructed to check all dive centres and dive sites and to take legal action against those found operating without a licence. This ongoing operation was only interrupted by the winter season and has been resumed this year with the same tenacity and professionalism. Over 60 individual divers and groups have been intercepted at diving sites all over Malta, Gozo and Comino with the specific purpose of identifying the dive centres from which they were operating.

Over the past months, we have intensified our efforts to seek and bring to justice all illegal diving operations. The MTA has issued two fines and nine enforcement notices against illegal dive centres. Five enforcement notices were later withdrawn following the eventual licensing of the operations. In the meantime, 10 unlicensed dive centres closed down voluntarily in response to investigations by the MTA. Over 60 inspections have been carried to ascertain that these operations do remain closed.

In the same period, the directorate initiated an audit of the 42 licensed dive centres. Twenty of these have yet to be visited but already a positive picture is emerging. There is a very high degree of compliance with the new regulations, with the exception of the relevant risk assessment procedures. Despite the important input by the Professional Diving and Scuba Association, most diving businesses do not consciously adopt risk management strategies, at least not in any systematic way. While they are genuinely concerned about the welfare of their customers, a fact which has made Malta and Gozo one of the safest diving destinations by world standards, risk management needs to be placed higher on their priority list.

The MTA cannot ever compromise on the health and safety of the members of the local community and visiting tourists, even if such action may be perceived to cause economic hardship on operators, including those who think they can cut corners in such an "extreme" sports activity. Whilst the MTA, through its enforcement directorate, is working very closely with the diving industry to promote the reduction of risk through best practice initiatives and the adoption of risk assessment and management strategies, it will not let down its guard on illegal unlicensed operations. Sometime or other, and sooner rather than later, the system will pick them out and MTA will do its very best to ensure that the full rigours of the law are applied.

Mr Farrugia is the Malta Tourism Authority's director for enforcement.