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Diver Safety

Scuba diving in the Cooper River is an experience that a lot of divers thoroughly enjoy and some that just have an extreme dislike for the river. Whatever your feeling for the diving experience in the river may be, diver safety must always be you primary concern. From the time you descend from the surface, until your ascent from the darkness begins no one can be more responsible for diver safety than the diver herself/ himself.

Diving in the Cooper River has the same dive related hazards as diving most anywhere, the dark water with its limited visibility, and strong tidal currents, add to the precautions that a diver should observe.

The greatest hazard one may face in the river is the boater, namely being run over by a boat. As anywhere else in the U.S. all an adult needs to drive a boat, is to be able to afford one. No lessons, no knowledge of small boat handling, trailer handling with a boat, in forward gear or especially reverse is needed.  While not advocating a boaters licensure, basic handling skills should be learned and skills practiced before launching a boat at a crowded landing.

In 2003 a diver was run over and killed in the Cooper while metal detecting for artifacts, a type of dive that he had made on many occasions, while ascending he was run over by a boat near the surface, possibly returning to the dive boat to return his metal detecting gear.

Divers must take responsibility for their own safety. An cannot rely on a dive flag, surface floats and markers, while these devices should be used and will certainly enhance dive safety, but 100% reliance on them should ever be made.

Please see the safety related linked pages below: Thanks

[ CRDC Dive Laws Page ]   [Dive Safety ]      [Dive Flag Safety & Law ]     [Boaters and Dive flags ]