Blue Moon Dive Club   

STATEMENT OF CLUB EVENTS AND DIVE POLICY OF THE

BLUE MOON DIVE CLUB

(As of 12 June 2008)

1. Restrictions on Who May Dive

Scuba dives are open to those who have successfully completed a course of instruction in scuba diving, have been certified, and have a waiver on file with the club. A scuba course is defined as one sanctioned by one of the nationally recognized certifying agencies.

Apart from the general rule with respect to certification, who may dive will also depend upon the degree of skill and experience required under the circumstances to make a given dive safely. Many dives are open to all certified divers.

As a general guideline:

Novice Divers are individuals with little or no diving experience beyond their scuba training, pool work, open water checkout dives, and within one year of being certified. Under appropriate supervision they may participate in club dives such as, but not limited to lake dives, spring dives, sink dives, ocean dives and specified boat dives.

Experienced Divers are individuals who have had more than one year(s) of active diving and have acquired certification(s) beyond the Basic level, experienced divers are qualified to participate in “novice” dives and certain wreck dives, deep-water dives, and dives where bottom and/or conditions require a degree of skill and experience for safety

FINAL SAY as to who will be permitted to make a particular dive rests with the divemaster in charge of that dive.

2. General Policy with Respect to Scheduled Club Dives

Each scheduled club dive shall have a divemaster appointed. The divemaster may suspend an individual’s privilege to participate in the scheduled dive event based if the divemaster perceives the safety of the individual or others will be jeopardized. The listed divemaster for the dive reserves the right to assign additional and/or alternate divemasters. In order to dive on a club sanctioned or club sponsored dive, a club member must have a waiver of indemnity, and his/her guest(s) must sign a waiver of indemnity in order to dive.

3. Policy with Respect to Dives/Events Requiring and Individual Financial Commitment

Many club events have a charge to pay for the costs incurred in holding that activity.

These activities include all sponsored events where club funds have been committed.

Because of the extensive planning, financial outlay involved, and, on boat dives, limited

space available, the rules on these activities are more stringent and will be STRICTLY

ENFORCED.  A club sponsored dive is defined as a dive approved by the executive board and paid for with club funds. A club sanctioned dive, a dive set-up by a club member, must have prior dive coordinator approval before being announced at a club meeting in order to be covered by these policies.

The trip/event coordinator will take sign-ups. Full payment will be made in advance when you sign-up or by a schedule set up by the trip/event coordinator. Payment may be made in cash or by check payable to the club if it is a club sponsored dive or to the trip/event coordinator if it is a club sanctioned dive. It should be noted that any person who affirmatively indicates to the trip/event coordinator that they want to make a particular event will thereupon be considered as signed up for that event and under an obligation to tender the appropriate sum to the designated person unless they cancel in accordance with the rules noted below. No Money. No Trip.

Sign-up preference will be given to qualified club members in good standing. If a given dive cannot be filled within a reasonable period of time, it will be opened to qualified non- members; the rule is “First Come, First Serve.” A waiting list will be maintained by the trip/event coordinator.

If for any reason an individual who has signed up for a dive must cancel, he/she must give the trip/event coordinator oral or written notice of the cancellation not later than the designated “drop dead” date in order to obtain a complete refund. Failure to give proper notice of cancellation will result in forfeiture of deposit unless the trip/event coordinator has a substitute on the waiting list or the canceling individual finds a substitute who is acceptable to the trip/event coordinator. If no substitute is found, the canceling individual will be given no refund. Bear in mind that time and tide waits for no one, and that any individual who is tardy (or fails to show at the dock) and misses the dive will not be refunded his/her money. All departure times will be strictly adhered to.

Failure to fulfill an individual financial commitment on club sponsored events will result in loss of club membership and will make that person ineligible to participate in any club activities.

If the dive activity is canceled in advance of the scheduled date, the trip/event coordinator will attempt to contact personally all those who have signed up and all money will be refunded. If a dive activity is canceled at dockside at the option of the boat captain because of inclement weather, etc., all unexpended monies associated with that dive activity will be refunded.

Prices of dives vary and those stated on the newsletter calendar are subject to change without advance notice.

Dive shops and/or boat operators, at times, offer the person coordinating the trip a complimentary space on the boat. Club policy is that the trip/event coordinator of this dive has the option at his/her discretion to utilize this space. When club funds are used to

pay for the boat charter, however, no complimentary space will be given to anyone. Members will be charged the lowest possible price at time of booking.

4. Alcoholic Beverages and Illicit Drugs

Alcoholic beverages will not be allowed at club activities where specifically prohibited by trip/event coordinator. Club sanctioned or club sponsored dives specifically prohibit the consumption of alcoholic beverages on boats and chartered carriers. Illicit drugs will not be allowed at any club activity.

5. Raffles and Door Prizes

 Any person present at a regularly monthly meeting may win a door prize. Eligibility to receive the club special or specified raffle prize is restricted to club members in good standing only.