Scuba Diving Operational Risk Management

A deeper understanding of safety concepts will make us both better and safer divers. So, it is no coincidence that I chose to review this book, written by elite soldier Claudio Gino Ferreri, who was a member of the Australian SAS. He is also a sport and technical diver and is active in the recreational diving industry.

The book uses a lot of easily recognisable scenarios and types of dives that most of us can relate to for case stories, such as a wreck dive to 30m, and goes through how to analyse and best manage risk. Most of it actually seems pretty obvious and not complicated as he goes through the examples of the mindset you should adopt. In short, you think through the entire dive plan well in advance, asking yourself what could possibly go wrong or what problems might arise and how you intend to deal with them. In a way, the book is a little self-study course on how to plan and execute your dives more safely, including how to be better prepared for different scenarios that may arise when things do not go as planned.

It is relatively easy to read for non-native English speakers and the language is not technical. The style can be a little dry, but the strength of the book is all the examples, accompanied by charts and decision diagrams. The paperback edition is around 180 pages, divided into 15 chapters, so it is not a heavy volume to digest. 

The book is also divided into two main parts: Part I, which covers theory and examples, and a shorter Part II, which offers some analysis tools in the form of Word templates and Excel spreadsheets that can be downloaded for free via a link or QR code. Some of the files are simple reminders or checklists, others are risk assessment forms, another is a template for a dive plan, and so on. No complicated or expensive software, just useful tools.

The book is available in paperback, digital editions for Kindle, Apple Books and Google Play, as well as Epub and PDF formats. 

Learn more at: Dived Up Publications

About the Author

Claudio Gino Ferreri BSc (Security) has made risk management his life’s work, having dived as a member of the Australian SAS, been a permanent acting police senior sergeant with the Western Australia counterterrorism and bomb disposal teams, and a government security manager for the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Corruption and Crime Commission. He holds recreational diving qualifications to TDI Trimix level and has served as a committee member and diving officer for the Underwater Explorers Club of Western Australia.