KOROR STATE GOVERNMENT MARINE TOUR GUIDE ... - C3

6.1 An Overview
Traditional Knowledge
Traditional knowledge to all tour guides. Each site has specific types of currents and
tides shifts throughout the day and season. A smart guide will check all the proper
charts and written information. A smarter guide will also find out local knowledge about
tides and currents from fisherfolk who have fished in particular areas for generations.
Human Safety
Prevention is the first rule for safety, avoid or prevent a problem in the first place and this
begins with you!
Self serving – an individual must be properly trained mentally and physically in order to
understand the dangers and safety precautions necessary for safe trips. A licensed
diver is educated about human physiology in relation to the chemistry and physics of
water and gases. A tour guide in Palau should also be trained on environmental
conditions, the tides and currents.
Know your limits – How far can you swim? – In normal conditions, with the current,
against the current, and in a storm? How deep can you free dive? What weight can you
lift? EVALUATE YOURSELF!
Serving Others – in order to serve others, you must first serve yourself and then the
additional responsibility required for other people. You must be able to evaluate their
ability and limitations through questioning, observing and their actions. When is the last
time they went diving? Are they assembling their equipment properly? How is their
buoyancy in the water? Are they listening to your instructions?
Currents and tidal changes – there are several very strong and not always predictable
currents (Peleliu express). Strong tidal changes can also produce additional changes in
water movements.
Drug Use – 50% of all dive accidents are alcohol related and 4% are related to
recreational drugs. Drug use results in poor judgment and slow reaction.
Shark and Triggerfish – there has been no reported shark attacks on divers. There
have been several attacks on spear fishermen, because sharks target the fish caught.
Triggerfish have been reported to attack diver’s fins and even their face.
Tip: Don’t panic. An arched back, slow movement, and a low tail are indications of an
aggressive shark.
Depth perception – often in very clear water, like a vertical drop-off, it doesn’t seem as
deep as it is.
New Environments – unfamiliar reefs and animals may cause stress and fear in novice
divers, orient divers as best you can on what to expect
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