Technical Diving limits in Spain

[Bernie_U]

Last year, the Spanish government issued order no 550 (Real Decreto 550/2020) that addresses the legal limits of SCUBA diving. The full text was published in the Federal Gazette BOLETÍN OFICIAL DEL ESTADO issue no. 177.

The first paragraph of article 18, forbids solo diving and sets a depth limit to 40 meters for recreational divers on air. The third paragraph allows technical divers to exceed the limits of recreational diving. Article 31 sets the limits for technical divers to 50 meters on air and 75 meters on trimix. At least, this is what I understood with my little Spanish.

Is this interpretation correct? I asked this question also to the Spanish TDI representative, but I got no reply yet.

 

[Whitrzac]

our reading of 18 matches what google translate says. There's a gear list for tec divers in annex 3, seems pretty standard stuff.

31 only applies to professional divers.

Used google translate on the page.

 

[JMBL]

Limiting depth on air to 40 meters had been a project for some time in Spain. I'll try to check if it is true indeed with some buddies.

 

[Bernie_U]

Apparently, the funny side of the Spanish law is that you do not need a certification. To exceed the recreational depth limit, you only need redundant gear (as listed in annex 3) and a suitable breathing gas. So, two recreational divers who dress as technical divers can go deeper than 40m. I don't know whether the coast guard carries helium analyzers to check the compliance of the breathing gas.

I asked a colleague and native speaker whether the technical diver status would allow solo-diving, but he denied. Each technical diver has to be self-reliant in terms of the mandatory gear according to annex 3. But technical divers must not dive alone. Cave diving is probably forbidden, too. Only caverns up to 30m horizontal penetration depth.

 

[oceancurrent]

It is upsetting when unenlightened government bureaucrats start imposing bans on diving beyond what the diving agencies already have in place. There is no drive to enact legislation banning solo hiking, solo climbing, solo skiing, etc - all activities where "a buddy could save your life". Why the push to regulate diving? As far as I know there is just this one vocal group called GUE that opposes solo and deep air diving for all classes of divers.