Diving for the Star: The CMAS One-Star Dive Certification

Prof Dr Oliver Tito introduces the academic part of the CMAS one-star dive certification.

Zamboanga City (November 24, 2021) – The ongoing WBA dive training in this city will run-up to November 29 and is conducted by the Dive Center of the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST). The assessment and certification are through CMAS Philippines.

CMAS stands for Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques. In English, it is known as the World Underwater Federation and uses the French acronym CMAS in its logo. It was organized in the 50s, with renowned explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau as its founding president. CMAS offers several training programs, such as recreational diving, snorkeling, specialty diving, technical diving, and leadership diving with specialty grades. CMAS is recognized by international organizations, such as the Olympic, The World Games, Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), UNESCO, and International University Sports Federation (FISU).

The WBA dive training is geared towards CMAS One Star Diver certification (also known as CMAS* diver or CMAS*). CMAS defines a one-star diver as one “who is competent in the safe and correct use of all appropriate open-water scuba diving equipment in a sheltered water training area and is ready to gain open-water diving experience in the company of an experienced diver”.

The academics part of one-star diver training program covers the selection, purpose, and function of diving equipment; the purpose and use of diving signals; diving physics; medical problems related to diving; use of dive tables and dive computers; the function and use of scuba equipment; the mechanisms of respiration and circulation; the use of buoyancy devices; comparison and selection of diving suits and ancillary equipment; methods for care and maintenance of equipment; accident prevention, self-rescue and buddy rescue – including the theory of emergency ascent, towing, expired air ventilation and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation; diving procedures, the role of the dive leader, the importance of planning and preparation; and the selection of dive sites, the effect of weather and tides, hazards, the importance of conservation. 

The practicum side of one-star diver training program covers assembly and fitting of scuba equipment; entry and exit; surface swimming with full scuba equipment; proper weighting, buoyancy; clearing and replacing mask and mouthpiece; out-of-air emergency procedures, using a secondary air supply; controlled buoyant lift; diver assistance techniques, towing and landing a casualty; employing expired air ventilation and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation; underwater removal and replacement of scuba and ballast systems; and simple under-water navigation. Practicum includes confined and open water dives.

For the 22 WBA trainees, lectures will be at the La Azotea, Garden Orchids Hotel; confined water practicum at the hotel's swimming pool; and the open water practicum will be at the Simariki Ancestral Domain. Written and practical assessment will be on the last day of training and passers will be issued the CMAS one-star dive certificate and identification card.

WBA is the first inter-LGU cooperation in Basilan Province and is being capacitated by the Spanish aid agency AECID-funded MILAB 2 Project, implemented by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) in partnership with the provincial and selected municipal governments.

WBA prepares for Dive and PCRA training with ZSCMST

 

Photo: IAG, MILAB and ZSCMST officials posing for a group photo after a meeting on their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the Western Basilan Alliance (WBA) through capacity building and technical assistance interventions. (L to R) ZSCMST Dive Center Manager Prof Raymond Lim, IAG Director for Planning Sheila Algabre, MILAB Project Coordinator Sheila Acquiatan, IAG Executive Director Atty Benedicto Bacani, ZSCMST President Dr Jaime Jalon, ZSCMST Vice President Dr Servando Halili Jr, MILAB Project Manager Noor Saada and ZSCMST Dean of the College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Dr Oliver Tito. 

Isabela City, Basilan (November 17, 2021) – The Western Basilan Alliance (WBA) composed of the municipalities of Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Maluso, and Sumisip, and supported by the Basilan Provincial Government, is scheduled to undertake a 7-day dive training and 3-day training on participatory coastal resources assessment (PCRA), from November 23 to December 3, 2021, in Zamboanga City.

These two trainings will be delivered by a composite team of marine science experts from the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST). This was made possible through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by ZSCMST and the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG). IAG is the managing contractor for the AECID-funded Modelling Inter-LGU Alliance in Basilan (MILAB) that is capacitating and supporting the WBA.

Atty Benedicto Bacani, Executive Director of IAG and the managing contractor of the AECID-funded MILAB Project, is happy to see this partnership slowly moving forward. IAG has built a reputation around local governance and alliance building, and with ZSCMST expertise in coastal resources management (CRM), he expects exponential benefits for the WBA. He is optimistic that the institutional commitment and resources of IAG and ZSCMST reflected in the memorandum of understanding will help WBA realize its vision of a peaceful and prosperous Western Basilan founded on good governance and a sustainable economy.

MILAB manager Mr Noor Saada explains that diving is a foundational skill for participatory coastal resources assessment and PCRA is a preparatory mechanism to develop CRM plan required of every LGU in the country. He added that the 11-person ZSCMST team will be a composite of professors and professional divers and the two trainings will be a combination of lectures, confined water, and open water skills development, and fieldwork on socio-economic, mangroves, seagrass, coral and reef fishes, and water quality and plankton assessment drills. Participants will also undergo assessment and certification by CMAS Philippines as basic divers. The fieldwork is slated to be undertaken inside an ancestral domain area of Sama Bangingi' who have been preserving and promoting their area as an eco- and culture-based tourist spot.

WBA is the first inter-LGU cooperation in Basilan Province and is being capacitated by the Spanish aid agency AECID-funded MILAB 2 Project, implemented by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) in partnership with the provincial and selected municipal governments.