Ontario Underwater Council   

Invite a Guest Diver!  

  1. Read the details below to understand the Guest Diver Program (GDP).
  2. Hosting Club should fill in the Guest Diver Program: Form.
  3. Hosting Club should send the OUC “blue” payment by eTransfer to payment@underwatercouncil.com
  4. Hosting Club should ensure that the Guest Diver signs the OUC Release.
  5. Hosting Club must satisfy themselves that the guest is a capable, certified diver.
  6. Guest Divers must adhere to the Terms and Conditions of the OUC Liability Insurance Policy and generally accepted safe recreational scuba diving practices.

Link to the Guest Diver Program: Form

Ontario Underwater Council – Guest Diver Program (GDP) Document History

Date Author Remarks
2003-12-04 Michael Briggs, President, OUC Original
2006-07-18 Raimund Krob, President, OUC To take effect 2006-07-24
2021-04-06 Barrileigh Price, Admin Address Changes
2025-03-05 Cliff Adolf, Communications, OUC Reflect price changes
2026-02-05 Kathryn Cullen, Membership, OUC Convert form to GWS

 

Background
The Ontario Underwater Council (OUC) is Ontario’s recognized PSO (Provincial Sport Organization) representing the Province’s Scuba Diving Community.

The OUC’s priority is sport safety, and one of the ways in which OUC promotes safe diving is by encouraging scuba diving in organized groups (Clubs), as experience has shown that this is one of the safest and most enjoyable ways of diving.

To encourage safe diving in Clubs, the OUC maintains a Liability Insurance Policy for the exclusive benefit of its Member Clubs. This policy, which can be found on the OUC’s website at under Insurance, provides coverage on the condition that Clubs (and their members) adhere to safe diving practices such as:

  • having the Executive of the Club sanction all the Club’s Dives
  • having the Club notify the OUC in advance of the club-sanctioned dives.
  • having certified scuba Instructors or Divemasters in charge of all club-sanctioned dives
  • ensuring Safety Equipment (First Aid, O2, etc.) is on-site and ready-to-go.
  • taking and keeping records of all dives
  • diving within no-decompression-diving limits
  • adhering to the Buddy System

Within the scope of this policy and its attendant safe diving practices, the OUC has also implemented a “Guest Diver Program” (GDP). The purpose of this program is to allow Member Clubs to invite “Not-Yet-OUC-Club-Member Divers” to join them on their sanctioned dives. This promotes safe and enjoyable diving for all, and helps OUC Member Clubs attract new membership.

Reason for Revision
The primary reasons for the revision of the OUC’s Guest Diver Program are to stay current with changes in the way the OUC’s Liability Insurance Policy is administered and priced.

To Participate in the Ontario Underwater Council Guest Diver Program: 

  1. Within 5 business days prior to the planned Sanctioned Dives:
    The OUC Hosting Club who invites a Guest Diver to join them, must:
    (1) fill in the “OUC Guest Diver Program: Form”
    (2) submit the OUC “blue” fee for Guest Divers to OUC by eTransfer to payment@underwatercouncil.com
    (3) ensure the Guest has signed the OUC Release.
    – OUC will process and treat the Membership Forms exactly like those for other Member Club Members.
  2. Prior to the planned Sanctioned Dives, Hosting Clubs’ Instructors or Divemasters must satisfy themselves that their Guest Diver/s have the requisite abilities (physical, mental, equipment, etc.), training, and experience to participate in the planned Sanctioned Dives. Hosting Clubs’ Instructors or Divemasters may do so in various ways, including but not limited to, any/all of the following:
    • Inspecting their Guest Divers’ Logbooks,
    • Inspecting their Guest Divers’ Certification Levels and C-Cards,
    • Diving with their Guest Diver(s).
  3. During the planned Sanctioned Dives, OUC Club Guest Divers must adhere to all the Terms and Conditions of the Liability Insurance Policy and generally accepted safe recreational scuba diving practices.

Disclaimer
Certain personal risks are inherent in most sports, and the sport of scuba diving is no exception. By engaging in the sport of scuba, the Guest Diver must accept these risks. No amount of training, experience, equipment, policies, etc. can eliminate all personal risks, and the OUC, its Board Members, Regional Coordinators, and Members are not responsible for any losses, injury, or death sustained as a result of members or non-members accepting these risks.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Question: My Club is an OUC Member Club, and I pay an annual Club Membership Fee per year. Out of this amount, my Membership Director remits payment to the OUC to cover my OUC Membership fee. Does this mean that the Guest Divers we invite to come on our Sanctioned Dives get to be full-fledged Members of my Club for only the price of the OUC dues?
    Answer: OUC requires payment of the OUC fee to provide liability insurance coverage. The collection of a club membership fee is up to the discretion of the individual club. Some clubs waive their membership fee for the first dive experience of the Guest. Some clubs charge the same club membership fee for the Guest. It is up to your club executive to decide how to handle Guest Members.
    .
  2. Question: What if I’ve paid to be a Guest Diver of one OUC Member Club and I am now invited to go diving with another, different, OUC Member Club. Do I have to pay again?
    Answer:
    OUC says: No. Your OUC membership is good for the entire calendar year (January 1 until December 31). You do not have to pay the OUC fee again in the same calendar year.
    The Club says: You do not have to pay the OUC fee again. However, there may be other club guest fees, club membership fees, and club dive fees to pay, depending on the policy of the particular club.
    .
  3. Question: How can a Club’s Guest Divers be covered under the Liability Insurance Policy if the OUC hasn’t yet received their applications and their fees?
    Answer: In the context of membership fees and insurance premiums, OUC Member Clubs are considered as “Agents of OUC.”
    This means that as soon as the Guest Diver is accepted by the OUC Hosting Club by (a) submitting their application to the Hosting Club, (b) paying their fee to the Hosting Club, and (c) signing their OUC Release, then that Guest Diver is covered. The Hosting Club must be sure to remit the Guest Diver Program Form and “blue” Fee to OUC within 5 business days. The Guest Diver must sign the OUC Release a minimum of 24 hours prior to participating with the Hosting Club.
    .
  4. Question: I received my Scuba Certification through a local Scuba Retailer and I’ve been invited by an OUC Member Club to join them on one of their dives. I’m really looking forward to diving with them, but I’m not an OUC Member, I don’t know anything about OUC, and I’m not really sure I want to join you. Why do I have to become a member of OUC just to be able to go out diving with an OUC Member Club?
    Answer: By being part of OUC, the Hosting Club is covered by OUC liability insurance. For this liability insurance policy to adequately protect the Hosting Club and its members and divers, all participants in their sanctioned dives must also be covered by the OUC liability insurance.
    Another reason is that in Ontario, unlike in other places in Canada and around the world, the sport of Scuba Diving is self-regulated. OUC and its many Scuba Community Members (Scuba Retailers, Manufacturers, Certifying Agencies, and Divers) work very hard to earn the privilege of self-regulation, not just for OUC members, but for all members of the Ontario diving community. Part of the work we do is to help put in place policies and processes that encourage safe scuba diving, such as affordable Liability Insurance Policy coverage, scuba safety awareness, safe diving standards and practices, to name but a few. By supporting OUC as a member, and by diving with an OUC Member Club, you commit to diving in a proven safe and enjoyable way. This directly benefits you, the Club, and the Ontario diving community.
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  5. Question: What is a “Club-Sanctioned Dive”?
    Answer: A “Club-Sanctioned Dive” is a Dive that is organized by an OUC Member Club, for OUC Club Members, and that is sanctioned by the Executive of that Club as meeting all the requirements as stipulated in the OUC’s Liability Policy and generally accepted safe recreational scuba diving practices, is reported to OUC prior to the event, and is sanctioned by OUC.
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  6. Question: Who helps in the design and revision of the OUC’s Guest Diver Program?
    Answer: Members of the OUC Board of Directors, the Regional Coordinator Team, OUC Club Presidents and their executive teams, and some OUC members, are consulted and provide input to the Guest Diver Program. A revised GDP was ratified at an OUC Board Meeting on 2006-07-18. Subsequent revisions are approved by the OUC Board of Directors.
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  7. Question: How long will it take for me to get my OUC Club membership card?
    Answer: You should receive your OUC Club membership card by email within a week, unless the OUC Membership Director is on vacation. In that case, the OUC Membership Director will acknowledge you as a member, and send the OUC membership card immediately upon return. Please note: possession of the OUC membership card is not required for you to dive with an OUC member club as long as you have fulfilled the following obligations: (a) paid your fees, (b) submitted your application, (c) signed the OUC Release, and (d) agree to abide by the club’s dive policies, and within the dictates of the OUC liability insurance policy.