Core Procedures

Never scuba dive alone. Freedivers use trained direct safety, one-up one-down observation, and a marked line or float system.
For exposed Oosterschelde sites, follow the NOB three-step process: long-range tide plan, current check within 24 hours, and final waterside verification.
Abort when current, wind, visibility, access, fishing activity, boat traffic, team readiness, or equipment differs materially from the plan.
Read every site board and current BPR rule. Keep out of prohibited areas near locks, bridges, harbors, marked channels, working shellfish plots, and navigation routes.
Display the international Alpha flag where required for vessel operations and use clear surface marking for shore activities according to current rules and local guidance.
Carry a compass, primary and backup light, DSMB and spool, audible signal, cutting tool, and an accessible surface phone.
Plan gas and thermal reserves for current, low visibility, a delayed exit, and a walk back in wind.

Core Procedures

Never scuba dive alone. Freedivers use trained direct safety, one-up one-down observation, and a marked line or float system.
For exposed Oosterschelde sites, follow the NOB three-step process: long-range tide plan, current check within 24 hours, and final waterside verification.
Abort when current, wind, visibility, access, fishing activity, boat traffic, team readiness, or equipment differs materially from the plan.
Read every site board and current BPR rule. Keep out of prohibited areas near locks, bridges, harbors, marked channels, working shellfish plots, and navigation routes.
Display the international Alpha flag where required for vessel operations and use clear surface marking for shore activities according to current rules and local guidance.
Carry a compass, primary and backup light, DSMB and spool, audible signal, cutting tool, and an accessible surface phone.
Plan gas and thermal reserves for current, low visibility, a delayed exit, and a walk back in wind.

Call 112 immediately for life-threatening symptoms, severe injury, loss of consciousness, breathing difficulty, or suspected serious decompression illness. Give the exact site name, access point, vehicle barrier or gate information, number of divers, maximum depth, breathing gas, symptom onset, and last known position.

Administer 100 percent oxygen when trained and equipped, keep the diver resting and warm, and follow emergency-service instructions. Do not make the casualty drive and do not independently choose a distant chamber. ADRZ Goes provides the region's 24-hour emergency department; Vlissingen does not have an emergency department. DAN Europe can coordinate diving-medicine advice, but emergency medical services come first for urgent cases.

Many sites have a short usable slack period and powerful flow outside it. Use current predictions, a waterside recheck, local knowledge, and a firm no-go threshold.

Air can feel mild while the water remains cold. Match suit, hood, gloves, gas planning, warm fluids, and surface intervals to the coldest and longest planned dive.

Wind, algae, rain, crowds, and sediment can reduce visibility quickly. Carry a compass and lights, keep close buddy contact, and shorten the route before navigation becomes uncertain.

Basalt, mud, algae, oyster shells, and uneven stairs make entries hazardous. Use sturdy boots, assess the exit before entering, and avoid standing on living shellfish beds.

Low-impact Conduct

Oosterschelde is a protected national park and both waters support sensitive hard-bottom communities, shellfish, birds, seals, and other wildlife.

Do not catch, collect, handle, feed, chase, or reposition animals. Lobster harvesting by recreational divers is off limits.
Never touch cuttlefish, seahorses, egg clusters, or breeding frames.
Use designated entries and avoid trampling intertidal growth, mussel beds, oysters, and salt-marsh edges.
Maintain neutral buoyancy and secure gauges, lights, cameras, and alternate regulators.
Do not anchor on known dive structure or living habitat.
Give resting seals, birds, and porpoises distance from shore or boat.
Clean and dry equipment between water bodies to reduce transfer of organisms.
Remove litter when safe, but leave historic and archaeological material in place and report finds through the proper channel.

Contact	Role	Phone	Availability
European Emergency Number	Police, fire, and ambulance for urgent or life-threatening emergencies	112	24/7, toll-free
Netherlands Coastguard	Maritime danger and search-and-rescue coordination	+31 88 958 4040; VHF channel 16; DSC VHF channel 70	24/7
DAN Europe Emergency Hotline	Diving-emergency medical advice and coordination after emergency services are activated	+39 0642115685	24/7; first response in English
ADRZ Goes Emergency Department	Regional hospital emergency care	+31 88 125 00 00	24/7 at 's-Gravenpolderseweg 114, Goes

Zeeland (Oosterschelde and Grevelingenmeer)

Safety And Conservation

Top Risks

Dive safety

Core Procedures

Safety And Conservation

Top Risks

Dive safety

Core Procedures

Snorkel and freedive safety

Wildlife and protected areas

Low-impact Conduct

Emergency contacts