Diver emergency facilities appeal

Diving is seen as having major economic potential in the area

An MSP is trying to secure specialist medical support to back attempts to increase diving tourism in the Borders.

Divers off Eyemouth and St Abbs who need decompression treatment currently have to be airlifted to Aberdeen.

Tory MSP John Lamont said Berwickshire needed "adequate support for the occasions when dives go wrong".

Dr John Ross of the Hyperbaric Medicine Unit said services were already "the best in the world" with journey times by air to Aberdeen about 45 minutes.

Reports have suggested that the sector could generate an extra £2m for the Scottish economy and create up to 100 new jobs.

The area has become popular with divers since the creation of the St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve in 1984.

Support service

More than 20,000 people a year are estimated to take part in the underwater sport.

Marketing the two towns as a single diving location is seen as having the potential to almost double those numbers.

However, Mr Lamont said that he wanted to see a full range of support services in place.

RESCUES: BORDERS COAST October 2007 - Bends diver airlifted to hospital July 2007 - Helicopter called to rescue diver August 2005 - Airlift for diver after incident Decompression sickness

He added: "The Berwickshire coast has long been known as one of the best diving locations in the world.

"The challenge is to ensure that such facilities exist to allow this sector of the tourist industry to expand, for the benefit of the Berwickshire economy and that of the Borders as a whole.

"In order to provide a world class diving destination, we need to ensure that there is adequate support for the occasions when dives go wrong."

There were a number of incidents last year when divers had to be airlifted from the area to Aberdeen for treatment.

Mr Lamont has written to Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon and the local health board to ask if that situation could be addressed.

"I feel this is something that has the potential to make a significant contribution to the local tourist industry," he said.

Dr Ross said the service already offered to injured divers around Scotland was second to none.

Best system

"Over the years we have treated a number of divers from the Eyemouth area but never more than two to three per year," he said.

"Some of them have been very ill indeed and certainly beyond the capability of any local recompression service to treat or indeed save life.

"They have all done very well after transfer to Aberdeen."

He said there was no evidence that local recompression facilities would produce a better clinical outcome and in addition said such a service would be very expensive.

He added that in his opinion divers in Eyemouth and St Abbs already enjoyed the "best accident management system in the world".