Comhairle Fo-Thuinn (pronounced [ˈkoːɾˠl̠ʲə fˠɔˈhiːnʲ]; Irish for "Under-Wave Council"; CFT), also known as Irish Underwater Council (IUC) and trading as Diving Ireland, is the national governing body for recreational diving and underwater sports in Ireland.

Comhairle Fo-Thuinn
Irish Underwater Council
AbbreviationCFT
Formation1963
TypeNGO
Legal statusGuarantee Company Without Share Capital.
PurposeRecreational diving, diver training, underwater sports & sciences
national governing body
HeadquartersDún Laoghaire, Ireland
Location
  • 78A Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire
Region served
Ireland and Northern Ireland
Membership
3000 member & 84 clubs (2004)
President
Ciaran Kissane
National Diving Officer
Paddy Lambe
Main organ
Executive Committee
AffiliationsCMAS
CMAS Europe
EUF
Websitehttp://diving.ie/

Organisation

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CFT organises and promotes recreational scuba diving and snorkelling via a club system. It is administered by an executive committee is supported by the following four commissions: a Technical Commission which sets standards and tests for diving courses offered by its member clubs; a Medical Commission which advises on diving medical standards, treatment of diving medical conditions and monitors developments in hyperbaric medicine; a Sporting Commission which organises underwater sports, photography and an event known as the national gala; and a Scientific Commission which promotes underwater biology and archaeology. Its membership consists of both clubs and individuals which as of 2004 respectively totalled 3,000 and 84.[1] While the majority of its activities are in the Republic of Ireland, a small number of members and clubs are located in Northern Ireland.[2] It is incorporated as a Guarantee Company Without Share Capital under the name 'Comhairle Fo-Thuinn – Irish Underwater Council'.[3]

Recognition

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CFT is recognised by the Irish Sports Council as the national governing body for recreational diving and underwater sports in the Republic of Ireland.[4] It is the Irish representative to Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques with affiliations to the Sports, Technical and Scientific Committees. It is also a member of CMAS Europe and the European Underwater Federation.[5][6][7] CFT is both a supporter and a member of the National Steering Group of the Marine Conservation Society-co-ordinated Seasearch program which seeks to 'gather information on seabed habitats and associated marine wildlife in Britain and Ireland through the participation of volunteer recreational divers'.[8][9]

Underwater sports

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As of October 2013, underwater hockey is the only underwater sport supported by CFT.[10]

The CFT oversees competition between clubs and the national team.

UWH Celtic Cup results
Year A Team B Team Ref.
2022 4th 3rd [11]
2023 Did not participate
2024

Qualifications

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The CFT training program which is delivered by instructors based within its member clubs was structured as follows as of January 2013.[12][13]

CMAS equivalencies

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The following equivalencies were those in place as of January 2013.[14]

CMAS CFT
CMAS 1 Star Diver CFT Diver 1 Star
CMAS 2 Star Diver CFT Diver 2 Star
CMAS 3 Star Diver CFT Leading Diver
CMAS 4 Star Diver CFT National Diver
CMAS 1 Star Instructor CFT Instructor
CMAS 2 Star Instructor CFT Examiner
CMAS 3 Star Instructor CFT Leading Instructor
CFT National Instructor

EUF Certification

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The CFT obtained CEN certification from the EUF certification body in 2006.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Irish Underwater Council- Comhairle Fo Thuinn (CFT)". Marine Institute. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Join a Club". Comhairle Fo-Thuinn. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Irish Company Name: Comhairle Fo-Thuinn – Irish Underwater Council". Vision-net.ie. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Underwater Sport". Irish Sports Council (An Chomhairle Spoirt). Archived from the original on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Comhairle Fo-Thuinn". Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Les pays membres". CMAS Europe. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  7. ^ "non-profit distributing members". European Underwater Federation. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  8. ^ "National Seasearch Project Aim and Objectives". Seasearch c/o Marine Conservation Society. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Who is Involved?". Seasearch c/o Marine Conservation Society. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Underwater Hockey". CFT. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Underwater Hockey Wales on Instagram: "Some photos from yesterday's inaugural Celtic Cup where we had both our a and B teams competing. We would like to thank our sponsors of Milford Haven Port Authority, @parfittscarpets, Bentfish Design and @merrows.shop for supporting us in hosting yesterday's Celtic Cup tournament. See you next year!@underwaterhockeyireland @scottishuwh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #underwaterhockey #octopush #celticnations #walessport"".
  12. ^ "Snorkelling Courses". Comhairle Fo-Thuinn. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Diving Courses". Comhairle Fo-Thuinn. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Diving courses". CFT. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  15. ^ "EUF Certified Training Systems/Training Organisations". EUF Certification International. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
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