2017 Derek Craig Award

ADAS congratulates South Australia Police diver trainer, David Bacchus, who was announced as the recipient of the 2017 Derek Craig Award. 

David, an ADAS trainer and member of the South Australia Police (SAPOL) Water Operations unit, was announced as the recipient of the 2017 Derek Craig Award on the 18^th of August.

The Derek Craig Award for Improving Occupational Diver Safety (Derek Craig Award) is a perpetual award overseen by ADAS which recognises innovation or exceptional effort to advance the safety of the working diver.

David began his career as a police diver in 1995 and was posted to the Water Operations unit in the same year.  He attained the ADAS Part 3 Restricted occupational diving and DMT certifications in 1996, and became an ADAS Part 3 onshore supervisor in 2007.

In 2005 David completed the National Search and Rescue course, subsequently going on to perform in an instructional role in 2011 on the national police search and rescue course for police throughout Australia and New Zealand.  David served as the Water Operations Unit representative on the State Marine Rescue Committee and in 2014 was awarded a Winston Churchill fellowship to travel internationally to study in the training and management of volunteer marine rescue services.

David now performs the role of ADAS Training and Assessment Manager (ATAM) for the South Australia Water Operations unit managing the unit’s diver training requirements and its accreditation as an ADAS Accredited Training Establishment (ATE) for the delivery and assessment of occupational diving.

The Derek Craig award was presented on behalf of ADAS by Bob Ramsay at the recent Hyperbaric Technicians and Nurses Association (HTNA) 2017 conference, which was fitting since David and the SAPOL Water Operations have a long established association with the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) Hyperbaric Medicine Unit.

ADAS congratulates David for this achievement and thanks the HTNA for providing an opportunity for this award to be presented during their conference.

More information about the Derek Craig Award, including past recipients, can be found on the ADAS website.