The FlowState Way: Training Philosophy, Policies & Procedures

A complaint against a mentor, a diver, or anyone operating under the FlowState Divers name is taken seriously precisely because we do not treat our own standards as self-enforcing. A standard that cannot be reported against is a standard nobody is actually accountable to. This page sets out the one channel through which a complaint is formally received, and what it needs to contain to be actioned.

The Only Official Channel

All formal complaints must be submitted by email to info@flowstatedivers.com. This is the sole official channel for lodging a complaint with FlowState Divers. Verbal reports, messages sent directly to a mentor, comments left on social media, or concerns raised informally through any other route are not treated as formal complaints and cannot trigger the review process described elsewhere in this document. If you have raised a concern through any of these informal routes and want it formally reviewed, it still needs to be submitted through this address.

We recognise this places a small amount of friction between a concern and its resolution. That friction is deliberate. A single, official channel ensures every complaint is received, logged, and reviewed consistently - rather than depending on which mentor happens to see a comment, or whether an informal message was ever escalated by the person who received it.

What the Email Must Contain

To be actioned, a complaint email should include the following, as completely as you're able to provide:

• Your name and contact information. We do not act on complaints submitted anonymously beyond an initial review - see below.
• The name of the mentor, diver, or other individual the complaint concerns.
• The date, time, and location of the incident, as precisely as you can recall it.
• A complete account of what happened, written in your own words, in as much detail as you can provide. Include what was said, what was done, and what you observed directly - distinguished clearly from anything you were told secondhand or are inferring.
• Names and contact information of any witnesses, if there were any present who could corroborate your account.
• Any supporting material you have - training records, correspondence, photographs, or anything else relevant to what you're describing.

A complaint that is vague, secondhand, or missing basic identifying detail is harder for us to act on fairly - both to you and to the person the complaint concerns. Take the time to be specific. It is the single biggest factor in how quickly and how seriously a complaint can be reviewed.

Anonymous and Verbal Reports

We will review anonymous or verbal reports as a matter of awareness, but no disciplinary or remedial action can be taken on the strength of a report submitted this way alone. If you are hesitant to attach your name to a formal complaint, we understand the reasons that hesitation can come from - but be aware that anonymity limits what we are able to do with what you've told us. Where possible, we encourage you to submit through the official channel with your identity attached, even if you have concerns about confidentiality; those concerns can be raised directly in the same email, and we will address them as part of how the complaint is handled.

What Happens After Submission

Once a complaint is received at info@flowstatedivers.com, it enters the review process described in the following pages of this document - summary sent to the party involved, a defined window for response, and a determination reached within a set timeframe. Submitting through this channel is the first step of that process, not a request that disappears into an inbox. You will receive acknowledgement that your complaint has been received and is under review.