In order to work as a diver on a dive operation under the Scientific and Archaeological Diving ACoP you must typically have as a minimum a CMAS 3* diving qualification (EN 14153-3/ISO 24801-3: Dive Leader) and a diving medical performed by an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers (AMED) in the last 12 months (some exceptions apply).
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes a list of approved qualifications for the class of Scientific and Archaeological Diving for divers who are at work in Great Britain (see page 4 for CMAS equivalences and page 18-19 for Scientific Diving). These currently include CMAS 3* recreational qualifications (e.g., PADI Divemaster, BSAC Advanced Diver, SSI Dive Guide, NAUI Divemaster); however, these qualifications alone may not provide the skills and competence a diver may need to conduct scientific work underwater.
Scientific divers may obtain accreditation through the European Scientific Diving system, whereby a diver must demonstrate their competence against the criteria of European Scientific Diver (ESD) or Advanced European Scientific Diver (AESD). This is a useful framework to review for divers wishing to obtain competency required for scientific diving work in the UK (although it is not a legal requirement). Certification to the European Scientific Diving Standards is particularly useful for scientific divers who wish to work in member states of the European Union.
The structure below is intended to help divers find appropriate places to learn skills and gain experience in scientific diving; Inclusion or omission from the lists below does not indicate endorsement by the SDSC.
Theory of diving and equipment use
- Diving physics and physiology, the causes and effects of diving related illnesses and disorders and their management
- The specific problems associated with diving to and beyond 20 m, calculations of air requirements, correct use of decompression tables
- Equipment, including personal dive computers and guidelines as to their safe use
- Emergency procedures and diving casualty management
- Principles of dive planning
- The use and user maintenance of appropriate SCUBA diving equipment
- The use and user maintenance of dry suits and full-face masks (AESD)
The theoretical skills of SCUBA diving and training in the equipment used for SCUBA diving are covered in courses taught by recreational diving agencies. Scientific divers are usually required to reach the first level of professional diving at CMAS 3* level, which is the equivalent of PADI Divemaster, BSAC Advanced Diver, SSI Dive Guide with Science of Diving, NAUI Divemaster, etc.
Standard SCUBA courses do not by default include tuition for skills that may be required for scientific divers, such as the use of full face masks, diver propulsion vehicles, closed circuit rebreathers, etc. If they are required for the types of Scientific Diving to be undertaken, additional training and experience should be arranged.
Legal aspects of Scientific Diving, dive project planning and dive supervision
- Legal aspects and responsibilities relevant to scientific diving in Europe and elsewhere
- Dive project planning (AESD)
- Selection and assessment of divers (AESD)
- Supervision of diving operations (AESD)
The legal aspects of arranging and supervising dive operations in the UK are typically not taught on recreational dive courses. These topics are covered in the HSE Professional Scuba course and the SDSC Supervisor course. Providers of the HSE Professional Scuba include:
Andark
Bristol Channel Diving Services
DV Diving
University of Plymouth
Professional Diving Academy
Medical emergencies
- Diving first aid including cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Oxygen administration to diving casualties.
- SCUBA rescue techniques and management of casualties
Managing medical emergencies related to SCUBA diving is usually taught on CMAS 2* recreational dive courses (e.g., PADI Rescue Diver, BSAC Sports Diver, SSI Dive Guide, NAUI Scuba Rescue Diver, etc) and covered in greater depth at CMAS 3* (see above). Scientific dive operations require at least one nominated first aider who has completed a Level 3 First Aid at Work qualification (e.g., Red Cross 3-day FAW course) in the last 3 years, so this is a good qualification to obtain and will cover medical emergencies in more detail. If you are planning to join dive operations in remote locations you may consider Level 4 FPOSI, FROSI or FREC qualifications (a longer course teaching pre-hospital emergency care techniques). Oxygen (O2) administration is not normally covered by First Aid at Work and you may need to obtain a separate certification for this (e.g., PADI O2 administration, BSAC O2 administration, DAN Oxygen First Aid for Diving Emergencies).
Scientific diving techniques
- Search methods, such as those utilizing free swimming and towed divers together with remote methods suitable for a range of surface and sub-surface situations
- Survey methods, both surface and sub-surface, capable of accurately locating and marking objects and sites
- Basic use of airbags and airlifts for controlled lifts, excavations and sampling
- Basic rigging and rope work, including the construction and deployment of transects and search grids
- Underwater navigation methods using suitable techniques
- Recording techniques
- Acting as surface tender for a roped diver
- Roped/tethered diver techniques and various types of underwater communication systems, such as those utilizing visual, aural, physical and electronic methods (AESD)
- Sampling techniques appropriate to the scientific discipline being pursued
There is no one single, stand-alone course in the UK that covers all the topics in Scientific Diving as required above.
The most comprehensive single course is the MRes Scientific Diving at University of Plymouth; however, you will need to meet the entry requirements (2:1 undergraduate degree in a related subject).
Other UK universities provide different levels of scientific diving training as part of their undergraduate or postgraduate degrees:
University of Aberdeen – Tropical Marine Biology field course is a 15-credit module as part of BSc Zoology
Bournemouth University – Scientific Diving 20-credit module as part of BSc Archaeology
University of Essex – BSc/MSc Tropical Marine Biology includes a 15-credit scientific diving field course in Indonesia
Herriot Watt University
University of Hull
University of Portsmouth – Scientific Diving Techniques course from Triton Scuba
University of St. Andrews – Scientific Diving 15-credit module
University of Southampton – Introduction to Scientific Diving 15-credit module
Universities in other countries can also provide Scientific Diving training specifically for (A)ESD accreditation, e.g.,
Wageningen University (Netherlands).
It may also be possible to gain experience of Scientific Diving techniques by participating in fieldwork training for agencies such as Operation Wallacea who conduct marine research across their expedition bases worldwide.
Diving experience (required for European scientific diving)
Provide evidence of at least 70 (ESD) / 100 (AESD) open-water dives in total that include:
- Open-water dives with a scientific task of work (20 ESD / 50 AESD)
- 10 Open-water dives to a maximum depth greater than 15m (ESD) / 20m (AESD) and
- 5 Open-water dives to a maximum depth greater than 25m (ESD) / 10 Open-water dives to a maximum depth of greater than 29m (AESD)
- 20 Open-water dives in ‘adverse’ conditions (AESD) (e.g. underwater visibility <2 m, moving water >0.5 knots, water temperature <7 °C, extremely low or high air temperatures, or remote locations.)
- 20 Open-water dives as in-water dive leader (AESD)
- 12 Open-water dives in the last 12 months (12 required, including at least 6 with a scientific task of work)
Practical experience is an essential aspect of the (A)ESD accreditation and it demonstrates the diver’s competence in different conditions that are likely to be encountered during scientific diving operations. Keeping accurate records of dives throughout your career is vital for your progression and a good habit to keep even when you’re an experienced diver as you never know when you need to refer back to information from previous dives. Diving experience is initially gained through recreational diving through dive clubs, University clubs, holidays and expeditions. Specific scientific dive experience can be gained through internships, citizen science projects, diving expeditions, University course data collection, etc. The more varied your diving experiences, the better prepared you will be for scientific diving operations. Scientific dives are typically certified by the person responsible for diving safety at the scientific research institute for which they were undertaken.
Supporting experience (required for European scientific diving)
- Basic small boat handling and electronic navigation (AESD)
The AESD standard requires scientific divers to be able to drive a small boat and navigate waterways (in a similar way to the Diver Coxswain Award being a pre-requisite for BSAC First Class Diver). This skill makes divers more useful in a dive team: providing support as knowledgeable crew and emergency cover should the skipper become incapacitated. Being able to handle small boats that are used for diving operations will give you a good understanding of the requirements needed for divers when planning dives. Small boat handling qualifications can be obtained from BSAC (Boat Handling and Diver Coxswain) and RYA (Level 2 Powerboat Handling).