Scientific Diver Training and Certifications

Training is critical for scientific divers. Venturing under the water is imperative for research purposes, but it is also very risky. Diving in general is inherently dangerous. You enter into an environment that can range from freezing cold, dark polar diving to shark infested waters and you are completely dependent on technology, equipment, and your diving partners to keep you alive. Calm nerves and an intricate knowledge of diving are an absolute mandatory requirement for any science diver.

Most scientific divers learn their diving skills the way that anyone else does – through the recreational path. It is an easy way to become familiar with diving equipment and underwater skills. It is also a good way to find out if they are interested enough in the underwater realm to want to pursue a scientific diving career.

Universities or organizations like the Smithsonian or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fund scientific diving. Each of these organizations must supply their own training for their scientific divers in order to meet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) exemption for scientific diving. By meeting these criteria they guarantee that all scientific divers have knowledge of diving safety and health, are scientists or scientists-in-training, and that they are aware that they may only observe and gather data.

While each organizations exact requirements are different they all generally include a written test, a swimming evaluation, recreational dive certifications, CPR and first aid training, checkout dives, diving physicals, and a record of open-water dives. Most likely additional training will be necessary for different types of scientific diving. For instance polar diving or deep diving needs more training and knowledge to ensure the safety of the divers. Every organization also requires rescue training and annual checkup dives.

There are so many aspects of scientific diving that it would be hard to be a master at all of them. Scientific diving training may include hazardous marine life identification, oxygen administration, dry suit diving, computer usage, blue water diving skills, decompression diving, cave or wreck diving, rebreathers, gas mixes, coldwater diving, or other necessary skills.

All research organizations want to follow the training rules and will provide you with diving safety manuals and necessary skills to be safe underwater. Researching and observing the underwater world is important. The seas are one of the last unexplored regions of our planet. With the proper training and the desire for discovery, you’ll be able to be part of a scientific diving team that could unlock the ocean’s mysteries.