Typical qualification includes training and experience as a scientific diver, regular membership in the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), and qualification as a diving instructor from an internationally recognized certifying agency.
[1] The diving safety officer typically reports to a senior administrative officer (president, vice president, dean, or director), and is responsible for the conduct of the scientific diving program of the institution.
They have routine operational authority for this program, including the conduct of training and certification, approval of dive plans, maintenance of diving records, and ensuring compliance with this standard and all relevant regulations of the membership organization.
[2] This organizational structure goes back to the model developed at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the early 1950s.
It served as the model accepted by the AAUS and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.