Diving instructor
A diving instructor is a person who trains, and usually also assesses competence, of underwater divers.
Depending on the jurisdiction, there will generally be specific published codes of practice and guidelines for training, competence and registration of diving instructors, as they have a duty of care to their clients, and operate in an environment with intrinsic hazards which may be unfamiliar to the lay person.
Military diving instructors are generally members of the armed force for which they train personnel.
A diving instructor trains and assesses the competence of persons who intend to become underwater divers.
Technological advances have made it possible for scientific divers to accomplish more on a dive, but they have also increased the complexity and the task loading of both the diving equipment and the work done, and consequently require higher levels of training and preparation to safely and effectively use this technology.
It is preferable for effective learning and safety that such specialisation training is done systematically and under controlled conditions, rather than on site and on the job.
Instructors of professional divers are generally required to be qualified as supervisors for the level of diver they can train, and may also be required to have some qualification in adult education as facilitators, assessors or moderators, and to be registered with a governing body.
[2][13] The minimum requirement for registration as a commercial diving instructor include registration and practical experience as a Diving Supervisor of the same class and certification or equivalent work experience as a training facilitator in adult education.
Similar requirements apply to registration as surface supplied air, mixed gas, and saturation diving instructors.
These are set by the certification agencies to which they are affiliated, and may also be specifically or generally regulated by health and safety legislation.
Minimum requirements to attend a recreational diving instructor training programme vary between certification agencies.
[19] ISO publishes standards for recreational diving instructors, specifying minimum required experience and competency of scuba instructors, and relevant requirements for safety practices for recreational scuba diving service providers.
ISO 24802-1:2014 Recreational diving services – Requirements for the training of scuba instructors – Part 1: Level 1, and ISO 24802-2:2014 Recreational diving services – Requirements for the training of scuba instructors – Part 2: Level 2 refer to the competence required of a recreational scuba instructor and specify the associated evaluation criteria.
It is a required milestone before application for membership of the SSI Product Review Committee and for admission to an Instructor Trainer program.
[27] EUF Certification International is an independent body for global verification of rebreather training agencies based in Europe and associated with the Austrian Standards organisation.
This duty of care is usually limited as far as legally possibly by waivers signed by the learner diver.
[27] Professional diving schools generally employ instructors specifically as members of the teaching staff.
They may also be self-employed, or train club members on a volunteer basis, for which they may be fully or partly remunerated.
Diving certification is normally performance based, if the person cannot learn and perform the skills to the required standard, and there are people who cannot reach the required standard in a reasonable time, it will be necessary to fail them for their own safety and the safety on others who may dive with them.
