Diving instructor

Instructor and learner divers practicing scuba skills in confined water

A diving instructor is a person who trains underwater divers. This includes free-divers, recreational divers including the subcategory technical divers, and professional divers which includes military, commercial, public safety and scientific 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.^[1]

Recreational diving instructors are usually registered members of one or more recreational diver certification agencies.

Military diving instructors are generally members of the armed force for which they train personnel.

Commercial diving instructors may be required to register with national government appointed organisations,^[2] but there may be other requirements in some parts of the world.

Function

A diving instructor trains and assesses the competence of persons who intend to become underwater divers. The instructor may use training standards and materials provided by the certifying organisation, or may develop suitable training standards, depending on the training system and authority involved. Most recreational training and certification agencies provide suitable training materials and require their registered instructors to train and assess using the materials provided.

Commercial diving schools may have a broader scope of options, and may be expected to develop and maintain their own training materials, which may be required to comply with a published training standard.^[2][3][4]

History

Recreational

In 1953, Jack Atkinson, the first National Diving Officer of the British Sub-Aqua Club, and Colin McLeod started a system of training and accreditation for Third Class, Second Class and First Class Divers, which was based on the three-tier system with which they were familiar, as used for divers in the UK armed forces. This programme was developed over the next six years culminating in the first BSAC Diving Manual, published in 1959. Oscar Gugen, one of BSAC's founders, and George Brookes travelled the UK helping to set up branches of BSAC, all of which used amateur instructors to deliver the BSAC training programme within the club setting.^[5]

In 1959, The YMCA developed the first nationally organised scuba diving course and certified their first skin and scuba diving instructors in the United States.^[6][7]

Training and registration

A diving instructor is as a rule required to be qualified as a diver to at least the same level as the divers to be trained. Additional requirements vary.

Professional

South African Department of Labour Class III Diving Instructor registration card

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. There is usually also a requirement for some experience in the industry before a diver can be trained as a supervisor, and similarly before a supervisor can become an instructor. The actual requirements vary depending on the jurisdiction.

In South Africa a commercial diving instructor is registered by the Department of Labour for the class of diving they are considered competent to instruct, and can only instruct learner commercial divers through a commercial diving school, also registered with the Department of Labour.^[2][8] 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.^{[9]:14, 25}

Minimum requirement for registration as a Class IV Commercial Scuba Instructor would be:

• Pass the practical and theory assessments and other requirements for Class IV Commercial Scuba Diver, including a minimum of 30 dives with a minimum logged time of 15 hours and apply for registration. This is usually a full-time course for about 20 working days.^[10]
• Have held Class IV Commercial Scuba Diver registration for a minimum of 1 year and 50 logged dives after qualification to qualify for Supervisor training.^[11]
• Hold in date Level 2 First Aid certification. This is usually a three-day full-time course including assessment.^[11]
• Hold in date topside or commercial diving certificate of medical fitness issued by a registered Diving Medical Practitioner and registered on the Southern African Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Association (SAUHMA) national database.^[11]
• Attend and pass the requirements of a Class IV Commercial Scuba Supervisor training programme, complete a minimum of 100 hours supervisory experience under the direct supervision of a registered supervisor, and apply for registration as a class IV supervisor.^[9][11] About 5 days theory. The practical usually takes several months to complete.
• Have held a Class IV Commercial Scuba Supervisor registration for a minimum of 3 years.^[9]
• Hold a certification as an adult education training facilitator to a recognised national unit standard, or equivalent qualification or experience. Minimum 2 days full-time.^[9]
• Recommendation from the registered commercial diving school at which they are employed.

Recreational

Recreational diving instructors may be subject to significantly less stringent requirements. 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. In the UK the Diving at Work Regulations specifically include training of recreational divers, while in the US and South Africa, the professional diving regulations specifically exclude recreational diving instruction.^[2][12]

Minimum requirements to attend a PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) are 6 months as a certified diver, Registration as a PADI Divemaster, with 60 logged dives, a medical statement that the applicant does not suffer from a disqualifying medical condition and recent participation in PADI Emergency First Response training. The IDC takes five to seven days, and comprises two parts, Assistant Instructor training and Open Water Scuba Instructor training. During the IDC the candidate will learn PADI Standards and Procedures, The PADI system of instruction, diver safety and risk management, The role of the diving instructor in the recreational diving industry, and marketing and sales counseling for recreational diving business. 100 logged dives are required before the applicant can take the two-day Instructor Examination.^[13]

Employment

Job satisfaction in the recreational diver training industry

In 1995, a study conducted on Queensland, Australia diving instructors showed that positive job satisfaction correlated with intention to remain in the dive industry and still active in their present job for the next 12 months.^[14] The same study also showed that wages were still a primary concern since it was first noted by Kessler in 1976.^[14][15]

See also

• Recreational diver training
• Frogman training

References