Safety and craft training for employees continues to be a real challenge for all diving companies. In the safety arena all diving contractors are somewhat equal. Whether you are a very large contractor or a one-man show there is a driving industry need for documented and verified safety training. Regardless of size or income, we all have to train.

The cost of training employees is also a burden that we all have in common. In most cases I believe that companies are either training their divers, or ignoring it altogether. There are a few in the middle who train a little or are only training on certain safety areas or interests.

The truth is that every contractor needs to establish and maintain a training program. The program needs to be real, and it needs to be well-documented. Our company wanted a means of tracking the training and also to be capable of recognizing the employees for their training milestones. We established an Apprenticeship Training Program for commercial diving that is recognized by the Department of Labor and the Florida Department of Education. The program lasts 30 months and features 5,000 hours of classroom and on-the-job training. We currently have employees enrolled in the program, in various levels of completion.

It should be noted that we also hire commercial divers from diving schools in the US and put these employees right into the program. The graduate of a commercial diving school gets full credit for his diving school training and is inserted directly into the program, where they would expect to breakout in about 18 months. The process is similar to the way a diver is employed in the Gulf of Mexico, beginning as a tender right out of school and working toward becoming a diver.

The difference is the documentation. In our program, the Diver-Apprentice has a documented career path to follow and is given practical assessments and written examinations. As they complete the training and progress, their training record is annotated.

The company is a member of the Safety Council and takes advantage of their training programs, which provide documentation and quality training for the employees. We have a database on training and employee skills that is accessible by all of our customers through a National Registry. As employees meet new milestones in training, their credentials are immediately updated in the National Registry. Through an independent process of validation, the training and credentials are verified and posted.

It is important to note that safety and craft training represents an investment into the capabilities of your employees. These capabilities are the "property" of those employees, and they will take those capabilities with them when they leave your company. Many credentials, like welding or NDE, remain with the former employer, and the employee would be re-tested at his new employer. To gauge the safety and craft abilities of divers, our company has developed and maintains a testing program consisting of a battery of examinations. These examinations are not used to qualify an applicant for employment - at the point they would be subjected to assessment examinations, they have already been offered a position. Rather, these assessments are used to gauge their knowledge of safety and craft skills.

With the examination results comes a confidence in capability and a true assessment of the level of knowledge and skill the potential employee offers, so they can be placed in training where needed.

These assessment examinations are proctored confidentially and meet specific guidance of security. The results are available only to the employee and our training staff. With a long list of safety and craft training requirements, it is rewarding to see the earned satisfaction on the face of those working their way through the program and knowing that they are well trained, proficient, and "safety-capable."

Bob Estes is the Vice President of Engineering for Stroud Diving & Hydrography where he has been employed for over 16 years. He is involved in the Safety and Craft Training Program, Operator Qualification Program, and is familiar with general commercial diver training. Bob is a retired Special Forces Operations & Intel specialist, married, and a father of four.

The Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE)
The Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE) was formed in 1974 to develop standardized diver training programs in the United States. It has since established minimum parameters for curriculum, hours of training, equipment requirements, safety standards, and standards of good teaching.

All five ACDE member schools - the College of Oceaneering, Divers Academy, Divers Institute of Technology, the Ocean Corporation, and Santa Barbara City College - are also members of the Association of Diving Contractors (ADC). In 1993, ACDE upgraded its minimum standards and published the document with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This assures graduates of all ACDE schools that training received has prepared them for entry-level work in the commercial diving industry.

To ensure the highest quality of education and training, ACDE has also accepted the responsibility of policing its member schools to confirm they all adhere to the high standards and regulations of the ADC, ACDE and ANSI. Diver training schools who do not meet or exceed these standards will have their membership revoked.

For more, visit www.diveweb.com/acde.

The Ocean Corporation
The Ocean Corporation, located in Houston, Texas, offers commercial diver, underwater welding, remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), and non-destructive testing (NDT) weld inspection training.

Ocean Corp. graduates have many career opportunities to choose from, including commercial diver, diver medic technician (DMT), NDT weld inspector, ROV technician, nuclear diver, nuclear plant inspector, underwater welder, and scuba Master Diver.

The Ocean Corporation is VA-approved and has an in-house financial aid department to help studnets find grants, loans and alternative funding options. For more, visit www.oceancorp.com.

The College of Oceaneering
The College of Oceaneering was established in 1967 as the Commercial Dive Center (CDC) at the Port of Los Angeles in Wilmington, California. In 1981, Oceaneering International purchased CDC and renamed it the College of Oceaneering. In 1995, the college was sold and purchased by two LA-area residents. Over the years, enrollment grew to over 350 students a year. In 2002, the College of Oceaneering was purchased by National University, the second largest private university in California, and converted to non-profit status. It is now a separate but affiliated entity under the new National University System.

Kevin Casey became the College of Oceaneering's fifth President in November 2002. The faculty of 16 of the nation's most highly regarded dive and medical instructors offer a time-tested education in the commercial diving field. Now in it's 35th year, the College of Oceaneering, in addition to training commercial divers, also offers instruction in hyperbaric medicine, training medical professionals in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

The College of Oceaneering is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the ACDE, and is an ADC Associate Member. Students at the College of Oceaneering can earn an Associate of Science degree in Marine Technology.

For more, visit www.coo.edu.

Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara City College's (SBCC) Marine Diving Technologies Program is recognized worldwide for its vocational excellence. SBCC pioneered formalized diver education with the Associate of Science Degree curriculum in 1968. It recieved the Exemplary Program Award in 1998 from the State of California Community Colleges chancellor's office, and is the only community college degree program in the nation that is accredited by the ACDE, the International Diving Schools Association (IDSA), and the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). SBCC is also an ADC Associate Member.

The program is open to all interested students for both diving and non-diving classes. Students can attend part-time or full-time in both diving and non-diving marine related classes.

Students who enroll in the Marine Diving Technologies Program have options to obtain an Associate in Science degree or certificate in marine technology. Industry-based certifications meeting the ANSI "Commercial Diver Training - Minimum Standard ANSI/ACDE-01-1998" and the IDSA standards are also available for the field of commercial diving.

The Associate in Science degree curriculum includes instruction in all phases of commercial diving, hyperbarics, bell/saturation diving, emergency medicine, boating, marine science and ROVs, to name but a few. Teamwork and safety are the prime emphases of the training.

For more, visit www.sbcc.edu/marinediving.

Divers Academy
Divers Academy International is based in Camden, New Jersey, and puts a premium on getting students trained and into the commercial work force in a minimal amount of time. Recognizing that education can be a personal, even family commitment, the school's program is designed to be completed in just five months to keep training time to a minimum without compromising the quality and depth of the training experience.

Divers Academy's full immersion training methodology provides students with the equivalent of an employer's most sought-after qualification: on-the-job experience. This is accomplished through open water and hands-on training covering all levels of learning. Real-world projects, pressures and deadlines are used to help acquire the in-demand skills for commercial diving. Their facility is designed as a safe yet realistic open water work-site environment so students not only gain technical skills, but also develop professional attributes attractive to employers.

Underwater welding is required as part of the ANSI/ACDE 1998-01 Commercial Divers Certification program. The Divers Academy International program meets these standards for this diverse and challenging career option. Underwater welding offers plentiful jobs and top salaries, offering a unique opportunity to work in a diversified environment of the oceans, rivers, and lakes of the world. Underwater welders perform installation and repairs on aging bridges, pipelines, nuclear power plants, and vessels to name a few.

For more, visit www.diversacademy.com.

Divers Institute of Technology
The Divers Institute of Technology (DIT), an ADC Associate Member, also holds the distinction of being the first US school certified by the Canadian Divers Certification Board, and is fully recognized by HSE. The school's graduates are able to work internationally, providing them with a wide range of opportunity of employment with excellent compensation. DIT exclusively trains in the natural environment - meaning its students learn to dive in the open water, whereas some schools do the bulk of their training in tanks. Since the students train like a commercial diver, it's easy for them to make the transition to a professional position once they enter the industry. Commercial dive companies look for this kind of advantage when they seek out potential candidates for employment.

The school features small classes so each student receives the attention they deserve. Their training programs are designed to test each student's abilities and resourcefulness to insure professional achievement.

When a DIT student reaches graduation, they will have made open-water qualifying dives to 165 feet (50m) using hot-water suits and surface decompression oxygen techniques off of the school's 65-foot diving vessel. The training includes both self-contained and surface-supplied gear. Students are taught to know their limits and the limits of their gear, adding a valuable layer of safety. Training includes underwater welding, cutting, NDT inspection techniques, and salvage.

DIT is located in Seattle, Washington, within close proximity to deepwater training sites, as well as inland facilities that include 32,400 square feet of dock with classrooms on the water, land-based facilities, a 65-foot diving vessel, and multiple submerged diving projects. There is more than 7,500 square feet of classroom and office space. From our dive vessel, we have access to dive training sites up down to 220 feet (67m) deep in fresh water lakes and Puget Sound.

DIT is certified by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, a commission listed by the US Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. For more information, visit www.diversinstitute.com.

Inland Commercial Diving Training Center
In 1959, William Matthies founded the Brainerd Skindiving Supply Company in central Minnesota. The intended retail company soon became a commercial diving company. At that time there were no commercial diving companies in that part of Minnesota.

In the mid 1960s, the name was changed to the Minnesota School of Diving. By 1989, the demand for commercial diving in the region was so great, the company spun off the Underwater Commercial Diver Corporation to handle those types of jobs.

While running the dive contracting portion of the business, the difficulties encountered trying to employ qualified divers caused Matthies to look into creating a diver training center. With a staff boasting excellent qualifications in the fields of education and diving, he formed the Inland Commercial Diver Training Center (ICDTC) as a subdivision of the Underwater Commercial Divers Corporation.

The staff is strong. Matthies has a Masters degree in mathematics and holds a lifetime teaching certificate in the State of Minnesota. He taught school and worked as a commercial diver for over 34 years. Bill's wife, Evelyn, has a Masters degree in education and spent 30 years as a professor at the Central Lakes College.

Mark Owens, Director of Operations for both corporations, graduated at the top of his class at the College of Oceaneering, working up and down the West Coast as a diver and supervisor for 18 years.

Kent Honnold is the Director of Education. He also graduated tops in his class at the College of Oceaneering, and then attended the commercial diving school at Fort Bovisand, England, earning the European HSE diver certification. "Next, we took a close look at all of the other diving schools before setting our guidelines," said Matthies. "It was clear to us that the other major schools have been successful for many years and have good programs. However, there were a few areas we felt could be changed without altering the quality of education."

To receive a Diver/Tender certification, ADC requires that each candidate receive a minimum of 317 hours of training. Most diver schools have a program that lasts five to six months. "We felt that time frame could be condensed," said Matthies. "Our students attend class 10 hours a day, six days a week, for six weeks, which gives them 360 hours of training. Because of our condensed time frame, our students are on the job nearly five months sooner. For this reason, many engineers choose to attend our school."

The tuition at ICDTC is $4,950. Classes are limited to six students, with everyone rotating through all of the positions on a dive team every day during the diving exercises.

Bill's wife, Evelyn, was instrumental in getting all ICDTC courses approved by the Minnesota State College and University Association. That prompted the Central Lakes College in Brainerd to accept their courses for college credit. In 1998 the school was accepted as an Associate Member of ADC, after an inspection of the facilities, curriculum, and staff.

ICDTC is the only commercial diving school located in the center of the US, thus the word "Inland" in the name. The Mississippi River runs through the center of town and is a great training area for the students. Ten miles north is the abandoned Cuyuna Iron Range, consisting of 27 water-filled, open pit mines with visibility ranging from 30 to more than 80 feet, and depths down to 525 feet (159m). There are dozens of other rivers and hundreds of lakes within a 50-mile radius. (Remember, this is Minnesota, "The Land of 10,000 Lakes").

Financial aid is available to students who register for the course through the Central Lakes College. "We feel that our tuition is low enough for most people to find a way to attend without getting financial aid from us," said Matthies. Even though the facility has 27,000 square feet of space, they do not offer student housing on the premises. The nearby Brainerd Lakes Motel offers a special pricing for ICDTC students. Visit www.mindiving.com.

Florida State University's Academic Diving Program
The mission of the Florida State University Academic Diving Program (FSU ADP) is to support excellence in underwater research through the use of diving technology, and to promote the academic experience of Florida State students through diving education. The Academic Diving Program also provides training and safety oversight for diving conducted under the auspices of the university.

Formed in 1975, the ADP maintains a full-time staff of four, with additional part-time staff throughout the semester. The ADP provides training, equipment, and experience in support of seven different programs of instruction, as well as any research diving conducted by FSU. The staff offers over 80 years of combined experience in military, scientific, commercial, and recreational diving instruction.

FSU's surface-supplied dive training program for scientific and public safety divers is based on the safety, procedures, and regulations of the commercial diving industry. The 40-hour surface supplied diving certificate course comprises four days of intense training sessions designed to support the operations of public safety dive teams and the scientific diving community. The course was designed to provide thorough training while keeping cost and time requirements as low as possible. This maximizes the number of divers exposed to the training opportunities.

The course also provides a platform for exposure to established commercial diving safety measures and regulatory requirements into the diving techniques of the scientists and public safety officers. A significant portion of the diving operations conducted within these communities are exempted from the constraints of the commercial diving regulations. These exemptions have the potential to lead to some confusion when organizations are conducting a variety of different types of diving operations. The exemptions for scientific and public safety diving have limited some groups' exposure to both the regulations and the techniques that allow teams to safely conduct operations in compliance with commercial diving standards. This training program informs and provides reference material for candidates in the techniques, history, and reasoning behind their establishment, allowing another available resource divers can tap.

ADP course curriculum includes regulatory compliance training including OSHA, DOT, and ADC diving regulations, advanced diving medicine, physiology and physics, and line-tended/surface-supplied diving searching utilizing the Kirby Morgan Superlite-17B and KMB-18. The training also offers certification as a Kirby Morgan Diving Systems International equipment inspection technician.

The training program is open to any interested divers with a minimum of advanced diver certification and training in first aid and CPR to the Red Cross standard or an equivalent.

The fall semester provides an exploration into the techniques of the underwater biologist. Students receive instruction on a variety of subjects including advanced diving and research techniques. Students also receive classroom instruction, confined water training, and open water research training working towards certification as a FSU / AAUS scientific diver.

The spring semester offers students the opportunity to learn more advanced diving techniques including advanced scuba, full-face mask, and surface-supplied hardhat diving. Future underwater archeologists learn site selection, research methodology, data collection, positioning, and artifact care. For more information, visit www.adp.fsu.edu.

Saturation Training at Commercial Diving School
One of the most challenging courses in the underwater industry involves saturation diving training. An obstacle to learning saturation theory and practice is the mathematics involved - gas laws, physics, and the very long and boring decompression times required.

Commercial Diving School, Inc., in Jacksonville, Florida, has produced a saturation diving curriculum that includes all of the theory included in the typical diving school, coupled with practical application. Their saturation system trains divers in specialty courses, and is now used in the regular curriculum.

Students enrolled in the commercial diver course also get an opportunity to work in saturation, right there in the school's facility. For some students, it may be the start of a diving career path that would not become available to them for at least a few years due to breakout requirements. For others, it may be their only career opportunity to work in "sat" - only a very low percentage of divers in the industry ever get to do any sat work. For those, it is a chance of a lifetime.

The students first learn saturation theory and practice with model saturation diving profiles. They learn gas blending and partial pressure monitoring. For deep practice, the school has a test chamber rated to 4,100 feet (1,244m). Of course, this is well beyond the scope of manned diving but allows them to operate controls under pressure ranges of 200-600psi safely with a comfortable margin for safety. The smaller test chamber also reacts much faster to changes in atmospheric pressure or partial pressure.

The school's saturation system has a Class I bell and three DDCs with which to mate. "Students get to mate the bell to the DDC, transfer under pressure, and actually become saturated during a planned mission," said Commercial Dive School's Will Hux. "The object is not actually to saturate, but rather to teach the students the principals of saturation travel and decompression. The long table of stops and the short durations at each, over a 24 hour period, can be quite demanding. Student learn to drive the system as well as ride it."

The school recently acquired a Transfer Lock and a four-man sat chamber to add to the system. They operate a 26-week diving program and enroll four classes per year. Visit www.mescodive.com.

Commercial Diving Academy
Commercial Diving Academy (CDA) is located on Florida's St. Johns River, just miles from open ocean. Students divers train in 20-foot (6m) tanks with oversized glass viewing ports to facilitate visual instruction. Trainees then advance into the river to learn in a real-world environment with low visibility, strong tidal currents, and depths to 40 feet (12m).