This Standard contains requirements and performance specifications for professional diver training facilities and curricula. It also provides prerequisites for diver training candidates and for the consideration of prior learning for divers seeking upgrades or recognition of diving competency.

1 Scope

1.1 This Standard applies to occupational diver trainees, training organizations, instructors, and facilities. It describes the requirements for trainee assessment, instructor qualifications, and minimum equipment for each level of training.

This Standard also provides guidance on the auditing of diver training facilities and programs. Its purpose is to ensure that the competency levels specified in CAN/CSA-Z275.4 can be achieved within programs offered by accredited training facilities and that divers who successfully complete those programs can be considered competent at the level trained, in accordance with CAN/CSA-Z275.4.

1.2 This Standard addresses training for the following levels of competency: (a) restricted SCUBA diver (Clause 4); (b) unrestricted SCUBA diver (Clause 5); (c) SCUBA tender (Clause 6); (d) SCUBA supervisor (Clause 7); (e) restricted surface-supplied diver (Clause 8); (f) unrestricted surface-supplied diver (Clause 9); (g) surface-supplied mixed-gas diver (Clause 10); (h) surface-supplied tender (Clause 11); (i) surface-supplied mixed-gas tender (Clause 12); (j) restricted surface-supplied supervisor (Clause 13); (k) unrestricted surface-supplied supervisor (Clause 14); (l) surface-supplied mixed-gas supervisor (Clause 15); (m) bell diver (Clause 16); (n) bell diving tender (Clause 17); (o) bell diving supervisor (Clause 18); (p) atmospheric diving system (ADS) pilot (Clause 19); (q) ADS technician (Clause 20); (r) ADS supervisor (Clause 21); (s) hyperbaric chamber operator (Clause 22); (t) hyperbaric life-support technician (Clause 23); (u) diving medical technician (Clause 24); (v) offshore diving safety specialist (Clause 25); (w) diving and hyperbaric physician (Clause 26); (x) oxygen-enriched-air SCUBA diver (Clause 27); (y) oxygen-enriched-air surface-supplied diver (Clause 28); and (z) oxygen-enriched-air supervisor (Clause 29).

1.3 This Standard is designed to be applied to those students without prior educational or practical experience in a category of diving and its associated disciplines. Clause 3 provides requirements for assessing the prior learning and experience of individual divers and for determining the training required for these individuals to meet the competency requirements of CAN/CSA-Z275.4.

1.4 In CSA Standards, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the standard; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; "may" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the standard; and "can" is used to express possibility or capability.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material. Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements. Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.

1.5 The values given in SI (metric) units are the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.