Scientific Diving Concepts and Safety Protocols

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Scientific diving is conducting research or collecting data underwater. It requires a higher level of proficiency than recreational diving, focusing on the research task and data collection while maintaining stringent safety standards.

Scientific diving emphasizes a high level of proficiency, allowing the diver to focus on research tasks, data collection, and handling specialized equipment while maintaining safety standards.

Scientific diving is achieved through a combination of knowledge and practice. Divers need to be well-trained and comfortable working in challenging field conditions.

The main focus of Scientific Diving is safety. Divers need to be trained to a high level of proficiency, allowing them to handle the demands of research and data collection safely.

Recreational diving focuses on leisure and enjoying the underwater experience, while Scientific diving involves a specific research mission and data collection.

To work efficiently, the diving itself should become automatic. Divers need to be well-trained and comfortable under demanding conditions, allowing them to focus on research tasks.

Scientific diving involves carrying extensive equipment, performing numerous tasks, and adhering to high safety standards simultaneously.

The ultimate goal of Scientific Diving is to use the underwater environment to answer scientific questions and advance our understanding.

The American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) is recognized by OSHA as the scientific diving standard setting organization.

HPU diving activities are governed by AAUS standards and the additional standards set forth by the HPU Dive Control Board (DCB) and HPU’s legal team.

OSHA has granted an exemption for scientific diving from commercial diving regulations.

The Diving Control Board consists of a majority of active scientific divers and has autonomous and absolute authority over the scientific diving program’s operation. The purpose of the project using scientific diving is the advancement of science; therefore, information and data resulting from the project are non-proprietary. The tasks of a scientific diver are those of an observer and data gatherer. Construction and trouble-shooting tasks traditionally associated with commercial diving are not included within scientific diving. Scientific divers, based on the nature of their activities, must use scientific expertise in studying the underwater environment and therefore, are scientists or scientists-in-training.

The Diving Safety Manual includes procedures covering all diving operations specific to the program; procedures for emergency care, including recompression and evacuation; and criteria for diver training and certification.

The Diving Control Board with the majority of its members being active divers, has the authority to: Approve and monitor diving projects; review and revise the diving safety manual; assure compliance with the manual; certify the depths to which a diver has been trained; take disciplinary action for unsafe practices; and, assure adherence to the buddy system (a diver is accompanied by and is in continuous contact with another diver in the water) for SCUBA diving.

A diver is accompanied by and is in continuous contact with another diver in the water.

The Scientific Diving Exemption allows scientists to conduct underwater research without having to follow all the strict regulations that apply to commercial divers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a US government agency established in 1970 to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for employees. It achieves this by setting and enforcing standards, providing training, promoting outreach, and offering education and assistance.

In 1977, OSHA implemented regulations for commercial diving operations, which applied whenever diving occurred in an employer-employee relationship.

AAUS argued that OSHA's commercial diving regulations were too restrictive and negatively impacted the scientific diving community. They pointed to the exemplary safety record of scientific diving, boasting lower incident rates than commercial diving, and highlighted the long-standing self-regulation and established standards within the field.

Scientific diving, defined by OSHA, refers to diving solely for scientific, research, or educational purposes. It's conducted by individuals whose primary job is research and excludes tasks typically associated with commercial diving, such as construction, demolition, welding, or explosives handling.

OSHA, in 1982, exempted scientific diving from stringent commercial diving regulations under certain conditions. This exemption ensures that scientific diving can occur without the strict requirements imposed on commercial diving operations.

After issuing an exemption in 1982, the finalized guidelines for the scientific diving exemption under OSHA regulations were put into effect in 1985.

The exemption allows scientific diving operations to proceed without needing to fully comply with the commercial diving standards, provided the specific requirements for scientific diving are met.

The buddy system ensures mutual assistance, especially during emergencies, like a regulator failure. This means staying close enough to react quickly and help your buddy.

While there's no fixed distance, divers need to stay close enough to visually check on each other and aid in emergencies. The safe distance can vary based on water conditions.

After a dive, buddies should stay together for at least 30 minutes, help each other with gear, discuss the dive, and ensure each other's well-being.

If a buddy needs to separate (like going to the restroom), they should temporarily swap buddies with another pair or stay within verbal contact distance.

Solo diving is not allowed under AAUS standards. All diving activities must be conducted with a buddy.

If a dive team member drops gear at the surface, the buddy team must retrieve it together, provided they have sufficient air and time.

Each dive must end with enough cylinder pressure to safely reach the surface, including decompression time, or an air source at the decompression station.

Buddy divers should stay close enough to maintain visual contact at all times, ensuring a swift response to an emergency.

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has its own diving standards that mostly follow AAUS (American Academy of Underwater Sciences) but require a slightly different medical evaluation.

UNOLS, the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System, strengthens the AAUS standards, especially for research dives conducted from vessels.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has additional, more specific standards for diving in polar environments, managed by their Polar Programs office.

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) allows for scientific diving under certain conditions, exempting it from strict commercial diving regulations.

Although AAUS standards are often preferred, scientific diving is possible even without AAUS membership, potentially following commercial diving standards instead.