HGSAC - Ocean Diver

A diver who is competent to dive with another Ocean Diver or with a Sports Diver, within the restriction of conditions already encountered during training.

They can conduct dives with a Dive Leader (or higher) to expand their experience beyond conditions encountered during training, under the supervision of a Dive Marshal. Ocean Divers are initially restricted to the maximum depth experienced during training, but this can subsequently be extended progressively, under the supervision of a Nationally Qualified Instructor (NQI), to a maximum of 20m.

Ocean Divers will not have sufficient experience or knowledge to be partnered with trainee divers or to take part in stage decompression stop dives. Ocean Divers can only conduct dives where other suitably qualified divers, who can act as surface support, are present and the dive is properly Marshalled.

Open water diving should encompass experience of at least four of the following: shelving shore dive, steep shore dive , low (2-4m) visibility dive , drift (0.25-0.5kn) dive, small boat dive, large boat dive, wall dive, dive in protective clothing.

Lesson Type	Code	Name	Contents
Theory lessons	OT1	Ocean Diver Training	Introduction to Ocean diver, club structure, benefits of BSAC membership, aims of the course, further training.
	OT2	Diving equipment and diving signals	Air and water pressure, basic equipment , scuba equipment, cylinders and regulators, buoyancy compensators, basic signals.
	OT3	The body and effects of diving	Metabolism, respiration, circulation , air spaces, effects of pressure, sinuses, ears, temperature control, wet and dry suits, Archimedes principle, buoyancy, exhaustion.
	OT4	Planning to go diving	Dive planning, effects of nitrogen, nitrogen management, BSAC tables, No stop diving, surface intervals, flying and diving, dive computers, planning air requirements, air monitoring.
	OT5	Going diving	Buddy diving, organising dives, dive marshalling, SEEDs, buddy checks, dive entries & exits, dive flags, dive reviews, underwater pilotage, the senses underwater.
	OT6	What Happens If ....	Decompression illness, symptoms, nitrogen narcosis, lung damage, contaminated air supplies, the incident pit, , incident prevention and resolution, air sharing, rescues, controlled buoyant lifts.
	OT7	Enjoying your diving	Inland sites, water conditions, diving in the sea, shore diving, small boat diving, hard boat diving, reef conservation, wreck diving, night diving, diving holidays.
	Theory test	Multiple choice paper. (not difficult).
Pool Lessons	OS1	Being Underwater	Basic equipment (fins, mask, snorkel), scuba, finning, buoyancy, fin pivots, care of equipment.
	OS2	Basic Skills	Kitting up, buddy checks, swimming on the surface, clearing regulators and mask, using alternate air sources, ascending, descending.
	OS3	Developing skills	Stride entries, mask clearing, free flows, alternate air sources, buoyancy control.
	OS4	Beyond the basics	Backward roll entries, descending into deep water, mask clearing, finning without mask, forward rolls, ascents, forward roll entries, surface dives, small boat exits.
	OS5	Safety skills	Roll entries, use of alternate air source, towing, controlled buoyant lifts, ladder exits.
Open Water Dives	OO1	Open water dive 1	Max depth 6m - full kit up and buddy check, walk in entries, finning, buoyancy , regulator and partial mask clearing, weight checks.
	002	Open water dive 2	Max depth 10m - Alternate air sources, stuck inflator drills, buoyancy control, inversion recovery, regulator retrieval, mask clearing
	003	Open water dive 3	Max depth 15m - Deep water entry, vertical decent, buoyancy control, mask clearing, regulator retrieval, air sharing, vertical ascents, deep water exits.
	004	Open water dive 4	Max depth 20m - Rescue skills from 6m, controlled buoyant lifts, pilotage, buddy monitoring, air management.
	005	Open water dive 5	Max depth 20m - Practice dive planning and leading , buddy monitoring, air management. some rescue skills.

Instruction

All instruction is to be carried out or supervised by a Nationally Qualified Instructor, minimum Open Water Instructor. Other instructor requirements are as follows:

Ocean Diver Syllabus

Definition

Theory lessons

Pool Lessons

Open Water Dives

Instruction