- Messages
- 22,171
- Reaction score
- 2,790
- # of dives
- 5000 - ∞
Report excerpts from the DSO Training Summit:
AAUS Diving Officer Competency Profile
Description of Work: The AAUS Diving Officer is a position that executes a research protocol in accordance with input from scientists or members of the mission team. This position provides the principal technical expertise and assistance on a wide range of disciplines necessary to conduct advanced underwater research or academic investigations safely and efficiently and to assist scientists in accomplishing specific research goals and objectives. Responsibilities involve operation and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation used in support of diving and in support of the underwater projects. Responsibilities may include assisting in training activities necessary to the project, as well as communication with scientists and administrators.
Competency Definition
Knowledge Professional Knowledge of: underwater scientific diving methods and techniques; scientific and technical methods used to conduct research or accomplish various mission objectives; related technology, instruments and equipment; safe scientific diving procedures, practices and standards; scientific diving history; and relevant health and safety regulations.
Professional Skills
Ability and skill necessary to: perform a variety of underwater tasks under adverse/difficult conditions; perform demonstration quality skills for training/instructional purposes; manage quality assurance/quality compliance issues with institutional diving policy; manage personnel; and understand risk management and exposure mitigation processes.
Planning and Organizing Work
Ability to serve as working diver, lead diver, dive supervisor, and/or mission coordinator during air, mixed gas, decompression, and/or saturation research diving operations involving a variety of diving technologies as appropriate for the organization. Ability to establish and maintain various record keeping systems.
Communication
Ability to communicate with scientists, academic administrators, mission team members, vendors and the general public. Ability to complete appropriate documentation, logs, inventory and reports.
Facility Management
Ability to provide oversight of technical programs and administrative activities of dive lockers, ancillary equipment, and facilities. Ability to coordinate and manage facilities, equipment, supplies, and related resources in compliance with health and safety regulations to maintain a safe working environment.
Equipment-Operation and Maintenance
Knowledge and capability to ensure the adherence to appropriate procedures for using and maintaining equipment or technical instruments associated with scientific diving operations to meet industry standards in a safe, efficient and effective manner.
Training/Instruction
Ability to instruct and train staff, students, scientists and other personnel in diving procedures, equipment use and equipment maintenance appropriately for the trainee's qualifications and professional needs.
Minimum Qualifications
College degree or equivalency and documented progressive managerial experience. Minimum of 200 logged dives of which at least 50 are scientific dives. Three years of lead diver experience recommended. Must be an active/current scientific diver.
The next set of recommendations addresses establishing a mechanism to certify that a scientific diver currently holding an internationally recognized scuba instructor certification is qualified to serve as a DSO of an AAUS organizational member.
To fulfill this goal the summit committee returned the following recommendations and course outlines:
"We propose that, upon BOD acceptance of the standards, all existing DSOs be encouraged to participate in the two-day certification course, offered regionally by the authorized examiners, or as a workshop preceding the annual symposium. The board can consider incentives for those who complete the training early, or penalties, including loss of OM status, for those who choose not to participate."
Introduction to Course
Oral Presentation, (5 min/5 slide maximum)
DSO Diving Biography
DCB Make-up
Major Research Highlights (discretionary)
Program Statistics - course offerings, number of divers, number of annual dives
Diving Safety Officer Orientation (based upon AAUS Manual and Bylaws and New DSO Orientation presentation associated with Annual AAUS Symposium)
DSO Exam Review
As a skin diver, swim 900 yd (823 m) nonstop within 18 minutes (may be performed in a pool or open water).
Pool/Confined Water Teaching and Problem Solving Session
Set up/Suit up & Briefing
Demonstration/Evaluation of:
Three scuba skills, examples include those listed in Section 4.20 (Practical Training) of the AAUS Standards for Scientific Diving. Candidates will be expected to teach and evaluate requested skills.
Problem Solving/Remediation Exercise
Debriefing
Discussion
Open Water Session
Set up/Suit up & Briefing
Open water rescues, 30 min per rescue. Rescue exercise to include:
Scene survey
Diver contact
Ditch unconscious diver's weightbelt
Surface unconscious diver
Establish buoyancy for both unconscious diver and rescuer
Call for help
Establish airway
Tow ditch gear, artificial resuscitation (2 breaths every 10 s)
Assisted extraction
ABCs/EMS
Debriefing
Course Evaluation
"We propose that all new DSOs be required to complete the three day certification program within one year of being hired."
"We propose that all new OMs must have their DSO certified within one year of acceptance to AAUS."
OVERVIEW
The Diving Safety Officer Certification Course (DSOCC) is designed to qualify a recreational scuba instructor either currently acting as an AAUS Organizational Member (OM), Diving Safety Officer (DSO), or any new or prospective DSO hire from an AAUS OM in good standing or an AAUS OM applicant, to the level necessary for the individual to be authorized as a DSO by the Diving Control Board (DCB) of an AAUS Organizational Member (OM). Candidates will be evaluated on their ability to teach scientific diving in compliance with AAUS Volume 1 Standards and receive orientation regarding the organization, administration, and management of scientific diving programs.
During a DSOCC, candidate performance shall be evaluated by at least two qualified evaluators. The DSOCC can be conducted in many formats, ranging in length from two days to an internship over an extended period.
PREREQUISITES FOR ENTERING THE COURSE
Candidate is sponsored by an AAUS OM in good standing or an OM Applicant;
Candidate is a current AAUS Scientific Diver;
Candidate has a minimum of 200 dives with at least 50 science dives (three years experience as a lead diver is recommended); and
Candidate has a current/renewed Scuba Instructor status from an internationally recognized certification agency.
Equipment. Candidates must provide their own instructor-level equipment suitable for teaching in open water.
COURSE POLICIES
Ratios. A full-time staff member is one who is available to candidates throughout the course and participates continuously in evaluations for the record. The minimum staff for this course is two, with a student to evaluator ratio not to exceed 4:1.
Hours. Academic- 14 hours estimated. Water- 12 hours estimated.
Open Water Dives. One open water dive plus an open water rescue is required.
SKILL REQUIREMENTS
Candidates are to demonstrate satisfactory knowledge, skills, fitness and attitude to teach scientific diving in accordance with AAUS standards.
Oral Presentations. Present an introductory presentation and at least one other graded classroom presentation.
The following skill requirements must be satisfactorily accomplished by the completion of the DSOCC for the candidate to qualify for DSO certification:
Demonstration Quality Skills:
As a skin diver, swim 900 yd (823 m) nonstop within 18 minutes (may be performed in a pool or open water).
While maintaining neutral buoyancy demonstrate air sharing, mask removal and replacement, and equipment doff and don.
In-Water Presentations. Present at least three, graded in-water presentations:
One graded confined water teaching presentation.
Two graded open water training presentations
Rescue Skills. Demonstrate a rescue of a submerged unresponsive scuba diver.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
New DSO Orientation Module
Risk Management Module
Program Management Module
Written Exam Review
Thoughts?
AAUS Diving Officer Competency Profile
Description of Work: The AAUS Diving Officer is a position that executes a research protocol in accordance with input from scientists or members of the mission team. This position provides the principal technical expertise and assistance on a wide range of disciplines necessary to conduct advanced underwater research or academic investigations safely and efficiently and to assist scientists in accomplishing specific research goals and objectives. Responsibilities involve operation and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation used in support of diving and in support of the underwater projects. Responsibilities may include assisting in training activities necessary to the project, as well as communication with scientists and administrators.
Competency Definition
Knowledge Professional Knowledge of: underwater scientific diving methods and techniques; scientific and technical methods used to conduct research or accomplish various mission objectives; related technology, instruments and equipment; safe scientific diving procedures, practices and standards; scientific diving history; and relevant health and safety regulations.
Professional Skills
Ability and skill necessary to: perform a variety of underwater tasks under adverse/difficult conditions; perform demonstration quality skills for training/instructional purposes; manage quality assurance/quality compliance issues with institutional diving policy; manage personnel; and understand risk management and exposure mitigation processes.
Planning and Organizing Work
Ability to serve as working diver, lead diver, dive supervisor, and/or mission coordinator during air, mixed gas, decompression, and/or saturation research diving operations involving a variety of diving technologies as appropriate for the organization. Ability to establish and maintain various record keeping systems.
Communication
Ability to communicate with scientists, academic administrators, mission team members, vendors and the general public. Ability to complete appropriate documentation, logs, inventory and reports.
Facility Management
Ability to provide oversight of technical programs and administrative activities of dive lockers, ancillary equipment, and facilities. Ability to coordinate and manage facilities, equipment, supplies, and related resources in compliance with health and safety regulations to maintain a safe working environment.
Equipment-Operation and Maintenance
Knowledge and capability to ensure the adherence to appropriate procedures for using and maintaining equipment or technical instruments associated with scientific diving operations to meet industry standards in a safe, efficient and effective manner.
Training/Instruction
Ability to instruct and train staff, students, scientists and other personnel in diving procedures, equipment use and equipment maintenance appropriately for the trainee's qualifications and professional needs.
Minimum Qualifications
College degree or equivalency and documented progressive managerial experience. Minimum of 200 logged dives of which at least 50 are scientific dives. Three years of lead diver experience recommended. Must be an active/current scientific diver.
The next set of recommendations addresses establishing a mechanism to certify that a scientific diver currently holding an internationally recognized scuba instructor certification is qualified to serve as a DSO of an AAUS organizational member.
To fulfill this goal the summit committee returned the following recommendations and course outlines:
"We propose that, upon BOD acceptance of the standards, all existing DSOs be encouraged to participate in the two-day certification course, offered regionally by the authorized examiners, or as a workshop preceding the annual symposium. The board can consider incentives for those who complete the training early, or penalties, including loss of OM status, for those who choose not to participate."
DSO Certification Course outline for Existing DSOs
(Estimated to be conducted over a two-day period)
Introduction to Course
Oral Presentation, (5 min/5 slide maximum)
DSO Diving Biography
DCB Make-up
Major Research Highlights (discretionary)
Program Statistics - course offerings, number of divers, number of annual dives
Diving Safety Officer Orientation (based upon AAUS Manual and Bylaws and New DSO Orientation presentation associated with Annual AAUS Symposium)
DSO Exam Review
As a skin diver, swim 900 yd (823 m) nonstop within 18 minutes (may be performed in a pool or open water).
Pool/Confined Water Teaching and Problem Solving Session
Set up/Suit up & Briefing
Demonstration/Evaluation of:
Three scuba skills, examples include those listed in Section 4.20 (Practical Training) of the AAUS Standards for Scientific Diving. Candidates will be expected to teach and evaluate requested skills.
Problem Solving/Remediation Exercise
Debriefing
Discussion
Open Water Session
Set up/Suit up & Briefing
Open water rescues, 30 min per rescue. Rescue exercise to include:
Scene survey
Diver contact
Ditch unconscious diver's weightbelt
Surface unconscious diver
Establish buoyancy for both unconscious diver and rescuer
Call for help
Establish airway
Tow ditch gear, artificial resuscitation (2 breaths every 10 s)
Assisted extraction
ABCs/EMS
Debriefing
Course Evaluation
"We propose that all new DSOs be required to complete the three day certification program within one year of being hired."
"We propose that all new OMs must have their DSO certified within one year of acceptance to AAUS."
AAUS Diving Safety Officer Certification Course for New DSOs
OVERVIEW
The Diving Safety Officer Certification Course (DSOCC) is designed to qualify a recreational scuba instructor either currently acting as an AAUS Organizational Member (OM), Diving Safety Officer (DSO), or any new or prospective DSO hire from an AAUS OM in good standing or an AAUS OM applicant, to the level necessary for the individual to be authorized as a DSO by the Diving Control Board (DCB) of an AAUS Organizational Member (OM). Candidates will be evaluated on their ability to teach scientific diving in compliance with AAUS Volume 1 Standards and receive orientation regarding the organization, administration, and management of scientific diving programs.
During a DSOCC, candidate performance shall be evaluated by at least two qualified evaluators. The DSOCC can be conducted in many formats, ranging in length from two days to an internship over an extended period.
PREREQUISITES FOR ENTERING THE COURSE
Candidate is sponsored by an AAUS OM in good standing or an OM Applicant;
Candidate is a current AAUS Scientific Diver;
Candidate has a minimum of 200 dives with at least 50 science dives (three years experience as a lead diver is recommended); and
Candidate has a current/renewed Scuba Instructor status from an internationally recognized certification agency.
Equipment. Candidates must provide their own instructor-level equipment suitable for teaching in open water.
COURSE POLICIES
Ratios. A full-time staff member is one who is available to candidates throughout the course and participates continuously in evaluations for the record. The minimum staff for this course is two, with a student to evaluator ratio not to exceed 4:1.
Hours. Academic- 14 hours estimated. Water- 12 hours estimated.
Open Water Dives. One open water dive plus an open water rescue is required.
SKILL REQUIREMENTS
Candidates are to demonstrate satisfactory knowledge, skills, fitness and attitude to teach scientific diving in accordance with AAUS standards.
Oral Presentations. Present an introductory presentation and at least one other graded classroom presentation.
The following skill requirements must be satisfactorily accomplished by the completion of the DSOCC for the candidate to qualify for DSO certification:
Demonstration Quality Skills:
As a skin diver, swim 900 yd (823 m) nonstop within 18 minutes (may be performed in a pool or open water).
While maintaining neutral buoyancy demonstrate air sharing, mask removal and replacement, and equipment doff and don.
In-Water Presentations. Present at least three, graded in-water presentations:
One graded confined water teaching presentation.
Two graded open water training presentations
Rescue Skills. Demonstrate a rescue of a submerged unresponsive scuba diver.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
New DSO Orientation Module
Risk Management Module
Program Management Module
Written Exam Review
Thoughts?