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Utility Navigation

Diving Program

The NOAA Diving Program (NDP) establishes policies and prepares personnel to safely support underwater missions.

Training

Diving students inside a pool using dry suits.
Photo:
CAPT Richard Sanders/USCG
Click for download, licensing and other information i

NOAA Diver students learning to use dry suits. 

The NOAA Diving Program (NDP) provides training primarily to NOAA employees that are authorized by their supervisors to dive as part of their job description. However, NDP also welcomes federal, state, and local government employees into its courses as space permits. Classes are not open to the public.

NOAA diving courses are provided by highly qualified NOAA Diving Center instructors with decades of combined experience in commercial, recreational, military, and scientific diving and teaching. They are dedicated to teaching basic and advanced skills with a step by step approach emphasizing safety, consistency, and efficiency. The NOAA Diving Center provides training in basic and advanced diving, working and scientific techniques, as well as in diving medicine and first aid. 

Training is provided by the NOAA Diving Center (NDC) various locations:

Core Training

NOAA Diver Training is primarily taught in Seattle, Washington at the NOAA Diving Center during May and September, and in Florida in January. All courses include some weekends. To find out when the classes are scheduled to take place, please visit our calendar.

Note:There are no fees associated with these classes for NOAA employees. All other government agencies should contact the NOAA Diving Center (support.ndc@noaa.gov) for exact prices. 

Diving and Leadership Skills
CourseDuration

NOAA Diver Module 1: Fundamentals of NOAA Diving

2 weeks

NOAA Diver Module 2: NOAA Diver Refresher

1 week

NOAA Diver Module 3: Practical Applications for Scientific and Working Dives

1 week

NOAA Diver Modules 1-3

3 weeks

NOAA Divemaster

2 weeks

Tethered Communications

1 week
Diving Medicine
CourseDuration

First Aid, CPR, AED, and Oxygen Administration

varies

Diving Medical Technician

1 week

DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers Instructor

1 day
Non-NOAA Agencies: Please contact NDC or email: support.ndc@noaa.gov for current course pricing.
NOAA Employees: NDC is mission funded to provide training to NOAA students, there is currently no charge.

Pick up truck full of closed circuit rebreather bottles.
Photo:
Greg McFall/NOAA
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Bottles used for a hypoxic diluent class for closed circuit rebreathers (CCR) at the NOAA Inouye Regional Center in Honolulu, HI.

Field training

NOAA Diving Center Instructors provide ad hoc instruction to divers in the field as needed. Past training has included tethered communications, introduction to hyperbaric stretchers, and diving refreshers. NOAA Unit Diving Supervisors should contact the NOAA Diving Center to discuss any particular needs.

In addition, a select group of Unit Diving Supervisors and advanced divers have received instruction from the NOAA Diving Center to provide training to currently certified divers who are not yet familiar with diving procedures at NOAA. Completion of this field training with a NOAA Diving Trainer allows the candidate to become a NOAA Diver.

This particular type of training is arranged through the diver’s Unit Diving Supervisor.

Current NOAA Diving Trainers

Diving students practice their rescue skills from a small boat.
Photo:
Greg McFall/NOAA
Click for download, licensing and other information i

NOAA  Diver students practice their rescue skills from a small boat. 

Refreshers

NOAA Divers must complete and pass annual refreshers in order to maintain their NOAA Diver certification current. In addition, CPR and first aid certification must be renewed either annually or every two years, depending on the certification received.

We are currently revamping the online refreshers and will soon have a suite of new and improved materials. If there is no link provided for the course you wish to take in the list below, contact your Unit Diving Supervisor (UDS) to receive digital training materials or schedule classroom training. If you do not complete the course in the Commerce Learning Center (CLC), you should send a copy of the final slide indicating a passing score to support.NDC@noaa.gov.

NOAA Divers

All NOAA Divers are required to take the following annual courses:

  • NOAA Diving Standards, Policies, and Procedures
  • NOAA No-decompression Tables for Multiple Air Dives
  • Rescue Techniques
  • Recognition and Treatment of Diving Accidents and Injuries
  • Oxygen Administration (this link will take you to the Commerce Learning Center (CLC) course page)

NOAA Divemasters

In addition to the courses listed above, all NOAA Divemasters must complete annual training on the following subjects:

  • Field Neurological Examination
  • Diving Accident Management

You are here: https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/diving-program/diving/training
Reviewed: March 30, 2020. Contact us with page issues.

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