This course can be done after completing Class III. The 50 metre Commercial Air diver is the highest level of commercial air diving that a diver can take. This is the minimum qualification a diver needs to work offshore in the oil and gas industry, although a diver completing Class II still needs to spend 2 years doing what is called “civil” work. “Civil” work is working in the local harbours and at sea doing general diving work to gain extra water time and experience before applying for work in the offshore industry, after which the diver then again starts as a new inexperienced diver in the offshore oil and gas industry. To get a job in the offshore oil and gas industry is not that easy therefore a diver should have more than 2 years experience in “civils” in as many aspects as possible.

The qualification allows the diver to use hydraulic and pneumatic power tools; high pressure water jets; underwater welding and cutting; hand tools; thermic lances; explosive tools; air lifts; LP and HP compressors; operate deck decompression chambers; manage air quads; hot water suits; dry suits; surface decompression with oxygen; diving baskets and stages; wet bells type I and type II; do dives with over 20 minutes decompression; inspection and measurements; photography and CCTV inspection; explosive procedures underwater; surface supply diving control panels; underwater dredging; understanding of therapeutic decompression tables; principles of closed and semi-closed circuit breathing apparatus; operate a deck decompression chamber during surface decompression and therapeutic treatments; understand the permit to work systems, and much more.

Course details

1. Location: Durban South Africa, Training will be done in both fresh water and open sea conditions.
2. Duration: 12 weeks if starting at Scuba as a combo course
3. Alternatively: 4 weeks if the student has completed Class IV and Class III at PDC, or 6 weeks plus if completed elsewhere before coming to Professional Diving Centre

Pre-Requisites

• Have completed 30 metre Scuba course (for 4 weeks) and 30 metre Surface Supply course (for 4 weeks.) recognized by the IDRF or U.K H.S.E
• Have an in-date South African Commercial diving medical examination as per South African Diving Regulations.
• Have a valid diving first aid certificate. (Can be done on the course)
• Please check the course pre-requisite information form
• View Requirements for more info

Some Subjects Covered

• The physics of diving
• Diving physiology and first aid
• Diving medicine understanding therapeutic decompression tables and procedures
• Surface decompression procedures and omitted decompression procedures
• Diving emergencies
• Scuba and surface supply diving equipment demand and free flow
• Full face masks, band masks, and helmets
• Application of air decompression tables including decompression stops and procedures
• Diving equipment and maintenance
• Pre- and post dive checks
• Diving emergencies, rescues and diving hazards
• Wet bell diving using both type I and II wet bells
• Dive basket / stage diving
• DP Vessels and dive support vessels
• Hand signals, lifeline and voice communications
• Underwater surface supply tasks and work
• Surface supply diver, standby diver and attendant procedures
• Legislation and guidance
• Compression chamber checks and operations
• Low pressure (LP) and high pressure (HP) compressors and air quads
• Seamanship and surface supply from diving vessels providing LP. and HP. compressors & air quads
  onboard as well as deck decompression chamber
• Day and night diving
• Fresh water and open sea diving
• Hot water suit diving, dry suits and constant volume dry suits
• Hydraulic and pneumatic tools for class II diving
• Maintenance of underwater tools
• water jetting HP AND LP including a abbrasives.
• dredging
• airlifting
• lift bags
• underwater welding
• broco cutting
• searching and measurements
• Basic stills photography and cctv.
• Nitrox theory & SSDE diving for Nitrox if module selected
• There is so much more covered than what is listed above as well.
• Underwater Construction
• Underwater Flanges + Pipelines
• Introduction to NDT thickness meter and CP meter.
• Small inflatable boat handling.

Remember we do more than the minimum training on courses as the minimum reduces diving job opportunities and limits a divers career.