TU Bergakademie Freiberg is the world's first certified educational institution according to ISO 8804-1/2
ISO Scientific Diving
After a process lasting approximately 2.5 years, 169 ISO member countries have agreed on an internationally recognized standard for the training of scientific divers. As the representative for Germany on the ISO committee, Prof. Fieback, Scientific Director of the SDC Freiberg, was actively involved in the standardization process. Such an internationally binding standard greatly facilitates cooperation and the exchange of scientific divers, as the certificates obtained are recognized worldwide. This benefits all research institutions internationally and, of course, students at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, as TUBAF is the first training center in the world to be allowed to award the certified completion of training in accordance with the ISO standard as part of their studies.
Competencies according to ISO 8804
Scientific Diver 8804-1
- participation in scientific diving activities within the limits of the respective diving qualification
Advanced Scientific Diver 8804-2
- planning of scientific dives
- leading scientific dives under the supervision of a project manager according to ISO8804-3
- coordinating your own team with other teams
- conducting repetitive dives and dives under difficult environmental conditions
Scientific Diving Project Leader 8804-3
must have sufficient knowledge and skills in relation to the following key areas:
- planning and management of scientific diving projects
- experimental setup
- execution
- documentation
- coordination of diving operations in remote locations
- coordination of several diving teams
- ship operation during scientific diving missions
- competencies for the evaluation and determination of sampling qualities
Inhalt nach ISO
Prerequisites
- valid diving fitness examination
- existing diving competence according to ISO 24801-2 and ISO 24801-3 9.3; 9.4; 9.5
Theoretical knowledge
- scientific ethics and general protocols
- general diving knowledge
- risk assessment
- generic methods
- scientific underwater procedures
- survey techniques
- diving environment / conditions
- navigation techniques
Practical skills
Basic knowledge of
- surveying techniques
- sampling techniques
- data acquisition/recording
Qualifications
- passed examination of theoretical and practical knowledge
- completion of at least 10 wiss. dives with at least 300 logged dive minutes
Prerequisites
- valid diving fitness examination
- existing diving competence according to ISO 24801-2 and ISO 24801-3 9.3; 9.4; 9.5
- proof of competence according to ISO 8804-1
- relevant scient. Qualification / experience in the field of scient. Methods
Theoretical knowledge
- theoretical diving knowledge
- risk assessment of scient. dives
- legal aspects
- generic methods
- scientific UW procedures
- experimental design
- planning of scient. dives
- team management
Practical skills
Carry out and plan work:
- search / survey / recording / sampling procedures
- rope work and transects
- underwater navigation
- line communication
- diving with a full face mask
- documentation procedures
Guiding and coordinating:
- surveying procedures
- sampling procedures
- data collection/recording
Medical training
- first aid incl. cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- training in the administration of emergency oxygen
Qualifications
- passed examination of theoretical and practical knowledge
- participation in at least one scientific diving project including individual project documentation
- completion of at least 10 scientific dives dives
- proof of 70 dives in open water
Prerequisites:
- valid diving fitness examination
- proof of competence according to ISO 8804-1 and 8804-2
- participation in at least two separate scientific diving projects
- relevant scient. Qualification and experience in the field of scient. Methods incl. active participation in the training
Theoretical knowledge
- experimental design
- risk assessment of scient. Dives
- extensive knowledge of generic procedures
- planning of scientific dives
- team management
- legal aspect
Practical skills
Coordinate and supervise multiple teams:
- search / survey / recording / sampling procedures
- rope work and transects
- underwater navigation
- line communication
- data collection and documentation
Medical training
- first aid incl. cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- training in the administration of emergency oxygen
Qualifications
- participation in theoretical and practical training
- passed theoretical and practical knowledge test
- proof of at least 20 scientific dives as a trainee project manager according to ISO 8804-3
- participation in at least one scientific diving project as project leader and at least two different diving excursions including extensive project documentation
- proof of over 100 dives, including at least 50 scientific dives dives
Certification
Certification is carried out by an accredited testing facility in accordance with Certification Scheme S 21.2 “Scientific Diver Training System”. This involves a multi-stage process with a comprehensive content and document review, as well as a review of the practical training (work shadowing). Initial certification is valid for 2 years and after recertification the validity period is extended to 5 years. This guarantees continuous quality control and optimization according to the latest training findings.
From ISO to DIN EN ISO
After the ISO standards were created and published, they were adopted identically in a european standard EN ISO. The national DIN committee then translated the ISO standard into German and transferred the same content to the German standards, which were published as DIN EN ISO 8804-1/2/3 in 2024.
Here you will find our official ISO certificate for the ISO 8804-1 and ISO 8804-2 standards:
Historical development of the SDC Freiberg
- 1992 Diving as part of the university sports program
- 1996 Lecture Aquatic Ecosystems
- 2001 Foundation of the CMAS Scientific Diving Center Freiberg
- training according to international CMAS standard as
- Citizen Science Diver
- Scientific Diver
- Advanced Scientific Diver
- Scientific Diving Instructor
- training according to international CMAS standard as
- 2024 Certification of the training of the SDC Freiberg
- according to ISO 8804-1
- according to ISO 8804-2