Certification guide

Commercial diver certification: HSE, ADCI, DCBC, ADAS and what IMCA recognises

Commercial diver certification is issued by the national scheme of the country you dive in, not by one international body. HSE approves the qualifications in Great Britain, ADCI issues the industry cards in the United States, DCBC certifies in Canada and ADAS in Australia, and IMCA decides which of them it recognises for offshore work. Here is what each certificate lets you do, the medical you need, how long it lasts and how to move between schemes.

Every rule on this page names the body that sets it. Checked against the sources on 26 October 2026.

At a glance

Issued by: The scheme where you dive: HSE in Great Britain, ADCI in the US, DCBC in Canada, ADAS in Australia
Offshore abroad: IMCA recognises certificates from listed national authorities; it does not certify divers itself
Entry level: HSE SCUBA or Surface Supplied; ADCI Entry Level Tender/Diver after at least 625 hours of instruction
Depth: HSE SCUBA and Surface Supplied to 50 m; HSE Closed Bell has no depth limit
Medical: Every year; in the UK a certificate of at most 12 months from an HSE-approved examiner
Valid for: HSE qualifications indefinitely; ADCI, DCBC and ADAS certificates five years
Minimum age: 18 for UK offshore work, for ADCI tender/divers and under the Australian standard

What commercial diver certification is

There is no single international diver card. Each country with a regulated diving industry sets its own scheme, and a diver holds the certificate that the law or the industry body of that country accepts. In Great Britain the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 forbid anyone to dive in a diving project without an approved qualification valid for the work and a valid certificate of medical fitness to dive.

Recreational cards do not count. ADCI states that NAUI, PADI, YMCA, CMAS and other open water certificates are for recreational diving only and not acceptable under OSHA regulations or ADCI standards. HSE approves some recreational qualifications only for narrow classes of work, such as instructing under the recreational code of practice, scientific, media or shellfish diving.

Where offshore diving is not regulated by national law, ADAS notes that it generally follows the IMCA International Code of Practice for Offshore Diving, IMCA D014, and IMCA lists the national certificates it accepts under it.

Who issues commercial diver certificates
Country	Body	What it is	Certificates it issues
Great Britain	HSE	The regulator, approving qualifications under the Diving at Work Regulations 1997	HSE SCUBA, Surface Supplied, Surface Supplied Top-Up, Closed Bell
United States	ADCI	The industry association; OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart T sets the law	Entry Level Tender/Diver, Air, Mixed-Gas and Bell/Sat Diver, supervisor and LST cards
Canada	DCBC	A national certification board, to CSA Z275.4	Occupational SCUBA, Restricted and Unrestricted Surface Supplied, Mixed Gas, Closed Bell
Australia and New Zealand	ADAS	The national scheme, set up by the federal government	SCUBA to 30 m, SSBA to 30 m and 50 m, Closed Bell
Offshore, internationally	IMCA	The marine contractors association	None for divers; it recognises national certificates and certifies supervisors and LSTs

The four HSE diving qualifications

HSE issues four types of diving qualification, and you get one by attending a course at an HSE Diver Competence Assessment Organisation. SCUBA divers carry their gas in cylinders; surface supplied divers receive it through an umbilical from the surface. To dive offshore on surface supplied equipment a diver also needs the Surface Supplied Top-Up. Closed bell divers use mixed gas to work deeper than 50 metres and can spend up to 28 days living and working in a compression chamber complex, transferring to the work site in a diving bell.

To be eligible for Closed Bell a diver must have experience with surface supplied diving equipment and techniques; HSE leaves the exact prerequisites to the assessment organisations. A candidate who is refused a qualification can appeal within 28 days through the organisation's appeals procedure.

HSE qualifications and what each permits
Qualification	Breathing gas from	Class of diving	Depth limit
HSE SCUBA	Cylinders worn by the diver	Inland/inshore	50 m
HSE Surface Supplied	Umbilical from the surface	Inland/inshore	50 m
HSE Surface Supplied with Top-Up	Umbilical from the surface	Offshore, surface-orientated	50 m
HSE Closed Bell	Mixed gas, from a bell and saturation system	Offshore, closed bell and saturation	No limit

Offshore or inland/inshore diving in the UK

The approved list sorts diving into classes, and a qualification counts only for the classes it is listed under. Offshore needs an offshore qualification; inland/inshore accepts every offshore qualification plus HSE SCUBA and HSE Surface Supplied. The other classes are shellfish, scientific and archaeological, media, recreational, police, military and commercial acquaint diving.

Being on the list does not make a diver competent for every job in that class. The qualification has to match the work, the diving technique and any restriction written on the certificate, and the diving contractor decides who is competent for the project.

HSE classes of diving, List of Approved Diving Qualifications, 1 January 2026
Class	Covers	HSE qualification needed
Offshore	Outside UK territorial waters (about 12 nautical miles), at offshore installations and pipelines inside them, any closed bell or saturation diving, and any dive from a dynamically positioned vessel	Surface Supplied with Top-Up to 50 m, or Closed Bell
Inland/inshore	Civil engineering, marine projects and fish farming inside territorial waters and inland, in docks, harbours, rivers, lakes and tanks, to 50 m	SCUBA or Surface Supplied, or any offshore qualification
Shellfish	Diving for shellfish inshore and inland, unless for your own consumption	As listed in Schedule 3
Scientific, media, recreational	Research and archaeology, film and TV, instructing and guiding	Some recreational qualifications are accepted; no depth limit if suitably qualified

ADCI cards in the United States

In the US the law is OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart T, which covers diving in connection with all types of work, including construction, ship repair and longshoring, with exceptions such as instructional SCUBA and public safety diving. It requires every dive team member to have the experience or training for the assigned tasks, training in CPR and first aid, and, where exposed to hyperbaric conditions, training in diving physics and physiology.

ADCI turns that into a card ladder. Every applicant needs a commercial diver training certificate from an accredited school of at least 625 documented hours of formal instruction to ANSI/ACDE-01-2015 or a recognised equivalent, a high school diploma or equivalent, and an age of at least 18. Higher cards add logged field days and working dives, all within the 24 months before the card is issued, each with at least 20 minutes of bottom time.

Cards other than the entry-level card are valid five years. Divers at ADCI general member companies must hold a current card within 90 days of employment. ADCI states that OSHA treats an employer as meeting the federal diver training requirements for any diver with a valid ADCI card at the right level. Applications and renewals are made online through the Skill N Depth platform.

ADCI diver cards, requirements and fees as listed on 26 October 2026 (USD)
Card	Requirements	Fee
Entry Level Tender/Diver	At least 625 documented hours of formal instruction to ANSI/ACDE-01-2015	$75
Air Diver	100 field days and 30 working dives as an air diver, surface supplied only	$175
Air Diving Supervisor	ADCI online exam, 200 field days, 50 working dives, 30 working days as assistant supervisor	$275
Mixed-Gas Diver	100 air and 50 mixed-gas field days; 50 air and 10 mixed-gas working dives	$175
Bell/Sat Diver	200 field days, 100 working dives, 10 bell runs, 30 working days supporting bell or saturation operations	$175
Life Support Technician	ADCI online exam and 100 field days as an assistant LST	$275

DCBC certificates in Canada

The Diver Certification Board of Canada certifies divers to the competency standard CSA Z275.4 and accredits the diver training establishments. A graduate of an accredited school gets a two-year initial certificate at half the regular fee; with 50 diving activities, including 10 logged dives, in those two years the diver can apply for a five-year certificate. Most certificates are renewed every five years.

The restricted surface supplied certificate is not for construction work. The CSA operational code Z275.2 says restricted surface supplied diving shall not be used for welding, burning, high-pressure jetting, explosives, power tools or liveboating unless the diver is specially trained. The unrestricted diver is trained in power tools, hot water systems, burning and welding and surface decompression, and after at least a year of experience may train as a closed bell diver.

DCBC states that its certificates are recognised by HSE, IMCA and ADAS and by Canada's offshore petroleum boards. Graduates of schools in Australia, Norway or the United Kingdom with enough bottom time for the CSA standard may apply to DCBC directly; most others go through a prior learning assessment.

DCBC diver certificates and five-year fees, Canadian dollars (raised about 10% on 1 June 2023)
Certificate	What it allows	Fee
Occupational SCUBA Diver	SCUBA diving; all SCUBA training to 30 m since April 2020	$240
Restricted Surface Supplied Diver	Surface supplied to 30 m	$300
Unrestricted Surface Supplied Diver	Surface supplied to 50 m, inshore and offshore	$360
Surface Supplied Mixed Gas Diver	Surface supplied mixed gas to 70 m	$425
Closed Bell Diver	Lockout bell diving deeper than 70 m on mixed gas	$600
Surface Supplied Tender	The diver's surface support team	$180

ADAS certificates in Australia and New Zealand

In Australia most divers need an ADAS certificate by law before they can work: it is the entry qualification for onshore construction diving, the offshore oil and gas industry and aquaculture diving in South Australia. Scientific divers, fish collectors and pearl and abalone divers are among those not obliged to hold one. The plastic ADAS card is the licence; the vocational certificate that comes with Australian training is a record of study and not a licence to dive.

ADAS certification lasts five years. You can renew up to six months before expiry. Up to two years after expiry you renew as normal; after that you show at least 20 occupational dives in the last 24 months and pay a rejoining fee.

ADAS diver certificates and the HSE qualification each matches
ADAS certificate	Former title	Training standard	HSE equivalent
Occupational SCUBA to 30 m	Part 1	AS/NZS 2815.1	HSE Part IV
Occupational SSBA to 30 m	Part 2	AS/NZS 2815.2	HSE Part III
Occupational SSBA to 50 m	Part 3	AS/NZS 2815.3	HSE Part I
Closed Bell	Part 4	AS/NZS 2815.4	HSE Part II

A restricted Part 3 means the holder has not completed the ADAS wet bell, hot water suit and tool skill modules, and HSE accepts it offshore only with the HSE Top-Up.

The schemes side by side

The same job sits at a different step in each scheme. Under HSE, DCBC and ADAS, surface supplied air diving stops at 50 metres; deeper work is closed bell, or surface supplied mixed gas to 70 metres in Canada.

Commercial diver schemes compared, as each body states them
	UK (HSE)	US (ADCI)	Canada (DCBC)	Australia (ADAS)
First certificate	HSE SCUBA or Surface Supplied	Entry Level Tender/Diver	Occupational SCUBA or Restricted Surface Supplied	SCUBA or SSBA to 30 m
Offshore air diving	Surface Supplied with Top-Up, to 50 m	Air Diver, after 100 field days and 30 dives	Unrestricted Surface Supplied, to 50 m	SSBA to 50 m
Saturation	Closed Bell	Bell/Sat Diver	Closed Bell Diver	Closed Bell
Valid for	Indefinitely	Five years (entry-level card excepted)	Five years; two for new graduates	Five years
Medical	HSE-approved examiner, up to 12 months	Licensed physician, every year	Physician on the DCBC list or UHMS-listed	Hyperbaric doctor, up to 12 months

IMCA and offshore work abroad

IMCA does not issue diver certificates. It recognises training certificates for offshore diving under IMCA D014 when an independent national health and safety regulator oversees the training school, a government or government-appointed body audits every school regularly, and the certificate is issued and verifiable by that government body, not by the school. Surface supplied training must meet IMCA's minimum criteria; closed bell training must meet the IDRCF closed bell standard. IMCA does not recognise qualifications developed for other purposes, such as military diver training.

National law comes first: where a country specifies its own certificate, that requirement applies whatever IMCA recognises. IMCA's own diving certification is for diving supervisors, life support technicians and diving system inspectors.

Authorities whose offshore diver certificates IMCA recognises, as listed on its verification page
Country	Authority
Australia	Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme (ADAS)
Canada	Diver Certification Board of Canada (DCBC)
Netherlands	Netherlands Diving Centre Certificatie Instelling (NDC-CI)
New Zealand	WorkSafe New Zealand
Norway	Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil)
South Africa	Department of Labour
United Kingdom	Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
United States	Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE) and ADCI

Singapore's Diver Certification Authority is recognised for inland/inshore work only. IMCA's February 2026 revision of its certificate list added the Havtil surface supply and closed bell qualifications and ended recognition of French Class 2 mention A certificates issued after 14 June 2024.

Working in the UK with an overseas certificate

An overseas qualification cannot be converted into an HSE one. You can still work in the UK if your qualification is on HSE's approved list for the class of diving and is still current with the country that issued it, and the contractor confirms you are competent for the job. Some listed qualifications count offshore only if you also hold the HSE Top-Up.

Examples from Schedule 1, offshore surface-orientated diving to 50 m
Country	Qualification	Accepted offshore
Australia	ADAS Part 3	Yes
Australia	ADAS Part 3 Restricted	Only with the HSE Top-Up
Canada	Unrestricted Surface Supplied Diver to 50 m	Yes
Norway	Diving Certificate Class I, surface orientated diver	Yes
Netherlands	NDC Registratie Instelling B50	Yes
South Africa	Class II surface-supplied air diver	Yes
Ireland	Commercial Surface Supplied Diving	Only with the HSE Top-Up

Closed bell work accepts ADAS Part 4, Canadian Category 3 and Bell Diver, the Havtil bell diver certificate and South African Class 1, among others. Not all ADAS divers have dry suit training, and HSE tells contractors to check.

The diving medical

UK and Australian rules require a diving medical before training starts, and every scheme asks for a current one while you work. In Great Britain only doctors approved by HSE, Approved Medical Examiners of Divers, can issue the certificate, which states a period of no more than 12 months and any limits on the diving it covers. You pass the first one before training begins, and it includes a fitness test each year. A diver refused, restricted or revoked by an examiner can appeal to HSE within 28 days. Divers or their employers agree the fee with the examiner.

HSE lists conditions that may prevent or restrict diving, among them lung disease including asthma, heart disease and high blood pressure, epilepsy, blackouts, diabetes, ear, nose, throat or sinus problems, and mental health problems including claustrophobia. A diver who is pregnant or may be should not dive.

The diving medical by scheme
Scheme	Who examines	Valid for	Rule
UK (HSE)	HSE Approved Medical Examiner of Divers	At most 12 months	Diving at Work Regulations 1997, regulation 15; HSE guidance MA1
US (ADCI)	A licensed physician qualified in commercial diver medicals	One year	ADCI Consensus Standards section 2.3
Canada (DCBC)	A physician with a Level 1 hyperbaric medicine course, or a UHMS-listed examiner	A current medical at each renewal	CSA Z275.2
Australia (ADAS)	A doctor trained in hyperbaric medicine	Up to 12 months; for a Part 1 course, issued in the three months before it starts	AS/NZS 2299.1

How long certification lasts

HSE qualifications are not renewed and are valid indefinitely, but a contractor should weigh years without diving when judging competence. Non-UK qualifications on HSE's list must stay current with their issuing body. The other schemes renew on evidence of recent diving.

Validity and renewal by scheme
Scheme	Valid for	To renew
HSE	Indefinitely	Not renewable; the annual medical still applies
ADCI	Five years, except the entry-level card	Online application through Skill N Depth
DCBC	Five years; two years for new graduates	Logs showing diving in two of the previous five years, a current medical, first aid and oxygen provider certificates
ADAS	Five years	Application up to six months early; after two years lapsed, 20 dives in 24 months and a rejoining fee

Questions people ask

What certification do you need to be a commercial diver?

The one the country you dive in accepts: an HSE-approved qualification in Great Britain, an ADCI card for US contractors, a DCBC certificate in Canada or an ADAS certificate in Australia. For offshore work elsewhere, contractors look for a certificate IMCA recognises.

IMCA: verify a diver training certificate

How long does it take to become a commercial diver?

ADCI requires at least 625 documented hours of formal instruction for the entry-level card. HSE, DCBC and ADAS do not state course lengths; the schools set them.

ADCI: diver certification requirements

Is PADI enough to work as a commercial diver?

No. ADCI states that PADI, NAUI, CMAS and other recreational certificates are not acceptable under OSHA regulations or its standards for commercial diving. In the UK, recreational qualifications are approved only for instructing, guiding and a few specific classes such as media or scientific diving.

ADCI: diver certification requirements

What is the minimum age for commercial diving?

HSE sets no lower or upper age limit, but no one under 18 is accepted for offshore work in the UK. ADCI requires tender/divers to be at least 18, and the Australian standard AS/NZS 2299.1 requires divers to be at least 18.

HSE: diving FAQs

How much does commercial diver certification cost?

The bodies state their card fees: ADCI charges $75 for the entry-level card and $175 for an Air Diver card, and DCBC charges CAD 360 for an Unrestricted Surface Supplied Diver certificate, half for new graduates. Schools set the training price; HSE says to ask the organisations directly.

ADCI: classification requirements and card fees

How long is an HSE diving qualification valid?

Indefinitely. HSE diving qualifications are not renewable. The diving contractor still has to judge competence, and the certificate of medical fitness to dive has to be renewed at least every 12 months.

HSE: diving FAQs

What is the HSE Surface Supplied Top-Up?

An extra assessment that an HSE Surface Supplied diver needs to dive offshore on surface supplied equipment. Without it the Surface Supplied qualification covers inland/inshore diving only.

HSE: careers in diving

Does IMCA certify divers?

No. IMCA recognises diver training certificates issued by government or government-appointed bodies that meet its criteria, such as HSE, ADAS, DCBC and Havtil, and lists them on its verification page. Its own certification covers diving supervisors, life support technicians and system inspectors.

IMCA: IN 1385, diver training certificates acceptance criteria

Can I work in the UK with a foreign diving certificate?

Yes, if it is on HSE's List of Approved Diving Qualifications for the class of diving and still current in the issuing country. It cannot be converted into an HSE qualification, and some listed qualifications need the HSE Top-Up for offshore work.

HSE: List of Approved Diving Qualifications, 1 January 2026

How deep can a commercial diver go?

HSE SCUBA and Surface Supplied qualifications are limited to 50 m, and HSE Closed Bell has no limit. In Canada, restricted surface supplied divers go to 30 m, unrestricted to 50 m and mixed gas to 70 m; closed bell divers work deeper.

HSE: diving FAQs

How often do commercial divers need a medical?

Every year. A UK certificate of medical fitness to dive lasts at most 12 months and must come from an HSE-approved examiner. ADCI requires an annual exam by a qualified physician, and ADAS an annual medical to AS/NZS 2299.1.

Diving at Work Regulations 1997, regulation 15

What is a saturation diver?

A closed bell diver. HSE describes closed bell divers using mixed gas below 50 m and living up to 28 days in a compression chamber complex, travelling to the work site in a diving bell. HSE, ADCI and DCBC all require surface supplied experience first.

HSE: careers in diving

Sources

At a glance

Issued by: The scheme where you dive: HSE in Great Britain, ADCI in the US, DCBC in Canada, ADAS in Australia
Offshore abroad: IMCA recognises certificates from listed national authorities; it does not certify divers itself
Entry level: HSE SCUBA or Surface Supplied; ADCI Entry Level Tender/Diver after at least 625 hours of instruction
Depth: HSE SCUBA and Surface Supplied to 50 m; HSE Closed Bell has no depth limit
Medical: Every year; in the UK a certificate of at most 12 months from an HSE-approved examiner
Valid for: HSE qualifications indefinitely; ADCI, DCBC and ADAS certificates five years
Minimum age: 18 for UK offshore work, for ADCI tender/divers and under the Australian standard

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