FAQsHow does ADAS determine its fees? Why does commercial diver training cost so much? What are the Board members paid for being on the Board? What happens if I let my ADAS certification lapse? What's the difference between Onshore and Offshore supervisor qualifications? Is it a legal requirement to adhere to the Standards for occupational diving? Why do dive supervisors have to have a separate card and pay a separate certification fee? How much money will I make as a diver? I've been diving commercially for years, but I haven't got a ticket—what can I do? I'm a HSE Part I/II/III/IV—what's that in ADAS? I'm a recreational diving instructor—what do I have to do to become an occupational diver? How do I find a specialist doctor to do my diving medicals? What are the requirements in regard to First Aid? Do I have to go offshore? Am I too old to become a commercial diver? Will the schools be able to get me work? Do I have to do lots of courses? What makes the ADAS scheme different from others of its kind? Why does my ADAS card expire every 5 years? What relevance is the AQF (VET) certificate? How do I go about getting a job? How can I develop a successful occupational diving career? Can I afford to train without the guarantee of employment? Can I work internationally now that I have completed my ADAS part 3 course? How does ADAS determine its fees?ADAS, as a non-core government program, was required by the Commonwealth to be funded on a user basis i.e. by those who receive the benefit from its highly credible national certification and global recognition and portability. In 2003, ADAS was separated out for directy government administration under the direction of an indepenedent industry Board of Directors. ADAS receives no government funding and is totally dependent for its operations on the income derived from certification fees.
ADAS uses certification fees to:
Why does commercial diver training cost so much?ADAS and the Diver Training Establishments get a lot of divers and would-be divers commenting (i.e. - complaining!) about the cost of occupational diving courses. In view of that, and in the interests of being open and transparent, we thought we should consider the issue in depth (pun intended) and discuss some of the salient facts about value for money and the cost structure underlying the provision of diver training. So – what are the facts?
Why does the training cost this much? Can it be justified? Is it really expensive in terms of providing value for money?? Is it possible that it is worth the investment? Let’s look at the individual parts to the question. Is it expensive in the scheme of things? Well, you have to consider what you are comparing it with when you start to define ‘expensive’! Are you comparing the price with a recreational scuba open water course? Well – yes, it’s a hell of a lot more expensive, but think about it. Doing a recreational diving course gets you maybe 3 or perhaps 4 days learning some basic skills to enable you to have some fun engaging in a new hobby—as long as you don’t mind having to have your hand held by an instructor or a divemaster while you defy death! Are you comparing it with tertiary education in which you have to go into debt with odds against you of clearing it before you retire? (even if you are lucky enough to get into the area of employment you trained for and can start paying it off). Just consider—the education debt for a Marine Biologist, for instance, is about $30,000.00 dollars, takes a minimum of 3 years full time and earnings are about $70,000.00 dollars pa. A Mechanical Engineering degree costs about 45,000.00 for 4 years full time and the average salary for an engineer is about pa.$80,000.00. Is it worth the investment? After a 12 week unrestricted surface supply diving course, at worst you should be able to walk straight into an aquaculture job in the Salmon or Tuna etc farming industry and earn $50,000 to $70,000 pa. Sure it’s hack work, but when you’ve built up your CV, and particularly as you acquire useful underwater and marine-related work skills, you can look at moving into construction diving and start accruing some construction diving skills. The earning power of an onshore construction diver is about $300 - $500/day. Admittedly, to do any good at this you should have gained a bagful of skills to take to the job with you – rigging, skilled laboring etc (see ‘What skills do I need’ on this site). However, this is the right market and time - the offshore construction industry is very busy and numbers of experienced onshore construction divers are also moving to the higher paid jobs offshore. If you work hard at it, then maybe a year or two later (and maybe less when the price of oil goes sky-high again) you can start looking for an offshore diving job. Even in the Middle East and South East Asia, the money is decent - about $600 USD tax free if you go first out into the South East Asian etc region. When you have a credible CV and can start work in the Australian industry you are looking at $1300/day as an air diver. The better you get, the more work you get and the more money you’re worth. The offshore oil and gas industry has been booming for the last couple or three years and the demand for oil is increasing every day. Is the price of oil going to drop again? Not if you believe in the law of supply and demand! So, we have a situation where the offshore industry is already short of good experienced personnel. Demand for oil is increasing. Existing offshore infrastructure around the world is aging and needs constant maintenance to keep it productive and legal. The likelihood of the demand for good offshore personnel dropping is not very likely in any one’s book. And that applies right across the board – dive supervisors, Life Support Techs, equipment techs, ROV pilots, Dive Medical Technicians etc. There’s a career waiting to happen for those who are prepared to put in, work and train hard and go for it. Why is commercial training expensive? Let’s have a look at why diver training costs. Firstly, have a hard think about the infrastructure costs. Equipment OK, the initial outlay is one of those things every industry has to deal with but diving equipment is bloody expensive and schools get cut no slack. The prices a school pays are exactly the same as it is for a major offshore contractor (in fact, probably more expensive because they don’t have the buying power. So, consider the capital outlay required to put a Part 3 unrestricted surface supply dive school together. Support boats, recompression chambers, LP and HP compressors, hydraulic tools and power packs, cylinders and regulators, hot water suits and generators, wet bell, barge and launch and recovery system, vehicles, underwater comms systems, underwater videos and cameras, ongoing replacement of work tasks and tools that the trainees will insist on losing …. the list goes on and on!! The capital investment in a Part 3 dive school has to be somewhere between one to one and a half million dollars depending on what equipment etc you have to start with. When you start considering a closed bell school, then you’re really getting into the big money. Bell systems – even the small training systems used in the international closed bell schools – start in the millions and keep climbing. They’re scarce for a start and everybody wants one. There’s a waiting list for bell systems and that adds to the price. Then the system has to be set up and kept to the stringent standard that ADAS insists on to protect you and your buddy’s lives and fair skins. That means engineering inspections and extensive maintenance and equipment upgrades. Then there’s the continuing cost of gas (Heliox), the analysers, the cost of replacement items to meet the requirements for the mandatory certification (how much do you reckon a set of acrylic ports for a bell cost? Try $10,000!! How much for the cables and umbilicals? How much for engineers to inspect and certify the system and its components? You get the idea I’m sure). When the industry is busy and there’s a waiting list for every component and for the technicians and engineers – then the cost goes up even more! Maintenance And how about the cost of maintenance? Every helmet/hat needs to have a kit put through it every few months. The costs of these kits can be anywhere from $250 to $500. Each school has about 8 to 12 hats. How about large dive systems? Try keeping a boat in survey and working hard. What about replacing the hot water suits that get worn out and need to be replaced regularly? It doesn’t make it a cheap business to keep going.
And then, think about staffing costs. You’re trained by industry professionals (the actual people you have aspirations to become). Being industry professionals, they have the experience and knowledge you hope to gain and which will generally come at a premium rate—after all, one of the reasons you are attracted to commercial diving has to be because the money is good, eh?. All ADAS Diver Trainers have to be diving professional with qualifications at least at the level of training they are involved with. They have to have extensive industry experience, be qualified and experienced trainers and must be qualified and experienced supervisors to boot. The schools are competing for scarce personnel that the industry is already competing for within itself. And believe me – the industry wins hands down when it comes to bidding up. Offshore Air Supervisors earn about $1800-2000 AUD a day and Bell Supervisors about $2000 - 3000/dayAUD (and that’s if you can find one that’s actually available and actually wants to train divers!). Then there’s the rest of the team - Life Support Technicians and Assistant LSTs (for closed bell training), Dive Equipment Technicians, standby divers, admin staff….the list is still going on! The dive schools have to pay competitively with the industry to attract the staff they need. Paying off the investment and earning a living And then consider this. If you were the owner of this facility – how much you would want to make in return for your megabuck investment? The school operators are not there just because they love training divers—they also have families and homes and their own retirements to consider. They have to meet the costs and make a reasonable profit! So, basically the question really is not why courses cost so much but rather that there’s anyone out there at all that’s mad enough to put their money into a dive school!!! Anyone with any sense would put his or her money into almost anything else and do better at it. Conclusion What does all this mean? Basically, if you wish to be able to access the high-end specific training required to enter a well paid and growing international professional market, then there has to be some investment to kick start that process. Running a commercial dive school is bloody expensive and it’s not a 9-5 job. The truth is that in hard times the schools are scratching to cover their costs and they build that into their costing equation as well. So – yes—it is expensive to undertake commercial diver training. However, if you consider the above information and the fact that good students usually gain a job in the diving industry within the first 3 months of training completion, then it’s up to you to decide it is worthwhile in the end. If you’re a good worker, are prepared to train and keep training, put your head down and bum up and work hard at it, in a relatively short time you can set yourself up for life with an interesting and well paid job that has plenty of flexibility and plenty of career opportunities. The decision is up to you!! Back to questions What are the members of the Board paid for being on the Board?When the government outsourced the day-to-day administration of ADAS, the Board was structured as a not-for-profit Incorporated Association. The Board is totally voluntary and Director receive no sitting fees. Only the paid employees of the National Office receive remuneration for their services.Back to questions What happens if I let my ADAS certification lapse?
Click here to view the ADAS Late Renewals Policy What's the difference between Onshore and Offshore supervisor qualifications?Answer: Some confusion has arisen about the difference between ADAS Onshore Supervisor and ADAS Offshore Supervisor qualifications. The two qualifications are not interchangeable and ADAS Onshore Supervisors are NOT qualified to work as Offshore Supervisors. Australia has two separate sectors of regulated diving:
Under (1), divers are required to be supervised by trained and ADAS certified ONSHORE Supervisor. Onshore Supervsiors do not require offshore oil and gas diving experience and are qualified either as Occupational Scuba Supervisors or Surface Supply Supervisor to 30m (Restricted SSBA) or Surface supply Supervisor to 50m (Unrestricted SSBA). They are issued an ADAS plastic photo identification licence card which is quite clearly marked ONSHORE Supervisor. They are deemed to be competent supervisors at the level to which they have been trained and certified but do not necessarily have offshore experience and are not certified by ADAS to supervise offshore operations. These Onshore Supervisor certificates are not recognised by NOPSA or IMCA for supervising offshore operations. Under (2), divers must be supervised by trained and certified ADAS OFFSHORE Supervisors who must have complied with the ADAS/IMCA/DCBC/NDC agreed training and assessment regime. These supervisor must comply with the requirement to be experienced offshore commercial divers and have the requisite offshore supervisory etc panel hours . They will have ADAS plastic photo identificationn licence card that quite clearly states that they are either ADAS Air or Bell OFFSHORE Supervisors. These certificates are recognised by IMCA, Canada and the Netherlands. To make the matter more confusing for everyone, under the Australian national vocational and technical training system, successful graduates for Supervisor qualifications are awarded an (A4 sized paper) national Diploma in recognition of their academic achievement. These Diplomas have no legal significance. All ADAS Supervisor graduates trained in Australia are awarded with these Diplomas but as noted above, their legal licence is the ADAS plastic card. Is it a legal requirement to adhere to the Standards for occupational diving (AS/NZS 2299.1 etc)?Generally - yes. State and Territory OHS legislation generally call up the Standards (either directly as part of the regulations or as part of government policy) as the minimum conditions under which occupational diving should be conducted. Where ther egulations do notcall up the Standards, they will almost certainly be referred to in a court of law investigating a case of misconduct, an accident or death etc. and will be used as a reference for industry best practice and in a civil action. Why do dive supervisors have to have a separate card and pay a separate certification fee?
After consultation with our international partners and consideration of the issues involved, ADAS policy was changed to require that ADAS certificates of competence have a stand-alone photo-identificaiton card that identifies them and specifies their level of supervisor etc qualification, competency and currency. Using a supervisor qualificaotn as an example, the reasons for that were as follows: The supervisor certification is not an endorsement; it is a qualification in its own right with its own industry-agreed set of competencies and requirements. Acceptance of the role as a dive supervisor imposes on the recipient substantial legal duties and obligations and responsibilities. Because of the very diverse nature of the diving industry, there is not just one level of dive supervisor qualification. Whilst there are definitely a common core of the softer supervisor skills (leadership, communication, problem resolution etc) quite obviously, the diving skills, knowledge and experience required for supervising surface supplied construction diving are quite different from those required for a scientific diving on scuba. The various levels of supervisor qualification have requirements that are additional to merely possessing a diver qualification at that level, and therefore the level of supervisor qualification will not necessarily always be congruent with the level of diver certification. For example, a Part 3 diver might well have sufficient operational experience to meet the requirements for a Part 2 supervisor but not those of a Part 3 supervisor. Whilst the prerequisites for obtaining the qualification include certification as a diver, maintenance of ongoing diver certification is not necessary in the long term to retain such certification – a diver can continue as a supervisor well after ceasing to be medically fit to dive. In effect, the supervisor qualification offers a completely separate career choice for divers who cannot, or do not wish to, continue to dive. The necessity for supervisors to be certified is called up in AS/NZS 2299.1:2007 and is a legal requirement for most occupational diving areas. Occupational health and safety regulators have indicated that they expect supervisors to be provided with a supervisor certificate of competence card that identifies them and specifies their level of supervisor qualification, competency and currency. If you wish to be certified as both a diver and a supervisor, you will be expected to pay for the additional certification. To make life easier for everyone, ADAS is looking at ways to make the certification periods for the two certifications concurrent, and will bring this into effect as soon as we can. How much money will I make as a diver?
I've been diving commercially for years, but I haven't got a ticket - what can I do?
I'm a HSE Part I/II/III/IV - what's that in ADAS?
I'm a recreational diving instructor - what do I have to do to become an occupational diver?
How do I find a specialist doctor to do my diving medicals?
Alternatively, diving medicals may be conducted by doctors who have other specialised training e.g. those in the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Adelaide Hospital (with hyperbaric training). What are the requirements in regard to First Aid?
Both the DAN and Red Cross certificates are valid. Do I have to go offshore?
Am I to old to become a commercial diver?Answer: The minimum age of 18 is the only age specification. There are a number of commercial divers working offshore over the age of 50. The ability to do this, of course, depends on maintaining your diving medical fitness. If you want to and you have the skills, you can always move on to supervising or management, neither or which requires a diving medical, but do have there own quite special requirements.
Will the schools be able to get me work?
Do I have to do lots of courses?
Answer: You can do as little or as much as you think you need to achieve your goals.
What makes the ADAS scheme different from others of its kind?
Answer: ADAS is an accreditation organisation that has worked closely with its diver constituency to try and meet all the needs of the modern diving professional. As such, ADAS offers a complete career path to meet the requirements of the forward thinking diving professional.
Why does my ADAS card expire every 5 years?
What relevance is the AQF (VET) certificate?However, it is the ADAS certificate (plastic card) that is called up in state OH&S regulations and the national standards (2815 series), and is therefore the certification that must be sighted by employers as evidence of competence to work as an occupational diver in Australia. Back to questions How do I go about to getting a job?Answer: Employment is something that should you should be considering from the moment that you decide that you wish to train as a commercial diver. You should make initial contact with dive companies within your locality and enquire if it would be possible to return to talk to them when you have completed training. Ask them if they have any advice to pass on to you, try and impress them with your enthusiasm and willingness to work. Seek advice from your DTE as to where jobs are likely to be available. Always be courteous but remember - no one will give you a job! You have to prove you are worth employing as a diver and you have to sell yourself based on your enthusiasm, professional approach, qualifications, training and experience! How can I develop a successful occupational diving career?
Can I afford to train without the guarantee of employment?
Can I work internationally now that I have completed my ADAS part 3 course?
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Education / Training 
VET Qualifications
VET Qualifications
