The Ocean Studies Institute (OSI) AAUS Scientific Diving Program

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COVID19 DIVING AND BOATING NOTIFICATION

Overview: The Campuses of the California State University, have adopted federal and state guidelines regarding COVID mitigation protocols. These guidelines and supplemental protocols will remain in effect until further notice.

For additional information, please review the following documents:

CSU/OSI: Scientific Boating and Diving Field Work - Critical Operations Supplemental Guidelines

CSU/OSI: Scientific Diving Program, Special Diving Provisions During COVID19 Pandemic - 2020

Several of our local equipment service centers continue to operate during the pandemic, with additional mitigation procedures in place. Divers with equipment requiring annual testing or repair should review the following document:

Dive Equipment Service Locations

PLEASE NOTE: This list is presented for the convenience of our divers only. Including an equipment service center on this document does not represent a recommendation or endorsement on the part of CSU, OSI, or the Dive office. If you frequent a service center not listed on the document, contact them directly to see if they offer similar services during the pandemic. We're happy to include anyone on the list we may have missed.

DISCOUNTS ON DIVE EQUIPMENT

AAUS Scientific Divers diving under the auspices of CSU/OSI are eligible for Institutional Pricing on dive equipment. These discounts are substantial, and offered by most of the major manufacturers. The pricing is set by the manufacturer and are "passed through" the local dive shop to their qualified customers. If you are a current, active, scientific diver with CSU/OSI or a Diver in Training who has been accepted for our AAUS Scientific Diver Course, contact your local dive shop about their policies and procedures regarding the discount. PLEASE NOTE: Verification of active status by the dive office (DSO) will be required for the discount.

The Ocean Studies Institute (OSI) AAUS Scientific Diving Training Program

The Ocean Studies Institute (OSI) Scientific Diving Training Program conforms to the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) Standards for Scientific Diving for academic, research, or conservation diving. Anyone who is engaged in diving as part of their work must be an active member of a scientific diving program or be subject to US Federal OSHA standards for diving.

The OSI AAUS Program is an intensive 14-day course focused on teaching research diving techniques. During the course divers will learn about diving theory, physics, physiology, dive planning and emergency accident management. In-water training will include numerous dives to practice essential data-gathering methodologies, and further develop general diving skills such as beach, navigation, deep, night, and rescue. The course also includes the DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers certification training, suitable for First Responders working in remote locations.

The course is open to CSU/OSI students/staff/faculty and SCMI consortium members. Unaffiliated candidates, actively engaged in scientific diving (as a student, researcher or volunteer) with an AAUS Organizational Member, are accepted on a space-available basis. Unlike traditional (recreational) certifications, if you’re not actively involved in scientific diving, you will not be able to maintain your AAUS Scientific Diver status.

Course Dates and Fees

TRAINING IS PROVISIONAL BASED COVID STATUS AND STATE GUIDELINES

SUMMER 2023:

AAUS Scientific Diver Course:
June 12 - 23, 2023; completed application deadline (no incomplete applications will be accepted) May 12, 2023

The sample schedule below will not apply to the Summer 2023 course - class will begin on the mainland Monday, and travel to Catalina on Friday for the remainder of the course.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: You must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 per campus guidelines

Costs:

OSI Members: $500

SCMI Members: $600

Non-Members: $1,700

Please Note: Due to COVID restrictions the number of paricipants is extremely limited - applicants will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis, in the following order:
CSU Graduate Students/Staff; CSU Undergraduate Students; SCMI Members; Other Qualified Applicants.

Locations and Schedule

The first week of the course is conducted on the mainland. Swim tests and confined water training is conducted at the California State University Long Beach (CSULB) pool, and classroom lectures are conducted at the Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI). Mainland days start at 8:00am and end at 5:00pm, with daily homework assignments. The second week of the course, consisting of open water dive training and completion of classroom lectures, is conducted on Catalina Island at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center. Island days start at 8:00am and continue into the evening with late afternoon and night dives and classroom lectures.

Sample Schedule:

Below is a typical day-by-day schedule for the program. Dates and locations for practical skills training may vary based on weather and conditions.

Mainland

Monday, SCMI – Orientation, AAUS history/standards, OSI policies/procedures lectures
Tuesday, CSULB Pool, SCMI – Swim tests, Checkout dive; Classroom lectures
Wednesday, CSULB Pool, SCMI – Buoyancy, Task management dives; Classroom lectures
Thursday, CSULB Pool, SCMI – Rescue skills/dives, classroom lectures
Friday, CSULB Pool, SCMI – SMB, Lift bag, Transects dives; DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers
Saturday, Cabrillo, SCMI – Beach Skin dive, Rescue skills 1; DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers
Sunday, Off

Catalina Island

Monday, SCMI, transit to USC Wrigley Marine Science Center – Facility orientation; Checkout, Rescue 2, Night dives
Tuesday, WMSC – Deep, Blue-water, Navigation 1 & 2 dives; Evening lecture
Wednesday, WMSC – Search and Recovery, Light salvage, Data collecting (transects, fish survey) dives; Evening lecture
Thursday, WMSC – Deep/simulated decompression, Air consumption (SAC rates) dives; Evening lecture
Friday, WMSC – Environmental survey (s); transit to SCMI
Saturday, SCMI – Final exam

Prerequisites

All students enrolling in the OSI AAUS Scientific Diving course must have the following:

  1. Completed application submitted to the Dive Office by the posted due date. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
  2. Certification as an Open Water scuba diver, issued by a nationally recognized certification agency (NAUI, PADI, YMCA, SSI, etc.) with an additional 12 logged dives (total of 16 logged dives).
  3. A minimum of 4 logged dives within the past year, 2 of which are within the last six months.
  4. Proof of regulator, BC, gauge and computer testing/service within the last 12 months this includes new equipment  (form included in application Package). A visual inspection of all dive equipment will be conducted on the first day. Equipment deemed “unsafe” or NOT in good working order, will not be allowed for use in the course.
  5. Current Medical Examination for Scuba Diving; must be within one year (form included in application Package).
  6. Proof of Dive Insurance – you are responsible for your medical coverage and most health insurance policies do not cover scuba diving. We require that you obtain dive insurance such as that provided by Divers Alert Network (DAN) diversalertnetwork.org. A list of providers can be found at scmi.net.
  7. First Aid, O2 Administration, and Field Neurological training will be offered as part of the course. It is highly recommended that you participate in this section of the course, however if you can provide proof of current emergency response training per AAUS standards you may elect to waive this section.

Swim Test Requirements

There will be a swim test at the beginning of this course. It is highly recommended that you practice before attempting this test. The failure rate for those who do not is approximately 50%. This test will include:

  1. 400 meter swim, within 12 minutes
  2. Tread water continuously for 10 minutes, or 2 minutes without the use of hands.
  3.  Underwater swim for a distance of 25 meters, without surfacing
  4. Surface dive to 10’ to recover a swimmer on the bottom, and transport on the surface 25 meters.

Please Note: Anyone who does not successfully complete all components of the swim test will not be permitted to participate in Scientific Diving beyond the Diver in Training level.

OSI Dive Safety Officer

DM Website Photo

Darrell Montague, Dive and Boat Safety Officer for the Ocean Studies Institute, has been working in the dive industry for 17 years as a Divemaster and Instructor. Prior to his current position, he was Dive Safety Officer for the California Science Center Foundation, overseeing exhibit, youth education, and open water diving, as well as boat operations. He has also trained divers for the California Institute of Technology, and acted as Dive Safety Officer and expedition medic on remote dive operations for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, National Geographic, and several film and television productions.

 

Questions should be directed to Darrell Montague, OSI Dive and Boat Safety Officer
820 South Seaside Avenue, Terminal Island, CA 90731
Cell: (626) 399-3308; SCMI: (310) 519-3172 x 976
Email: darrell.montague@csulb.edu