IMCA Trainee Air Diving Supervisor

Course details

This five day course is for experienced commercial offshore Supervisors and/or Air divers who wish to follow the IMCA scheme and gain IMCA qualification. IMCA ADS certification will allow commercial divers to supervise complex engineering tasks underwater, be globally recognised as a supervisor and enable them to work worldwide.

Eligibility:

• Hold an IMCA-recognised surface supplied diving qualification as set out in IMCA D 013.
• Demonstrated competence as an offshore air diver with minimum 100 logged commercial offshore dive.

Requirements
To be appointed as an Air Diving Supervisor in writing by a Diving Contractor, you must additionally fulfil the following minimum requirements:

• Logged at least 200 panel hours offshore on a minimum of 100 surface dives over a minimum period of 60 days working as a Trainee Air Diving Supervisor.
• Demonstrated competence as an offshore air diver in accordance with IMCA C 003 Competence Assurance and Assessment and have completed a total of 200 offshore commercial air dives.
• Recommended by a company following satisfactory offshore reports confirming competence in accordance with the IMCA Competence Assurance Assessment Scheme.
• Passed the IMCA Air Diving Supervisor examination.

NOTE: Application to sit for the IMCA examination must be made within 3 years of successful completion of the training course and at least half the required panel hours logged within the 2 years prior to the application.

UPGRADING FROM A QUALIFIED AIR DIVING SUPERVISOR TO BELL DIVING SUPERVISOR
A qualified Air Diving Supervisor who has demonstrated competence in accordance with IMCA C 003 and supervised a minimum of 100 offshore air dives and who wishes to progress to Bell Diving Supervisor does not have to re-sit the Air Diving Supervisor examination module, but must fulfill the following minimum requirements before being appointed in writing by a Diving Contractor as a Bell Diving Supervisor:

• All aspects of Trainee Bell Supervisor- attended and passed the IMCA Trainee Bell Supervisor course.
• Have logged at least 150 panel hours (under direct supervision) working offshore on a minimum of 20 bell runs over a minimum period of 45 days working as a Trainee Bell Diving Supervisor.
• Have logged at least 360 panel hours at any time working either as an LST or as an Assistant LST.
• Have been recommended by a company following satisfactory offshore reports confirming competence in accordance with the IMCA Competence Assurance and Assessment Scheme.
• Have passed the IMCA Bell Diving Supervisor examination.

NOTE: Application to sit the IMCA examination must be made within 3 years of successful completion of the training course and at least half the required panel hours logged within the 2 years prior to the application. Updated on 02 April, 2026