Diving Standards Committee

The Diving Standards Committee shall advise the Board of Directors and the President in the development, review and revision of standards and procedures for safe scientific diving certifications, and for safe scientific diving programs. The Diving Standards Committee Chair or President shall appoint the Diving Standards Committee.  The Diving Standards Committee shall:

• Maintain a Manual of Standards for Scientific Diving Certification and Operation of Scientific Diving Programs to respond to the needs of the membership and the scientific diving community in general;
• Periodically review the standards and procedures for scientific diving, solicit recommendations from organizational member, and recommend to the Board of Directors revisions, changes, deletions or updates;
• Recommend to the Board of Directors and the appropriate standing committees subject matter for symposia and workshops to educate the membership and others in matters pertaining to the standards and procedures for scientific diving;
• Recommend to the Board of Directors subject matter for the research and development of standards and procedures for safe scientific diving;
• Review the proposed diving safety manual of applicants for Organizational Membership, and make appropriate recommendations to the Membership Committee;
• Review the particular changes and modifications proposed by any Organizational Member for its own diving safety program or Manual for Diving Safety, and make appropriate recommendations to the Board of Directors;
• Participate in on-site visitations or other forms of inspections of the scientific diving policies, standards, procedures, programs and practices of an Organizational Member, as directed by the Board of Directors;
• Distribute to the membership the revisions, changes, deletions or updates of standards and practices for scientific diving that have been approved by the Board of Directors;
• Respond to the inquiries of individuals and organizations, both members and non members, regarding policies, standards, procedures, programs and practices for safe scientific diving and emergency related matters;
• Represent the safe scientific diving goals and purposes of the American Academy of Underwater Science, as directed by the Board of Directors, before other organizations and government agencies with corresponding or parallel interests in the development and administration of safe diving standards;
• Submit to the Treasurer when requested an annual budget and cost accounting of the work of the Diving Standards Committee; and
• Perform other functions pertaining to scientific diving standards that the President or the Board of Directors may request from time to time.

Standard Operating Procedures

The Diving Standards Committee is a Standing Committee of the Academy. The Diving Standards Committee Chair oversees the Diving Standards Committee and advises the Board of Directors and the President in the development, review and revision of standards and procedures for safe scientific diving certifications, and for safe scientific diving programs.

The Diving Standards Committee Chairs with associated committee members shall: 

• Maintain the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, Standards For Scientific Diving
• Appoint and remove members of the Standards Committee.
• Solicit recommendations from Organizational Members for changes to the Standards for scientific diving.
• Periodically convene the Standards Committee to review the standards and procedures for scientific diving.
• Advise the Board of Directors on changes recommended by the Standards Committee to promote safe scientific diving standards and practice.
• Notify Organizational Members of revisions to the Standards For Scientific Diving that have been approved by the Board of Directors
• Assign reviewers to review the diving safety manual of applicants for organizational membership.
  Manuals are assigned to a up to three reviewers from the Standards Committee.  A minimum of two reviews are required for further action by the standards chair.  Before accepting manuals, the Standards Chair will review manual revisions, and ensure required revisions have been made as noted on reviewers Checksheets.
• Assign review of partial changes of an organizational member’s diving safety program or diving safety manual and make recommendations to the board.  As revisions to the AAUS Standards are made the Standards Chair shall review updated manuals to ensure that new revisions are included.
• Mark as accepted in the AAUS database the standards of applicants and organizational members that have passed the review process.

Notes from Committee:

• If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact AAUS at [email protected]
• Organizational members need to review their standards manuals on a yearly basis and submit any changes to [email protected]