Product Overview

Summary: This Scientific Diving Methods Safe Operating Procedure sets out clear, WHS-compliant requirements for planning and conducting research and commercial scientific dives in Australian waters. It provides a structured framework for managing dive risks, standardising methods, and protecting divers, surface support teams, and your organisation’s legal obligations.

Scientific diving involves complex tasks such as sample collection, instrument deployment, ecological surveys and underwater construction in dynamic and often remote aquatic environments. Unlike recreational diving, scientific dives are work activities under Australian WHS law, bringing additional duties around planning, competence, supervision, and documentation. This SOP provides a comprehensive, step‑by‑step framework for planning, approving and executing scientific dives, from initial risk assessment and dive plan development through to post‑dive debrief and data verification. It integrates scientific task requirements with safe diving practices so that research and monitoring programs can be completed efficiently without compromising diver safety.

The document helps organisations demonstrate due diligence by codifying minimum competency requirements, equipment standards, communication protocols, emergency procedures and environmental considerations specific to scientific work underwater. It addresses common pain points such as inconsistent field practices between teams, gaps in documentation, inadequate emergency preparedness in remote locations, and uncertainty about how WHS requirements apply to research diving. By implementing this SOP, universities, government agencies, consultancies and marine operators can standardise their scientific diving operations, reduce incident risk, and provide clear guidance for training, supervision and incident response across all projects.

Key Benefits

• Ensure scientific diving operations comply with Australian WHS legislation and recognised diving standards.
• Reduce the risk of dive-related injuries, decompression illness and near misses through structured planning and controls.
• Standardise scientific diving methods, data collection techniques and documentation across projects and teams.
• Strengthen emergency preparedness for diving incidents, environmental hazards and remote or vessel-based operations.
• Provide clear, auditable evidence of due diligence for internal WHS audits, ethics approvals and client or regulator reviews.

Who is this for?

• Scientific Divers
• Dive Supervisors
• Dive Safety Officers
• Marine Biologists and Ecologists
• Environmental Consultants
• University and Research Institute WHS Managers
• Aquarium and Marine Park Operations Managers
• Fieldwork Coordinators
• Principal Investigators and Project Leads
• Commercial Diving Contractors providing scientific services

Hazards Addressed

• Decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism
• Barotrauma to ears, sinuses and lungs
• Nitrogen narcosis and oxygen toxicity (including enriched air use where applicable)
• Entrapment, entanglement and restricted visibility underwater
• Strong currents, surge, waves and changing weather conditions
• Cold stress, hypothermia and heat stress (including on-deck exposure in tropical conditions)
• Manual handling injuries from dive gear, cylinders and scientific equipment
• Slips, trips and falls on vessels, jetties and rocky shore entries
• Boat strike and propeller injuries during vessel-supported dives
• Hazardous marine life (stings, bites, envenomation and allergic reactions)
• Contaminated water exposure and biological/chemical hazards in certain sites
• Psychological stress, fatigue and impaired decision-making during extended field campaigns

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose, Scope and Application
• 2.0 Definitions and Regulatory Context
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 4.0 Planning Scientific Diving Operations
• 5.0 Site Assessment and Risk Management
• 6.0 Dive Team Composition and Supervision Requirements
• 7.0 Equipment Requirements, Inspection and Maintenance
• 8.0 Scientific Diving Methods and Task-Specific Procedures
• 9.0 Communication, Signals and Navigation Underwater
• 10.0 Vessel-Based Operations and Shore Entry Procedures
• 11.0 Environmental Conditions, Marine Life and Contaminated Water Controls
• 12.0 Decompression Management and Exposure Limits
• 13.0 Emergency Preparedness, Rescue and First Aid Procedures
• 14.0 Incident Reporting, Near Misses and Corrective Actions
• 15.0 Training, Induction and Competency Verification
• 16.0 Documentation, Recordkeeping and Audit Requirements
• 17.0 Review, Continuous Improvement and SOP Revision History

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS legislation
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth) – including provisions for diving work
• Safe Work Australia – Diving Work Code of Practice
• AS/NZS 2299.1: Occupational diving operations – Standard operational practice
• AS 2815 series: Training and certification of occupational divers
• AS/NZS 1715: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment (for surface support and contaminated water scenarios)
• AS/NZS 4801 / ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems (as applicable to organisational WHS frameworks)
• Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law and associated Marine Orders (for vessel-based operations)