Many dive training organisations are found, throughout the world, offering diver training leading to certification: the issuing of a C-card or qualification card. Reputable dive operators, dive shops and compressor operators refuse to allow uncertified people to dive, hire diving equipment or fill diving cylinders.

A good dive training organisation, such as a dive school based at a dive shop, will always offer courses to the standard of a recognised certification organisation, such as those listed below. Many dive shops in popular holiday locations offer courses that can teach you to dive in a few days, and can be combined with your vacation. Upon completing the course the student is issued a certification card.

Table of contents

1 Sources of diver training 2 Location of training lessons 3 Training topics 4 Some certifying dive organizations 5 Other diving related organizations

Sources of diver training

Many types of organisation offer diver training:

• Entry-level recreational SCUBA diver training organisations using professonal instructors. An example of this type is PADI
• Entry-level recreational SCUBA diver training organisations using amateur instructors. An example of this type is British Sub Aqua Club
• Technical recreational SCUBA diving organisations. An example of this type is IANTD
• Commercial diver training organisations. Train divers for the oil, ship maintenance, salvage, civil engineering and media industries and for acedemic, scientific, police and rescue organisations using SCUBA and more advanced equipment and techniques.
• National navies and armed forces. Train divers for ship maintenance, salvage and repair, rescue, mine clearance and covert operations using SCUBA and more advanced equipment and techniques.

• Basic diving theory:
  • Diving physics
  • SCUBA Equipment
  • Physiology
  • Diving disorders
  • Diving signals
  • Buddy system
  • Decompression tables

• Basic water skills:
  • Finning
  • Wearing a mask
  • Snorkelling
  • Shallow free-diving

• Basic Aqualung skills:
  • Preparing the Aqualung
  • Buddy check
  • Breathing from an Aqualung
  • Buoyancy control using the BC and the lungs
  • Ascents and descents
  • Mask and demand valve clearing
  • Air sharing
  • Air sharing ascent

• Basic Rebreather skills:
  • Preparing the Rebreather
  • Buoyancy control using the Rebreather
  • Ascents and descents
  • Mask and mouthpiece draining
  • Bailing out
  • Bail out ascent
  • Diluent flush

• Underwater planning and leading skills:
  • Use of decompression tables
  • Use of Dive computers
  • Gas requirement calculations
  • Safe dive site selection
  • Compass navigation
  • Underwater pilotage
  • Use of surface marker buoys
  • Use of decompression buoys
  • Use of distance lines

• Rescue techniques:
  • Controlled buoyant lift
  • Towing and landing a casualty
  • Artificial ventilation in water
  • CPR on land
  • Oxygen first aid on land

• Technical diving techniques:
  • Nitrox as a bottom gas
  • Nitrox as a decompression gas
  • Normoxic [[Trimix] as a bottom gas
  • Hypoxic [[Trimix] as a bottom gas

• Vocational techniques:
  • Cave diving techniques
  • Underwater photography
  • Underwater videography
  • Underwater archaeology
  • Marine life identification
  • Marine biology

• Dive group leading skills:
  • Selecting dive sites using marine charts
  • Tides and use of tide tables
  • Weather influences and prediction
  • Group rescue management techniques
  • Dive group safety, prevention and supervision
  • Underwater search and recovery skills
  • Underwater survey skills

• Logistical skills:
  • Boat handling and seamanship
  • Boat navigation and position fixing
  • Compressor operation
  • Gas blending
  • Use of group equipment such as shots and trapezes
  • Hyperbaric chamber operation

• Instructor skills:
  • Teaching diving theory
  • Teaching personal diving skills
  • Teaching group diving, safety and rescue skills
  • Teaching boat handling, seamanship and navigation skills
  • Teaching instructing skills

• ACUC - American and Canadian Underwater Certifications (http://www.acuc.ca/ )
• BSAC - British Sub Aqua Club (http://www.bsac.com/ )
• CMAS - Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (http://www.cmas2000.org )
• GUE - Global Underwater Explorers (http://www.gue.com/ )
• IANTD - International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (http://www.iantd.com/ )
• IDEA - International Diving Educators Association
• NACD - National Association for Cave Diving (http://www.safecavediving.com/ )
• NAUI - National Association of Underwater Instructors (http://www.naui.org/ )
• PADI - Professional Association of Diving Instructors (http://www.padi.com/ )
• SSI - Scuba Schools International (http://www.ssiusa.com/ )
• YMCA - YMCA SCUBA (http://www.ymcascuba.org/ )

• AAUS - American Academy of Underwater Sciences
• Active Divers Association
• ARSBC - Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia
• BFDC and North Carolina SCUBA/Wreck Diving
• Chicago Aquanauts Scuba Association
• DAN - Divers Alert Network
• GLACD - Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers
• HSA International
• Israeli Diving Federation
• Malta Professional Diving Schools Association
• National Association of Black Scuba Divers
• New York State Diver's Association
• MOAV - Mystic Order of Aquatic Vigilance
• NSS-CDS - National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section (http://www.nsscds.com/ )
• Odyssey Expeditions
• Recreational Divers Association
• Sub-Aqua Association
• USDDA - United States Dental Diving Association, Inc