Scuba Divers Ranks

Are there ranks for scuba divers?

            Many people approach me with a question that concerns their minds. People tend to ask if there are ranks for a scuba diver. Even sometimes, scuba divers who are certified do not know the ranks or their limitations. To answer their first question about the ranks, yes there are ranks for scuba divers. To answer their second question about limitations, yes there are limitations to each license and for each diver.

What are the ranks of a scuba diver?

        Since I am a scuba diving instructor at the National Association of Underwater Instructors “NAUI”, the will explain the order of the scuba diving license ranks according to NAUI. The order of the ranks, requirements, or even limitations may differ from an association to another.This is the NAUI World Wide order of scuba diving license:

• Open water scuba diver - maximum diving limit is 18m. This course teaches a diver the basics of scuba diving.

  

  Scuba Diver License

• Advanced scuba diver-maximum diving limit is 40m. This course teaches a diver about deep diving, compass navigation, natural navigation, night or limited visibility diving, drift diving, and other diving specialties.

  

  Advanced Scuba Diver License

• Scuba rescue diver-teach a diver how to rescue his/her body underwater whether the diver was distressed or fainted from the moment that he/she sees the diver till the moment they reach the boat and help arrives.

  

  Scuba Rescue Diver License

• Master scuba diver-is a course that qualifies the diver to be a guide for a group of diver. The skills of the advanced scuba diving course are repeated with more difficulties and obstacles to teach the diver how to handle difficult situations underwater.

  

  Master Scuba Diver License

• Dive master-is an assistant instructor and is the beginning of the leadership courses. He/she helps the instructor during the teaching of the courses. Moreover, he/she may teach people by their own about snorkeling and skin diving. A dive master may be also a group leader for certified divers.

  

  Dive Master License

• Instructor-is qualified to certify divers till the dive master level.

  

  Instructor License 

• Instructor trainer-is qualified to certify people till the instructor level.
• Course director-is qualified to certify people till the course director level. A course director is the highest scuba diving rank all over the world.

This video may demonstrate to you the ranks of scuba diving according to the National Association of Underwater Instructors “NAUI”. 

Diabetes and Scuba Diving

Guidelines for Recreational Diving with Diabetes

What makes this topic so important?

Since Scuba Diving has been a great hobby and an amazing outdoor activity that spread a lot among people in the last few years, healthy and non-healthy people wanted to participate. Among the people who wanted to try Scuba Diving were the Diabetic people. In order to keep everybody safe, Divers Alert Network "DAN" issued a report few years back with some guideline to dive safely for the diabetic people.

Table 1: 

Guidelines for Recreational Diving with Diabetes - Summary Form 1 Selection and Surveillance

Age 18 years (16 years if in special training program)

Delay diving after start/change in medication- 3 months with oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA)
- 1 year after initiation of insulin therapy

No episodes of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia requiring intervention from a third party for at least one year

No history of hypoglycemia unawareness

HbA1c > or = 9% no more than one month prior to initial assessment and at each annual review- values >9% indicate the need for further evaluation and possible modification of therapy

No significant secondary complications from diabetes

Physician/Diabetologist should carry out annual review and determine that diver has good understanding of disease and effect of exercise- in consultation with an expert in diving medicine, as required

Evaluation for silent ischemia for candidates >40 years of age- after initial evaluation, periodic surveillance for silent ischemia can be in accordance with accepted local/national guidelines for the evaluation of diabetics

Candidate documents intent to follow protocol for divers with diabetes and to cease diving and seek medical review for any adverse events during diving possibly related to diabetes Scope of Diving

Diving should be planned to avoid- depths >100 fsw (30 msw)
- durations >60 minutes
- compulsory decompression stops
- overhead environments (e.g., cave, wreck penetration)
- situations that may exacerbate hypoglycemia (e.g., prolonged cold and arduous dives)

Dive buddy/leader informed of diver's condition and steps to follow in case of problem

Dive buddy should not have diabetes Glucose Management on the Day of Diving

General self-assessment of fitness to dive

Blood glucose (BG) >,= 150 mgdL-1 (8.3 mmol.L-1), stable or rising, before entering the water- complete a minimum of three pre-dive BG tests to evaluate trends @ 60 minutes, 30 minutes and immediately prior to diving
- alterations in dosage of OHA or insulin on evening prior or day of diving may help

Delay dive if BG- <150 mg.dL-1 (8.3 mmol.L-1)
- >300 mg.dL-1 (16.7 mmol.L-1)

Rescue medications- carry readily accessible oral glucose during all dives
- have parenteral glucagon available at

If hypoglycemia noticed underwater, the diver should surface (with buddy), establish positive

Check blood sugar frequently for 12-15 hours after diving

Ensure adequate hydration on days of diving

Log all dives (include BG test results and all information pertinent to diabetes management)For full text see: Pollock NW, Uguccioni DM, Dear GdeL, eds. Diabetes and recreational diving: guidelines for the future.
Proceedings of the UHMS/DAN 2005 June 19 Workshop. Durham, NC:

This is the source of the article.

Do you know how to behave with a diabetic diver? 

Whether if we are diabetic people or not, diabetes has spread a lot during the past years. We must know how to interact with such people. The following  is a survey that will ask you about scuba diving and diabetes. The result of the survey will be used to conduct an awareness campaign about scuba diving and diabetes. Thank in advance for participating and making people aware of this issue. 

A picture of DAN Diabetes awareness Campaign

A Diabetic diver checking his blood sugar before diving

What is Scuba Diving?

SCUBA DIVING

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving where a diver uses a Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus “SCUBA”. Unlike other kinds of diving, a scuba diver does not need to hold his/her breathe or rely on air pumped from the surface. Scuba divers use their own gas for breathing underwater. Using their own gas tanks, freedom and longer underwater endurance than breath hold, a diver can enjoy his/her time diving. Usually, the gas consumed by divers is compressed, dry air. There are others kinds of gas mixtures that divers use for diving. Those special mixtures are usually used by technical divers or for special kinds of underwater activities. Most people have the idea in their mind that the gas consumed underwater is pure Oxygen, which is a wrong idea. Pure Oxygen gas is considered to be lethally toxic after exceeding the depth of 6m. The gas consumed by a normal scuba diver under water is normal air that we as human breath in our normal conditions. Another inquiry that lots of people have is the question “How long can I stay underwater using a single tank?” The answer of this question depends on many factors such as: 

• The first factor is the water temperature. When the water is cold, a diver consumes more air than in worm waters. 
• The second factor is the depth of the diving site. A scuba diver consumes more air in deeper sites than in diving in shallow waters.
• The third factor is the diver`s physical fitness. When a diver is a non-smoker and is in a good physical shape, then he/she consumes less air than smokers or divers that are not in a good physical shape.
• One more factor is the type of underwater activity. When a diver is taking photos and not moving a lot underwater then he/she consumes less air than a diver that is moving all over the place. 

Useful advice's about air consumption 

There many ways for a diver to control his underwater breathing. I have chosen two good articles, article one is and article two is written for you to read more about this topic. Those are the links to the articles:

For any further inquiries, please do not hesitate to ask me any question by sending an email  I am looking forward to meet and interact with each and every one of you.

 This photo demonstrate the diver and the air tank on his back.