I'm curious about what kind of skills or specialties you think would make up a good general science/research diver course. I know what AAUS standards are for science divers but I wanna know what you guys think.
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The thing about scientific divers is that diving isn't the purpose, it is just the transportation. Scientists will probably be diving a lot longer than the majority of new OW divers unless they make a career change. Their diving experiences will also be more diverse and more complex. They probably won't be doing simple beach dives close to the edge.
So, scientific divers should have a more complete course of instruction and, from what I have read, it is not likely that any agency will come close to what the AAUS standards require. Perhaps LA County comes close. I have read that their Advanced program is quite lengthy but I don't really know anything about it.
Richard
Diving on air is not permitted beyond a depth of 190 feet.