ODIA Diver Competency & Pay Grading Matrix
Career Progression Requirements for UK Offshore Diving Personnel
Revision 01 - November 2014
🌊 Air/Surface Supplied Path
Air Dive School
Complete commercial dive school and obtain HSE Approved Surface Supplied Diver certification
↓
Surface Supplied Diver (D05)
Entry-level qualified commercial diver working on surface supplied equipment
↓
Professional Surface Supplied Diver
Requirements:
- 100 surface supplied dives
- 100 hours bottom time
- 70 dives & 70 hours offshore/DP vessel
- IMCA/Company competencies
- Minimum 4 tool competencies
🔔 Closed Bell Path
Bell Diver Training
Complete HSE Approved Bell Diver Training course
↓
Bell Diver (D04)
Qualified closed bell diver working in saturation or bell bounce diving operations
↓
Professional Bell Diver
Requirements:
- 100 surface supplied dives
- 100 closed bell lock-outs
- 400 lock-out hours
- 70 dives & 70 hours offshore/DP vessel
- IMCA/Company competencies
- Minimum 4 tool competencies
📋 Detailed Requirements
Qualifying Dives & Lock-Outs
- Must be performed offshore (outside 12-mile territorial waters) or on a DP vessel
- Must be "at work" - performing actual job tasks
- Training dives, trials, and test dives DO NOT count
- Standby dives and dry dives DO NOT count for bell divers
- Lock-outs must involve leaving the bell while at work
Work Experience Requirements
- 70 hours must be with an IMCA or ADC UK member company
- Work must be within UK Offshore ACoP (exploration & exploitation works, DP vessels, or outside territorial limits)
- 30 hours can be in any sector with IMCA/ADC UK company
- Logged bottom times or excursion times only count when "at work"
IMCA Core Competencies
- Air Divers: Must complete IMCA D003 Table D-44 (Surface Supplied Diver)
- Bell Divers: Must complete IMCA D003 Table D-39 (Bell/Saturation Diver)
- Assessed against relevant skills as per company requirements
- Note: Wet Bell Operations (D05/000/03) not required in UK as technique rarely used
- Note: DP Systems (D05/000/08) only required if company uses DP vessels
Additional Skills & Tool Competencies
Minimum 4 competencies required from:
Lifting Equipment (cranes, slings, shackles, tirfors, chain hoist)
Oxy-arc/Thermal Cutting Equipment
HP Water Jetting Equipment
Grit Blasting Equipment
Bolt Tensioning Equipment
Hydraulic Tools
Air Lift Bags
Air Lift/Dredging Equipment
Mattress Handling Equipment
Metrology Equipment
Lift Planning & Rigging
Note: Companies may require additional tools/skills not listed above
⚠️ Important Distinction: Pay grading should not be confused with verification of competence. Pay grading alone does not confirm competence - only the criteria set out in this matrix. Holding a certificate of pay grading does not override ODIA Clause 16.2, where divers are paid for the designation and grade they are engaged on, not the level they are qualified to.
🔴 Critical Notes
- Employers, clients, and regulators require competence to be obtained, demonstrated, assessed, and recorded with evidence
- Diver advancement through ODIA pay grades must be linked to IMCA/company competence systems (Ref: ODIA Clause 11.1)
- Once all criteria are met, employer signatory provides a certificate of acceptance of revised pay grading
- Certificate must be signed and dated by authorized person (Operations Manager, Diving Manager, HR Manager, Safety Manager or similar)
- Subsequent employers may contact issuing company for verification - requests will be responded to promptly
✅ Certification Process: After meeting all requirements, your employer will issue a certificate of acceptance for the revised pay grade. This certificate can be verified by future employers as part of your professional credentials.