S-3.1, r. 8 - By-law respecting qualifications for recreational underwater diving

Schedule Disposition versions

2012-09-01

SCHEDULE 4

(ss. 4 and 8)

CONTENT OF EXAMINATIONS – CLASS C DIVER

THEORETICAL EXAMINATION

— Principles of physics applying to recreational underwater diving and solving problems related to the application of those principles.

— Principal systems of the human body and the various physiology principles applying to recreational underwater diving.

— Understanding of the necessity of being in good physical condition to engage in safe recreational underwater diving.

— Preventive measures and causes of accidents in recreational underwater diving.

— Ability to correctly select, check, adjust and maintain the equipment and make minor repairs to certain equipment.

— Brief description of the operation of a two-stage regulator, submersible pressure gauge, depth gauge, digital decompression device (dive computer) and a compressor with air storage cylinders.

— Reading and using a nautical chart in the planning of a dive.

— Basic knowledge of seamanship and piloting of small craft.

— Safety procedures for boat diving.

— Basic knowledge of marine animal life and flora in fresh water and salt water in Québec.

— Environmental phenomena that may influence a dive, including currents and tides.

— Safety requirements for various recreational underwater diving conditions.

— Basic principles of self rescue, assisting a distressed diver and a complete rescue.

— Principles of underwater navigation, including the use of a compass and the use of natural references at the bottom.

— Principles of compressed breathing gas consumption, including the calculation of the volume of compressed breathing gas available to the diver according to the planned dive.

— Organizing and carrying out a night dive, current dive, limited visibility dive and deep dive, including a description of the required equipment and precautionary measures.

— Principles underlying the action to take in case of emergency decompression.

— Reading and using a decompression table in recreational underwater diving.

— Using a digital decompression device (dive computer) in recreational underwater diving.

— Basic knowledge and precautions with respect to certain types of specialty diving including ice diving, wreck diving (with penetration), diving with compressed breathing gas other than air, diving using a closed circuit or semi-closed circuit scuba system, cave and cavern diving and certain other types of technical diving.

— Knowledge of usual methods of non-verbal communication.

— Principles of ethics and diver’s responsibilities.

— Using a diver’s log.

— Québec legislation with regard to recreational underwater diving and other legal aspects related to diving in Québec.

PRACTICAL EXAMINATION IN OPEN WATER

— Ability to correctly and efficiently display the diving skills referred to in Schedule 2 under the heading “Practical examination in open water”, adapted to a Class C diver conditions for night diving, deep diving (between 30 and 40 m/100 and 130 ft) and limited visibility diving.

— Scuba self-rescue skills and techniques; efficient and correct use of rescue techniques to assist or rescue a diver simulating distress.

— Ability to appropriately simulate first aid that must be given to a diver in the following conditions: unconsciousness, near-drowning, pulmonary barotrauma, perforation of the tympanic membrane, cold shock, decompression sickness.

— Ability to plan and organize a night dive, a limited visibility dive and a current dive and to observe the safety requirements for those dives.

— Ability to plan and organize an exploration dive using underwater navigation, demonstrate the use of a compass and navigation techniques using natural references.

— Ability to plan and organize a dive observing no-decompression limits to a depth of between 30 and 40 m, with a decompression stop simulation at a depth of 5 m during the ascent.

M.O. 2002-01, Sch. 4; M.O. 2011-01-31, s. 13.