IN 1609 – Verification of diver qualifications
- Information Note
- Published on 26 August 2025
- 5 minute read
This information note supersedes IMCA IN 1609 and IMCA D 02/18 which are now withdrawn.
This information note has been produced to help IMCA Members and others verify the validity of diving certificates recognised by IMCA for the purpose of demonstrating the basic competence of those seeking employment as commercial divers within:
- the offshore commercial diving sector (the class of offshore diving), and
- the inland/inshore commercial diving sector (the class of inland/inshore diving).
The information note should be read in conjunction with IMCA Information Note 1610 – IMCA position statement on offshore & inland/inshore commercial diving qualifications.
1 Verification of Offshore Divers Qualifications
The offshore commercial diver training certificates listed in the current version of IMCA D088 – Diving certification and verification are recognised by IMCA as suitable qualifications for those seeking employment as commercial divers in the offshore diving sector and for those seeking employment as commercial divers in the inland/inshore diving sector.
Those wishing to check the validity of such commercial diver training certificates should contact the relevant certifying authority. Contact details are provided below.
Australia – Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme (ADAS)
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526 Duncan Road Dunoon, NSW 2480 Australia
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Contact: Amanda Sordes Tel: +61 2 6689 5656 Mob: +61 4 0934 2464 E-mail: enquiries@adas.org.au |
Canada – Diver Certification Board of Canada
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208-5209 St Margaret’s Bay Road Upper Tantallon Nova Scotia B3Z 1E3 Canada |
Contact: Tracy Childs Tel: +1 902 826 2190 Fax: +1 902 826 2191 E-mail: tchilds@divercertification.com |
Netherlands – Netherlands Diving Centre/Nationaal Duikcentrum (NDC)
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Buitenhofdreef 280 2625 RE Delft The Netherlands |
Contact: ASK Back Office (Director Mrs Carin Bot) Tel: +31 15 251 2024 Fax: +31 15 251 2021 E-mail: post@ndc.nl or post@ndcci.nl |
New Zealand – WorkSafe New Zealand
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86 Customhouse Quay PO Box 165 Wellington 6140 New Zealand |
Contact: Certifications, Approvals & Registrations Team Tel: +64 4 897 7699 E-mail: occdiving@worksafe.govt.nz |
Norway – Havtil
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Professor Olav Hanssens vei 10 Box 599, N-4003 Stavanger Norway |
Contact: Bjarne Sandvik/Øyvind Loennechen Tel: +47 5187 6050 Fax: +47 5187 6080 E-mail: postboks@ptil.no |
South Africa – Department of Labour
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Laboria House 215 Schoeman Street Pretoria South Africa |
Contact: Somikazi Charlie Tel: +27 12 309 4161 Mob: +27 66 132 0010 E-mail: Somikazi.Charlie@labour.gov.za Contact: Keke Khoza Tel: +27 12 309 4399 Mob: +27 84 959 8043 Email: keke.khoza@labour.gov.za Fax: +27 12 309 4763 |
United Kingdom – Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
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Diving Operations Strategy Team Diving Operations Strategy Team Rosebery Court St Andrews Business Park Central Avenue Norwich NR7 0HS |
Contact: Diving Administrative Support Team Tel: +44 (0)23 028 2741 E-mail: diving@hse.gov.uk |
United States of America – Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI)
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5206 FM 1960 West, Suite 202 Houston, TX 77079 United States of America |
Contact: Nancy Vu Tel: +1 281 893 8388 E-mail: nancy@adc-int.org |
IMCA – Air and Bell Diving Supervisor and Life Support Technician certificates only
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66 Buckingham Gate London SW1E 6AU |
Contact: Membership Services Group Tel: +44 (0)20 7824 5524 E-mail: certification@imca-int.com |
2 Other Certificates
In the case of the following, certificates are issued directly by the schools listed and contact should be made with the school directly to verify their validity:
- India – Commercial Surface Supply Course, Kochi (issued between September 2002 and January 2013)
- ACDE certificates issued since 1993 by the following US training schools, recognised by the Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE) in respect of training/assessment performed in accordance with US Standard ANSI/ACDE-01-1993 and its successor standard ANSI/ACDE-01-1998:
- ACDE – e-mail: info@acde.us / website www.acde.us
- ACDE – e-mail: info@acde.us / website www.acde.us
- IMCA Surface Supplied: Certificates issued with the approval of IMCA, following competence assessment of experienced surface supplied divers in accordance with IMCA Information Note 799 – Competence assessment of experienced surface supplied divers, by:
- Diving Diseases Research Centre
- KB Associates Pte Ltd
- Interdive Services Ltd.
- National Hyperbaric Centre
- IMCA Surface Supplied and Bell Diver: Certificates issued under the ‘Verification of experienced ACDE surface supplied and bell divers’ undertaken by The Ocean Corporation and KB Associates (Europe) with the approval of IMCA.
3 Verification of Inland/Onshore Diver Qualifications
Inland/inshore commercial diver training certificates issued by the certifying authorities listed in Section 1 above are also recognised by IMCA as suitable qualifications for those seeking employment as commercial divers in the inland/inshore diving sector only. Those wishing to check the validity of such commercial diver training certificates should contact the relevant certifying authority using the details provided in Section 1.
In addition to the certifying authorities listed in Section 1, IMCA also recognises the inland/inshore commercial diver training certificates issued by the following certifying authority:
Singapore – Diver Certification Authority (Workplace Safety and Health Council)
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1500 Bendemeer Road Singapore 339946 |
Tel: +65 6438 5122 E-mail: wsh_training@wshc.sg |
NOTE:
- Inland/inshore commercial diving training certificates are not recognised by IMCA for offshore commercial diving activities.
- For more information, please contact Ali.Macleod@imca-int.com.