Dive Team Organization, Roles, and Chain of Command
One dive, one supervisor
The exam tests whether you can map authority. A dive team normally includes a diving supervisor, divers, a standby diver, tenders, and supporting roles such as chamber operator, compressor operator, and dive medical technician. The supervisor controls the dive sequence, entry and exit, communications, and stop-work decisions. The diving safety officer owns program-level standards and audits. Client representatives define scope and acceptance criteria but do not direct divers in the water.
Chain-of-command rules
- Every dive has a named supervisor present at the site; delegation must be explicit and documented.
- The standby diver is dressed and ready, with duties that do not include routine tending.
- Tenders maintain the umbilical or line and are the supervisor's primary link to the diver.
- Stop-work authority is real only if exercised without retaliation and recorded.
- Conflicting instructions are resolved by the supervisor before the diver enters the water.
Worked example
A client representative tells a diver to enter a pump intake to clear debris. The supervisor has not completed the hazard review and the intake is not locked out. The diver hesitates. Reasoning: the client can request the task but cannot authorize the entry; operational control rests with the supervisor. The correct action is to stop, complete isolation and hazard review, and document the client's request and the supervisor's decision. A diver who follows the client's instruction creates a dual-command failure.
Traps that cost marks
- Assuming the most senior or most experienced diver is automatically supervisor.
- Allowing a client representative to give in-water directions.
- Assigning the standby diver routine tending duties.
- Treating stop-work authority as a policy statement rather than a practiced action.