8 Documents to Demand Before a Diver Enters Your Site

By Priya Raghunathan, Port authority procurement analyst. Reviewed by Dana Whitcombe, technical reviewer.

Commercial Diving Contractors Alabama | Commercial Diving Contractors Alaska September 2017, Port of Seattle. A dive contractor showed up to inspect a fender system on Pier 32. The water was 50 degrees, green, and the current pulled hard enough to bend a shackle. The crew lead had an 80-page binder under his arm. I was new at the job, so I said, 'Great, let's go.' He opened the binder to a page with a three-inch-long signature. That was it. No dive plan, no risk assessment, no emergency procedures. Just a signature and a hope.

The Eight, in One Breath

Here is the list I tape to my monitor. If a diver's boots hit the water before any one of these is on the table, the job stops.

1. Diver certification cards and current logbook.
2. Diver medical fitness certificate, issued within the last 12 months.
3. Job-specific dive plan covering depths, bottom time, gas, and decompression.
4. Hazard identification and risk assessment specific to this site and this task.
5. Emergency response plan, including access to a recompression chamber.
6. Inspection and maintenance records for every piece of life-support gear.
7. Site-specific permit to dive or work authorization from the port.
8. Insurance certificates with dive-specific coverage, not just general liability. Each one answers a question you don't want to hear after a diver surfaces with a problem.

The Team and Their Bodies

Document #1: Diver certifications and logbooks. Not just a plastic card. I want a logbook that shows recent, relevant experience—mooring inspections, concrete repair, contaminated water. A guy who last dove in a Caribbean resort is not the same as one who's worked Port of Houston mud for a decade. The certification should match the diving mode too: surface-supplied, scuba, or saturation. ADCI or IMCA cards are a good baseline, but the logbook proves they've actually done this work. Document #2: The medical certificate. Commercial diving is hard on the body. A diver's fitness is not something you take a contractor's word for. The certificate must be issued within the last year and cover the specific physical demands of the job—whether that's heavy lifting underwater or working in a dry suit in freezing water. If the med cert is expired, the diver doesn't get wet. Period.

The Plan and the Rescue

Document #3: The dive plan. This is the boss of the job. It says what the task is, what the depth and bottom time will be, what gas mix they're breathing, and what the decompression schedule is. If the plan doesn't match the work, the plan is wrong. I've seen contractors try to do a 45-minute job on a 20-minute plan. That's how you get bent. Document #4: The risk assessment. This is where they show they've thought about the specific hazards of your site—a pier with barnacles that can slice a wetsuit, a current that changes with the tide, a nearby active intake that can trap a diver against the grate. A generic JSA from another port is worthless. The assessment needs to name your site and your conditions. Document #5: The emergency response plan. This is the one I actually read first now. It should name the nearest recompression chamber, the route to it, and who drives. It should have a protocol for a diver with an embolism—quick evacuation, not a debate. If the plan is vague, assume the worst.

The Kit and the Permission

Document #6: Equipment inspection and maintenance records. Every life-support item—helmet, regulators, air compressor, hoses, suits—needs a tag or record showing the last inspection and a history of repairs. I want to see that the compressor filters have been changed recently, not that the oil was topped off in 2019. If a diver's air supply depends on a piece of gear, I need to know someone has been looking at it with the same paranoia I do. Document #7: The site permit to dive. Your port has rules. The contractor needs a written authorization that says, 'This dive is approved at this location, for this time frame, under these conditions.' It should include the points of contact, the dive team's safety observer, and any restrictions like 'no diving during vessel transits.' It protects you as much as them. Document #8: The insurance certificates. Not just a certificate of coverage—I want to see that the policy specifically covers commercial diving operations and that the port is listed as an additional insured. General liability with a 'marine exclusion' is a red flag. If they can't prove they're covered for a diver injury, they aren't doing this work, and neither are you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the contractor says they've done this a hundred times and the paperwork is just a formality? Tell them the paperwork is the proof. Experience brings caution, not the other way around. If they really have done it a hundred times, they'll have every document ready. Can I rely on the contractor's word that a diver is certified? No. You need to see the card and the logbook yourself. A good contractor won't make you ask. They'll put the documents on the table before you do. How often do these documents need to be updated? Medical certificates are typically valid for a year. Insurance may be annual. The dive plan and risk assessment should be reviewed for every new site or task. If the job changes, the documents change.