European Scientific Diving Committee

The European Scientific Diving Committee was set up as interim commission based on a meeting of experts in scientific diving and underwater sciences held in Berlin (Germany) at the 25th-26th June 2007 following the intention of the Banyules sur mer meeting in the year 2000. The official ESDC was established during the 1st International Symposium on Occupational Scientific Diving in Bremerhaven October 15th to 16th, 2007.

In the year 2009, ESDC was adopted as a panel to European Science Fund - Marine Board, and was named European Scientific Diving Panel.

The objectives of the ESDP are:

To encourage international mobility in the European scientific diving community through the implementation of a practical support framework by:

• promoting the widespread recognition of the existing ESD and AESD as the minimum standards for scientific diving by assuring their acceptance as the primary qualifications for scientific diving in Europe

• becoming established as the recognised European body with responsibility to provide advice and guidance on the acceptance of existing standards within national and international legislative processes;

• facilitating, promoting and maintaining communication with and between present national scientific diving organisations and the National Scientific Diving Committees.

To promote safety in scientific diving across Europe through:

• facilitating a pan-European framework that exists to promote industry best practice in scientific diving;

• promotion and support for the establishment of national scientific diving committees where they don’t exist;

• the development and maintenance of a European database of scientific diving activities.

To advance underwater scientific excellence in Europe through:

• the facilitation of conferences, workshops, courses and publications where scientific diving is promoted as a research tool;

• encouragement and support for European funded research networks that employ scientific diving.

On this page, you will find more detailed information on the ESDP as well as the term and procedures for EU countries to join the ESDP.

Because our main goal is to integrate as many countries as possible to the new ESDP, we hereby want to officially invite all EU countries to join this new European initiative for a harmonized standard for scientific diving in Europe.