How to become a commercial diver in Europe

Step 1 — Meet the entry requirements

Start with a diving medical that confirms you are fit to dive, carried out by a qualified diving physician. You will also need to meet minimum age and basic fitness/swimming requirements, and for some routes a basic scuba level to begin with.

Step 2 — Train in stages (scope levels)

Dutch commercial diving is built up in scope levels, from scuba at the entry end up to surface-supplied diving (SSE / B50). Training is blended — online theory combined with hands-on practice at a diving facility (for example a deep training basin, conditioned dive towers and a decompression chamber). Each level unlocks deeper or more complex work.

To give a concrete sense of scale: the entry-level A9 scope combines approximately 40 hours of online self-study with about two weeks of practical training in Enkhuizen, at a published price of €7,390 excluding VAT as of our August 2026 check. Higher scope levels such as B30 and B50 build on this with additional practical weeks; their current durations and fees are available from the school directly.

Step 3 — Get registered

Pass the Hobéon-SKO examinations for your level and register with NDC-RI. That registration — not the course certificate on its own — is your qualifying credential for professional diving work in the Netherlands.

Step 4 — Add recognition and tickets for where you want to work

Match your credentials to your target market. The Dutch scheme is recognised for offshore work through IMCA; the B50 qualification is on the UK HSE approved list (reviewed periodically); and there is a recognised crossover route towards ADAS in Australia. For specific jobs you then add an offshore medical, offshore survival (BOSIET/HUET), a Diver Medic Technician certificate, and welding qualifications where relevant.

As an example of scale: an IMCA-recognised Diver Medic Technician course runs approximately 60 hours of online self-study plus eight practical days including the examination.

Step 5 — Build experience

Most divers start inshore — civil, harbour and construction work — to log hours and prove reliability, then move offshore as they gain experience, progressing from air diving towards saturation work over time. Experience and a clean safety record are what open the better-paid roles.

Coming from the UK or Ireland?

The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes a "List of Approved Diving Qualifications" that sets out which qualifications satisfy regulation 12(1)(a) of the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 — a diver may only dive on a project if they hold an approved qualification. Training to B50 in the Netherlands leads to a qualification named on that list: "NDC Registratie Instelling B50" is listed under Schedule 1 (offshore diving), with no listed expiry date.

One nuance worth knowing before you choose a scope: the related "NDC Registratie Instelling B50R" entry (SCUBA & Surface Supplied) is usable for Surface Supplied, Surface-Orientated Diving Techniques only to a maximum depth of 50 metres, and only if the diver also holds the HSE surface supplied (top-up) qualification — B50R on its own is not the same as B50.

Irish citizens training here are EU citizens and travel freely; British citizens can visit the Schengen area visa-free for short stays (up to 90 days in any 180-day period) — check the current entry rules before you travel. HSE approves the qualification, not a particular school — check the full detail, including the current HSE list and the other Diving at Work requirements your employer sets, on our dedicated page for UK and Irish divers.

Why train in Europe

Training in Europe means working within the recognised EN ISO / DNV framework, avoiding the large tuition debt associated with US schools, and — within the EU/EEA — training and working without a separate work visa. Courses can be followed in English, with English materials for international participants.