Overview
ISO 24808:2024 - Recreational diving services: Requirements for rebreather instructor training defines minimum requirements for training programmes that prepare instructors to teach rebreather diving. The standard sets out competency goals, evaluation criteria and the framework under which rebreather instructor training is delivered, supplementing the general recreational diving service requirements in ISO 24803. It responds to the growing use of rebreathers and the safety need for consistent, auditable instructor qualifications.
Key Topics and Requirements
- Scope and intent: Establishes what instructor programmes must achieve so instructors can train rebreather divers safely and effectively.
- Competency structure: Defines competencies required to qualify instructors at four levels, corresponding to progressively advanced rebreather and decompression capabilities (from no‑decompression to deeper decompression diving).
- Prerequisites: Includes age, health, preassessment and prior diver/instructor experience requirements; level‑specific prerequisites are specified.
- Training content:
- Theoretical knowledge covering rebreather systems, physiology, gas management and dive planning.
- Practical skills including general operation, emergency procedures and rescue skills specific to rebreathers.
- Training delivery: Requirements for training equipment and materials, confined‑water and open‑water sessions, in‑water training parameters, and breathing gas limits.
- Assessment and qualification: Criteria for knowledge tests, skill evaluations, in‑water performance, course assistance and crossover pathways from other systems.
- Instructor trainers and proof: Rules for appointment of instructor trainers and documentation/records required to demonstrate qualification.
Applications - Who Uses ISO 24808
- Training organizations and dive centers implementing or auditing rebreather instructor programmes.
- Instructor trainers and assessor bodies responsible for certifying rebreather instructors.
- Dive federations and certification agencies aligning curricula and quality management with international norms.
- Service providers and dive operators that hire or verify instructor competence for guided rebreather activities.
- Manufacturers and safety managers referencing training requirements for specific rebreather units and risk mitigation.
Using ISO 24808 helps standardize rebreather instructor qualifications, reduce training variability, and improve diver safety by ensuring instructors meet consistent competency and assessment standards.
Related Standards
- ISO 24803 - General requirements for recreational diving providers
- ISO 24802-2 - Scuba instructor training (Level 2)
- ISO 24804–24807 - Rebreather diver training standards (No‑decompression through decompression diving to greater depths)
For implementation details and full normative requirements, obtain the complete ISO 24808:2024 text from ISO or your national standards body.
