The French National Committee for Scientific Diving

par FERAL Jean-Pierre

This national authority, created by the CNRS-INSU in 1999, gathers the Organizations represented at the “Committee of the Directors of Organizations in Oceanography” which named their representatives. The initiative of the CNRS-INSU was justified by the extent of its missions, by the numerical importance of the scientific divers manpower concerned, enabling to organize a training to finally obtain the habilitation for hyperbaric activities (CAH), and also by the organization of an annual training courses in the Marine Stations. The committee initially gathered the following organizations : CNRS (SDU, SDV, SHS), MNHN, DRASSM, IFREMER, IFRTP, IPEV, IRD, CEMAGREF (current IRSTEA) and the University Paris 6. The INSERM, the INRA, the consortium of the 14 “marine” universities joined the CNPS more recently. The panel of the European Marine Board for scientific diving (ESDP) is also represented. The committee includes personalities chosen for their competence in the field of diving, in particular the law of the sea and the hyperbaric medicine. The director of the INPP (occupational diving) is a permanent guest. To fulfill the respective functions of president and executive secretary, the committee co-optes two of its members, for a two years renewable mandate.

[navy blue] the tasks of the CNPS are
 to make a census of the scientific staff using the diving within the framework of its occupations,
 to promote education acts and trainings,
 to make known and to propose adaptations to the national policy,
 to take part in the European harmonization of the regulation of the national qualifications in collaboration with the Marine Board (ESDP).

To be completed
Members of the CNPS
Useful addresses