Professional Diploma in Underwater Salvage and Rescue
This professional diploma gives you the knowledge to plan and support complex underwater salvage and rescue operations. You will study diving physics and physiology, mixed gases and decompression, surface-supplied and saturation diving systems, naval architecture applied to stranded and sunken vessels, refloating and wreck removal, ROVs, AUVs and underwater acoustics, subsea search and rescue, forensic recovery, hazmat diving, salvage law and operational risk management, and you will finish by planning a complete salvage operation.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
You are starting from scratch in this subject. The program is designed precisely for that.
What is the Professional Diploma in Underwater Salvage and Rescue?
This professional diploma prepares you to understand, plan and coordinate operations in which lives, vessels and cargo must be recovered from beneath the surface. You will start with the physical laws and physiology that govern deep diving, decompression models and hyperbaric treatment; move on to commercial diving equipment, surface-supplied and saturation systems, atmospheric diving suits and underwater cutting and welding; learn how stability, buoyancy and structural loads determine whether a casualty can be refloated or must be removed; and study ROVs, AUVs, sonar and subsea positioning, search patterns, submarine rescue systems, forensic recovery, contaminated-water diving and the legal and economic framework of salvage.
What sets this professional diploma apart: an end-to-end view of underwater salvage that links diver physiology, equipment, naval architecture and robotics; a strong focus on refloating, patching, pumping and wreck removal methods used on real casualties; up-to-date coverage of ROV, AUV, multibeam, side-scan sonar and USBL/LBL positioning; dedicated modules on subsea search and rescue, forensic recovery and chain of custody; a clear grounding in the 1989 Salvage Convention, Lloyd's Open Form and general average; and a final project in which you plan the salvage of a sunken vessel carrying dangerous cargo.
Program highlights
- Diving science: gas laws, decompression models, mixed gases and hyperbaric medicine.
- Commercial diving systems: surface-supplied, saturation, atmospheric suits and cutting.
- Salvage engineering: stability, refloating, patching, pumping and wreck removal.
- Subsea technology: ROVs, AUVs, sonar, multibeam and acoustic positioning.
- Search, rescue and forensics: search patterns, submarine rescue and chain of custody.
- Final project: a full salvage plan for a sunken vessel with hazardous cargo.
Syllabus of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Salvage and Rescue
8 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Professional diving physiology, underwater physics and hyperbaric medicine
- 1.1. Physical laws applied to deep diving: Boyle-Mariotte, Dalton, Henry, Charles and Archimedes
- 1.2. Diving pathophysiology: decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity (Lorrain Smith and Paul Bert effects) and barotrauma
- 1.3. Gas mixtures for deep operations: Nitrox, Trimix, Heliox and synthetic mixes (PPO2 and END management)
- 1.4. Decompression tables (US Navy, Bühlmann) and real-time decompression algorithms (RGBM, VPM)
- 1.5. Hyperbaric chambers: design, operation, maintenance, biosafety and treatment schedules (US Navy Tables 5, 6, 6A and 7)
- 1.6. Underwater first aid, advanced life support (BLS/ACLS) and response to arterial gas embolism
- 1.7. Prevention of drowning, deep hypothermia and stress or panic management in zero-visibility environments
- 1.8. Decompression tables and hyperbaric chambers
Commercial diving equipment, surface-supplied systems and saturation diving
- 2.1. Heavy and advanced scuba equipment: diving helmets (Kirby Morgan), full-face masks and hard-wired communication systems
- 2.2. Surface-supplied diving: gas control panels, umbilicals, high- and low-pressure compressors and reserve banks
- 2.3. Saturation diving: deck living systems, diving bells, hyperbaric rescue chambers and reclaimed heliox
- 2.4. Atmospheric diving suits: operation, life support systems and mechanical capabilities at great depth
- 2.5. Underwater cutting and welding systems: Broco exothermic cutting and dry or wet hyperbaric welding
- 2.6. Maintenance, NDT inspection, load testing and certification of diving equipment to IMCA and ADCI standards
- 2.7. Logistics of diving spreads on diving support vessels and offshore platforms
- 2.8. Saturation systems and diving bells
Hydrodynamics, applied naval architecture and wreck salvage
- 3.1. Naval architecture principles for salvage: ship stability, reserve buoyancy, righting moment and center of gravity (KG, GM)
- 3.2. Assessment of stranded, grounded or sunken ships: structural stresses, shear forces and bending moments
- 3.3. Refloating methods: buoyancy calculation, lifting bags, mechanical pontoons and controlled-buoyancy tanks
- 3.4. Sealing leaks, plugging and patching, bulkhead reinforcement and high-capacity submersible pumping
- 3.5. Wreck removal: cutting heavy hulls (diamond wire, abrasive water jet), heavy pulling with strand jacks and lifting with large cranes
- 3.6. Cargo lightering, fuel removal by hot tapping and ballast water management on listing vessels
- 3.7. Current and tidal dynamics, seabed behavior (scour) and calculation of mud suction forces
- 3.8. Refloating sunken vessels
Underwater robotics, ROV/AUV technology and deep sensing
- 4.1. Classification and operation of remotely operated vehicles: micro, observation-class and work-class ROVs
- 4.2. ROV sensors and tooling: hydraulic manipulators, cable cutters, water jets and sampling
- 4.3. Autonomous underwater vehicles and gliders: mission programming, inertial navigation and bathymetric mapping
- 4.4. Underwater acoustics: multibeam echo sounders, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profilers and magnetometers
- 4.5. High-precision subsea positioning: USBL, LBL and integrated DGPS
- 4.6. Visual inspection and 3D underwater photogrammetry for digital reconstruction of casualty sites and wrecks
- 4.7. Electronic, hydraulic and fiber-optic maintenance of remote subsea equipment
- 4.8. ROV operation in rescues
Search operations, subsea rescue (SAR) and military and civil salvage
- 5.1. Underwater search patterns: sector, grid, circular, passive and active sonar and cable sweeps
- 5.2. Intervention in shipwrecks, submerged aircraft and accidents in inland waters (rivers, reservoirs and caves)
- 5.3. Rescue of distressed military submarines: DSRV, McCann rescue chambers and SRDRS systems
- 5.4. Pressure-mating interfaces, emergency submarine ventilation and transfer of trapped crews at atmospheric or hyperbaric pressure
- 5.5. Recovery of flight recorders, military and commercial aircraft wreckage and critical cargo at abyssal depths
- 5.6. Search and rescue in collapsed underwater structures and zero-visibility diving
- 5.7. Coordination with maritime rescue coordination centers (MRCC), navies and international salvage agencies
- 5.8. Submarine rescue
Underwater forensic archaeology, chain of custody and casualty investigation
- 6.1. Criminalistics and forensic archaeology applied underwater: securing the scene and mapping evidence
- 6.2. Recovery and first-stage conservation of human remains, metal objects, documents and biological material in salt and fresh water
- 6.3. Underwater forensic identification, marine taphonomy and the effects of water on decomposition
- 6.4. Investigation of marine casualty causes: structural failure, underwater explosions, collisions and flooding
- 6.5. Chain of custody for evidence recovered at depth and expert reports for courts and insurers
- 6.6. Preservation of historic wrecks versus commercial salvage: the UNESCO framework on underwater cultural heritage
- 6.7. High-definition forensic underwater photography and videography with specialized lighting
- 6.8. Underwater expert documentation
Pollution emergencies, underwater hazmat and salvage law
- 7.1. Diving in contaminated waters (hazmat diving): chemical effluents, sewage, crude oil and heavy hydrocarbons
- 7.2. Vulcanised chemical protection suits with sealed helmets, quick-disconnect systems and diver decontamination
- 7.3. Hot tapping to drain fuel safely from the tanks of sunken ships before refloating
- 7.4. Maritime law and salvage: the 1989 International Convention on Salvage, Lloyd's Open Form and the no cure, no pay principle
- 7.5. General average and salvage reward for ship, cargo and environmental damage prevention
- 7.6. Contingency plans and spill control during cutting, blasting or refloating of wrecks
- 7.7. Environmental licenses, government permits and relations with port authorities and coastguards
- 7.8. Fuel removal from wrecks
Operational safety, risk management and integrated salvage project
- 8.1. Operational risk assessment in diving and salvage (HAZID, HAZOP and job safety analysis)
- 8.2. Industrial safety rules for professional diving (IMCA D 014, ILO, OSHA and maritime authorities)
- 8.3. Management of operational personnel: dive shift organization and the roles of diving supervisor, standby diver and tender
- 8.4. Rapid deployment logistics for salvage units: air and sea transport of diving spreads and heavy equipment
- 8.5. Technical and economic analysis of a salvage operation: cost calculation, crane vessel chartering and P&I liability insurance
- 8.6. Crisis management, media communication and psychological support after serious incidents
- 8.7. Presentation of the integrated project
- 8.8. Integrated project: complete planning of an underwater salvage operation (simulated stranded or sunken vessel with dangerous cargo), covering the refloating or extraction plan, stability calculation, choice of diving and ROV equipment, decompression safety plan and budget
Duration and format of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Salvage and Rescue
It is 800 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Salvage and Rescue
Career opportunities after the Professional Diploma in Underwater Salvage and Rescue
Questions about the Professional Diploma in Underwater Salvage and Rescue
Specialized training in underwater salvage and rescue: diving science, commercial diving systems, refloating and wreck removal, subsea robotics, search and rescue, forensic recovery, hazmat diving, salvage law and operational risk management.
Yes. It is delivered online with live sessions, recordings and downloadable materials, so you can combine it with your professional activity.
No. Navalis Institute teaches the technical and operational content of salvage and rescue. Professional diving qualifications are issued by the competent authorities and approved diving schools after their own practical training and assessment.
Yes. The program covers open-sea operations as well as rivers, reservoirs, caves, collapsed structures and zero-visibility environments.
ROVs of different classes, AUVs and gliders, multibeam echo sounders, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profilers, magnetometers, USBL and LBL positioning and 3D photogrammetry.
Yes. You will study the 1989 International Convention on Salvage, Lloyd's Open Form, the no cure, no pay principle, general average and the permits required by port authorities and coastguards.
Through practical exercises and case studies in each module and a final integrated project in which you plan the salvage of a sunken vessel with dangerous cargo, including stability, equipment, decompression safety and budget.
A Navalis Institute professional diploma certifying the 800 hours of the program, together with the integrated salvage project you develop during the course.
More programs in Safety and survival
Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: professional diver qualification or advanced recreational diving certification with proven rescue experience; current first aid and CPR training is expected, and knowledge of rescue boats or hyperbaric medicine is welcome.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with broadband internet, an up-to-date browser, a PDF viewer, microphone and headphones.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.