Commercial diving regulations, guidance and tools, from the primary sources
Port summarises diving-at-work regulations, codes and industry guidance in plain English. It labels what is law, what is a code, what is guidance and what is our own explanation, links every point to its source, and shows when each source was last checked.
How to read this page: four kinds of statement
- Law Law / regulation
- Legislation: Acts, regulations and statutory instruments. It has the force of law in its jurisdiction.
- ACOP / code Approved Code of Practice or code with legal status
- A code the law itself gives special status (for example an HSE Approved Code of Practice). Following it is one way of complying; alternatives must be at least as good.
- Guidance Regulator or industry guidance
- Guidance, industry codes and standards. No legal force by itself, although clients, contracts or regulators may call it up.
- Explanation Marine Deep explanation
- Our own plain-English explanation. It is not a requirement and not legal advice.
Every law, code and guidance statement links to its primary source. Read the source before relying on it: our summary is not a substitute.
Regulations by country
- UK commercial diving regulations
Great Britain regulates diving at work through the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 (DWR), supported by five HSE Approved Codes of Practice. Each point below is labelled as law, code or guidance and links to its source.
- International diving industry guidance
IMCA and DMAC publish the industry guidance most offshore diving contracts refer to. It is guidance, not law, but clients and contracts often make it a condition of work.
- US commercial diving regulations
In the United States, OSHA's commercial diving standard applies to diving at work, and the Coast Guard's rules apply to diving from inspected vessels, Outer Continental Shelf facilities and deepwater ports.
- Norway diving regulations
Norway has two regimes: manned underwater operations in the petroleum activities (Havtil's HSE regulations) and other diving at work (chapter 26 of the Regulations concerning the performance of work).
- Canada diving regulations
Canadian diving rules depend on who has jurisdiction: federal workplaces, oil and gas operations, or a province. This hub covers the federal regulations and British Columbia as an example province.
- Netherlands diving work regulations (Arbobesluit)
In the Netherlands, diving work is regulated by section 5 of chapter 6 of the Working Conditions Decree (Arbobesluit), 'Werken onder overdruk'.
- Australia diving work regulations (WHS Regulations Part 4.8)
Australia's Work Health and Safety Regulations have a Part on diving work, split into general diving work and high risk diving work. This hub is at an early stage: it shows the structure until the full text has been verified.
For the diving day
- Supervisor resources
Duties by jurisdiction, certification and checklists.
- Templates and checklists
Printable, free, adaptable.
- Calculators
Pressure, units, gas volume, partial pressure, expiry dates. No decompression.
- Practical guidance
Records, retention, planning, certification, audits.
- Australia Guidance
ADAS again accepts French certifications
ADAS announced that French diving certifications are once more accepted for crossovers and for entry to further training at ADAS schools.
Source: ADAS
- International (industry) Guidance
IMCA D011 Guidance on auditing of diving systems updated
IMCA lists its guidance on auditing diving systems (DESIGN audits) with a technical update dated 24 August 2026; a related information note says D011 now describes auditors' roles more clearly.
Source: IMCA home
- Netherlands Law
Arbobesluit consolidated version in force from 1 August 2026
wetten.overheid.nl shows the Arbobesluit version valid from 1 August 2026 as the current text; the page does not say which articles changed.
Source: Arbobesluit art. 6.13–6.18
- International (industry) Guidance
IMCA D041 Use of battery-operated equipment in hyperbaric conditions
IMCA published guidance on battery-operated devices in hyperbaric chambers and other pressure vessels for human occupancy.
Source: IMCA home
- Norway Law
Regulations concerning the performance of work: latest amending regulation
Lovdata lists FOR-2026-06-05-1020 as the latest amendment to the Regulations concerning the performance of work. The captured page shows only the table of contents, so it does not show which sections changed.
Source: Forskrift om utførelse av arbeid (FOR-2011-12-06-1357)
- International (industry) Guidance
IMCA DESIGN documents and D018 updated (June 2026)
The IMCA catalogue shows June 2026 technical updates for D018 and the DESIGN documents D023, D024, D037, D040, D053 and D063 (month only shown).
Source: IMCA document catalogue
How Port works
Explanation Marine Deep's explanation, not a requirement.
Every page on Port keeps four kinds of statement apart. Law and codes are what regulators can enforce. Guidance is what regulators and industry bodies recommend. Explanation is ours. Statements that touch diving safety appear only after review by a person with diving competence, and decompression guidance never appears at all. Editorial policy.