About us
est. 1996
Our story.
We began in 1996 training divers for the South Australian tuna industry and have grown into an award-winning commercial diving school for those seeking to get their diving careers off to a flying start. Our graduates now work in all areas of diving from Aquaculture to Offshore Saturation Diving and everything in between.
Based in Burra in the Mid North of South Australia, approximately 2 hours north of Adelaide, we offer a range of comprehensive diver training packages designed to give you all the core skills you need to be a successful commercial diver in the aquaculture, construction, diver medic and offshore diving industries.
Our unique training location allows us to work all year round without any lost days due to weather. This means you won’t be wasting time and money waiting on the weather to improve to complete your diving.
We’re Australia’s most trusted commercial diving school.
Don’t let our small class sizes fool you. We believe smaller student numbers in each diving course gives you the tailored training you need to be more successful in your chosen profession.
We’re committed to delivering quality over quantity, every time. We’ll encourage you to break up your study – following your onshore qualification with workplace experience before moving on to offshore qualifications. We find this makes you more attractive to potential employers, who won’t employ offshore without considerable onshore experience.
We're dedicated to making the commercial diving industry safer.
In 1999, the South Australian Government awarded UTCSA the prestigious Augusta Zadow Award for improving the health and safety of commercial divers through our training activities.
In 2006, our founder Martin Phillips was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study methods of commercial diver training used by overseas facilities. We’ve incorporated these world-class methods into our Australian diver training system, emphasising greater workplace health and safety.
Graduate Employment Record
Our graduate employment record is unmatched by any other school.
We use our extensive links with industry to help you get that crucial first commercial diving job. We speak to the diving contractors regularly and during your course we will help you make contact.
With the current shortage of divers in Australia, there are many opportunities for the new occupational diver to gain the valuable experience they need to progress in the industry.
Experts in what we do.
Our instructional staff members have been training divers for over 20 years offering a wide range of experience. All hold appropriate VET training and assessment qualifications (TAE Cert IV in Training and Assessment) and are fully qualified Diver Medical Technicians.
Our Head Trainer, Dafydd Phillips is both a Diving and ROV Supervisor and has worked both onshore and offshore in Australia, Malaysia, Brazil and the North Sea.
Burra Mine Pool Dive Site.
Our Burra Mine Pool delivers Australia’s best and most unique diver training location. Set in an old large open cut mine filled with ground water to a depth of 40 metres, it includes a purpose-built barge designed to give you the most realistic training possible.