HFiD: Applied Skills - CAD995 (CUCE, 25-26 March 26)
Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport
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Beyond Technical Skills – Building Safer, Smarter, More Effective Dive Teams
In commercial diving, technical proficiency is essential—but it’s not enough. Aviation and the (topside) offshore industries have known for years that the difference between safe, high-performing teams and near misses lies in Non-Technical Skills (NTS) such as communication, decision-making, teamwork, leadership, situation awareness, and understanding the role of performance shaping factors.
This course translates those standards into practice. Through immersive missions, structured reflection, and proven debriefing tools, you’ll learn to detect errors earlier, manage risks more effectively, and respond to the unexpected with clarity and confidenceÂ
How This Training Transforms Your Diving Performance
| Before Training | After Training |
|---|---|
| Communication breaks down under pressure, leading to confusion and repeated instructions. |
Clear, closed-loop communication ensures everyone understands and acts on information the way it was intended. |
| Team members hesitate to speak up when something feels wrong. | Psychological safety and assertiveness mean concerns are raised early—preventing incidents before they escalate. |
| Planning is rushed or superficial, leaving gaps that appear mid-dive. |
Structured planning and briefing (UNITED-C) creates shared goals, role clarity, and effective contingencies. |
| Decisions are made reactively, often relying on habit or luck. | Structured decision-making models (SPORDEC, TDODAR) slow thinking when it matters, improving judgment under pressure. |
| Situational awareness narrows—critical cues are missed until it’s too late. | Improved individual and team SA: divers notice early warning signs, anticipate changes, and share updates in real time. |
| Debriefs focus on “what happened” rather than learning. | Structured DEBrIEF process highlights what worked, why, and how to improve—embedding continuous learning. |
| Stress and fatigue silently erode performance and decision-making. | Recognition and management of Performance Influencing Factors protect safety margins and keep teams mission-ready. |
| Leadership style is inconsistent—sometimes too hands-off, sometimes too controlling. | Adaptive leadership and effective followership build trust, confidence, and high-performance team culture. |
Proven Impact from Past Participants
Divers and supervisors who completed this training reported:
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Greater confidence in speaking up, even against authority gradients.
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Noticeable improvements in team planning, communication, and trust during complex dives.
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Increased ability to identify and correct small deviations before they become safety-critical.
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A stronger culture of learning, not blame, within their teams.
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Practical skills they could apply not only in diving, but also in everyday leadership and decision-making.
“This was the first time I realised how much of diving safety depends on what happens above the waterline. I now have tools to manage stress, improve communication, and keep my team aligned—even when the pressure is on.”Â
Offshore Supervisor
“My initial reservations were rooted in thoughts of, “this safety course will only serve to make my team, and I too risk adverse; Safety getting in the way of producing operational output.” The opposite is the truth. The programme introduces HF/NTS, uses practical exercises and case studies. As professional divers, my team and I are so technically oriented, that prior to The Human Diver programme, the level of thought placed on non-technical skills and human factors, was quite low.  I am confident that this programme has improved the performance of my team, so they can achieve more, improve their performance, and be safer.”
Director of Diving Safety, NATO Diving Organisation.“The course unravelled me in the best way. It showed me blind spots I didn’t know I had, but also gave me the structure and support to fix them. My team dives better because I lead better.”
Media Diver, Natural History Production
Why This Training Matters
Incidents in diving rarely occur because someone forgot their physics or decompression tables. They happen when human factors are ignored—when stress, time pressure, poor communication, or unclear leadership push good people into bad situations.
Technical skills get you underwater. Human factors bring you back safely, every time.
