AAUS SCIENTIFIC SCUBA DIVER
Take your diving skills into underwater research!
UCSB’s Scientific Diver training combines classroom, pool, and ocean instruction to help certified divers develop the skills needed for scientific diving.
*Completing UCSB’s Dive Safety Course is required before a diver can be authorized to dive for the university’s scientific diving program or in any research lab*
Interested in the opportunity? Start by reviewing the requirements, planning your schedule, and applying through UCSB Environmental Health & Safety.
Requirements:
Open Water SCUBA Certification
At least 12 logged dives completed after entry-level training
At least four cold-water dives below 70°F within the previous six months
Application Cycles:
Applications are due at least 2 months before the course starts
Spring Scientific Diver Course:
Application typically opens November 1st
Fall Scientific Diver Course:
Application typically opens May 1st
Plan for the Commitment:
Expect 100+ hours across up to 12 full training days. Selection prioritizes UCSB applicants working in research labs that require scuba.
Current listed fees are $750 for UCSB students, faculty, and staff, or $1,000 for other participants.
The fee includes instruction, tanks, weights, air, materials, CPR/first aid/oxygen certification, rescue training, and NITROX certification. A three-day Catalina/USC Wrigley visit is included when conditions permit; however, participants arrange transportation to the departure point.
Budget separately for personal equipment, medical clearance, servicing, and transportation as applicable. Limited regulator/BC loans may be available to UCSB students for a $100 maintenance fee.
Financial Aid Opportunity
Cost can be a barrier to participating in marine research. The Associated Students Coastal Fund offers support intended to make scientific-diver training more accessible.
Depending on available funding, the program covers course fees for one to three undergraduates per Fall and Spring course.
Applicants must:
Be full-time UCSB undergraduates during the course quarter and at least one following quarter.
Meet the diving program’s requirements and be accepted into the course.
Intend to use scientific diving during their time at UCSB and toward future goals.
Submit the funding application before the class roster is finalized. Funding is competitive, and course admission and financial support are separate processes. Check the current application window directly with Coastal Fund.
Experiences from past program graduates
Evan Figueroa
Spring 2026 - Caselle Laboratory
This course was a great opportunity to improve the Scuba skills I had learned while on a Search and Rescue Scuba Team. Neutral buoyancy became second nature, and I was able to enjoy diving on a whole new level.
Additionally, the connections I made with my fellow classmates helped connect me to other labs and research opportunities so that I could further study and research our vast and beautiful oceans.
Lana Lippe
Fall 2025 - MCR, SBC LTER, and Oceans Recovery Lab
My experience in the AAUS course was one of my favorite parts of being at UCSB so far! I made so many friends who share the same passions as me, and I learned skills that I will use throughout the rest of my career.
Becoming a scientific diver opened up so many opportunities, allowing me to work on kelp monitoring and lobster surveys in the Santa Barbara Channel, as well as a coral research project in Moorea.
Erik Beahrs
Spring 2023 - MBON & Volland Laboratory
My time in the AAUS course not only dialed in my dive skills, but connected me with incredible opportunities that led to me surveying the kelp forests of our Channel Islands, exploring the microbial diversity of sulfur vents off LA, and analyzing the unique ecosystems that form around the oil rigs that surround Santa Barbara. One of the best parts of the certification is its reciprocity system, enabling you to dive at research institutions across the US. Join up!
Program Graduates
in our club
Rylie Quoyeser
Cora Reese
Ian Ridge
Spring 2026
Natalia Canchon
Lauren Casey
Sarah DeLima
Evan Figueroa
Lana Lippe
Lainey Wank
Buzz Hidalgo
Maranda Jordahl
Kierra Miller
Riley Millward
Spring 2023
Erik Beahrs
Benny Behar
Rachel Brody
Francesca Fee
Julia Mueller
Cade Nelson
Samantha Schuessler
David Thomas
James Xue
Alexis Sittenfeld-Parkhurst
Hailey Springer
Marine Wloczysiak
Elika Zahedi
Sabrina Jackson
Alyssa Jain
Lauren Rappa
Zoe Salyapongse
Fall 2026
Ava Gilligan
Nathan Gorman
Amelia Hayadamack
Carlo Lapayese-Calderon
Fall 2025
Ella Alfaro Campbell
Brooke Bent
Kate Bierwagen
Halle Brown
Dominic Marsella
Alden McCabe
Emma Orrick
AnnMarie Patterson
Sydney Chandler
Mackenzie Grebner
Livia Herman
Luke Kaminskas