The Underwater Center Names Loudon Diver Trainer

Subsea training facility, The Underwater Center, Tasmania, has appointed a new Diver Trainer to support the increasing demand for its commercial diving courses.

David Loudon joins the Center from Gilbert Diving PTY Ltd, where he spent the last three years as a diver and workshop manager. David will be responsible for helping to ensure Australia’s newest commercial divers are trained to the latest health and safety regulations.

Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme (ADAS) qualified and approved PADI master SCUBA trainer/technical diver, Loudon brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He has recently returned to the Center after completing his Supervisor Training and Certificate IV TAE in Training and Assessment. Having worked in both civil and commercial construction projects on a variety of repair, inspection and maintenance jobs - including piers, pipelines and dams - David will be able to advise students on many aspects of the work they are likely to encounter in their diving careers.

The Underwater Center, Tasmania, offers both air and mixed gas (saturation) commercial diver training, as well as practical, hands-on ROV pilot technician training, launched in 2014 to provide pilot technicians and diving students first-hand experience of working alongside one another.

“My new role at The Underwater Center is training our students to be ADAS qualified commercial air divers, which will involve working very closely with them to ensure they have the knowledge and skills required,” Loudon said. “I am most looking forward to working with and helping students achieve their goals, imparting some of my knowledge and experience to assist them to become safe, competent and effective working divers.”

Allan Brown, Operational Director at The Underwater Center, added, “David is a very experienced diver and brings many years of experience to the Center. David’s experience will be used to strengthen the offering we have to both individual and corporate customers at a time when the industry is on the up. The recent training he has undertaken demonstrates our staff are committed to ensuring our training is delivered at the highest possible standard and in compliance with ADAS requirements.”

The Underwater Center, Tasmania, was set up to address the need for well-trained commercial divers in the South East Asia Pacific region in the early 1990s. The Center’s expertise and experience in commercial air and mixed gas diving operations means that it is best placed to offer courses that meet the needs of industry.

Along with its sister school in Fort William, Scotland, The Underwater Center Tasmania provides internationally accepted diving certification (ADAS from Tasmania, HSE from Fort William). The Underwater Center’s key objective is to help deliver a competent workforce for the global oil and gas market.