TS EN ISO 24808

TS EN ISO 24808 addresses the training programmes used to prepare rebreather instructors within recreational diving services. It defines the competencies an instructor must have in order to train rebreather divers, sets out criteria for assessing those competencies, and establishes requirements for four levels of rebreather instructors.

The document also specifies the conditions under which this training is delivered, so the topic is not limited to teaching rebreather use in isolation. It sits alongside the general requirements for recreational diving service provision in ISO 24803, placing instructor training within the broader service and training framework used in recreational diving.

What rebreather instructor training is meant to achieve

In general technical terms, rebreathers are life-support systems that recycle breathing gas, so they place strong emphasis on gas management, monitoring, buoyancy control, work of breathing, and fault recognition. Instructor training therefore goes beyond personal equipment use: it must prepare a professional who can teach these skills, recognise hazards in student performance, and manage the progression of training appropriately.

The distinction between a rebreather diver and a rebreather instructor matters. A diver needs operational competence; an instructor needs the added ability to evaluate others, explain procedures clearly, and maintain training standards. ISO 24808 is valuable because it organises that higher-level teaching role into defined instructor levels rather than treating rebreather instruction as a single generic category.

• A framework for competencies needed to teach rebreather divers
• Requirements for four distinct rebreather instructor levels
• Criteria for evaluating those competencies
• Training conditions aligned with the general recreational diving service requirements of ISO 24803