The University of Helsinki will open a diving academy in April 2022, with the first training sessions set to begin in April 2022.
The Antero and Merja Parma Foundation and the Weisell Foundation will support the academy’s initial three-year cycle, which will be directed by renowned Australian scientific diver Ed Stockdale.
Finnish Scientific Diving Academy (FSDA) will offer education for professional scientists seeking a specialist or more advanced training. Student-level courses will be on offer to encourage the future generation of marine scientists, as well as citizen scientists who want to develop their diving techniques in the particular field.
As the academy expands, more and more specialized courses will be available. Polar exploratory diving, underwater driverless vehicles, and other cutting-edge technology are among them.
The FSDA’s first goal is to train European-recognized scientific divers who will produce a new generation of marine scientists, with long-term intentions to establish itself as a major scientific diving center.
Individuals or groups from all around Europe are welcome to enroll in the academy and get various levels of diving education. Personalized learning programs, as well as consulting services in expedition logistics, fieldwork, and equipment design, can be arranged upon request with a coordinator for particular research projects.
Scientific diving is a professional form of diving for conducting research and recording data underwater.