Scuba Diving Levels

Here is a selection of books and instructional manuals for learning scuba diving.

Diving levels

In France, the Sport Code distinguishes the skills for supervised diving (PE) from the skills for diving independently (PA) and specifies, according to these skills, the maximum depth of evolution (12 m, 20 m, 40 m or 60 m for air dives).

For example, a diver supervised at 20 m (maximum) is rated PE-20. Some of these skills can be grouped into “levels” (level 1, level 2, level 3) in order to simplify their reading and allow correspondence with international patents.

Getting started: level 1

• Level 1 allows you to dive while being supervised to 20 m (PE-20).
• It is possible to go through an intermediate level: supervised diver 12 m (eg people who do not have time to follow a complete level 1 training).
• For PE-12 or PE-20 divers (level 1), it is also possible to gradually access autonomy by passing the level of autonomous diver at 12 m (PA-12).

Improve: level 2

After level 1 (PE-20), it is possible to improve by passing level 2:

• 20m scuba diver (PA-20)
• and supervised diver 40 m (PE-40)

It is also possible to pass the PA-20 and PE-40 levels separately.

Go further: level 3

The highest level of diver is level 3:

• supervised diver 60 m (PE-60)
• scuba diver 60m (PA-60)

It is possible to pass the PE-60 and PA-60 levels separately.

It is also possible, for more progressiveness, to first pass the scuba diver level at 40 m (PA-40).

Become a supervisor: level 4 dive guide

Level 3 divers can access the level 4 diver certificate and thus become a dive guide (supervising divers).

Level 4 allows you to attend the diving instructor.