Learn all about scuba tank inspections
Tanks need a visual inspection once a year.
This cylinder inspection course (VIP) is specifically designed to promote safety in the care and maintenance of high-pressure scuba cylinders.
This unique VIP program is intended to demonstrate to the scuba industry, a need to meet and exceed the minimum standards established by the Code of Federal Regulations.
In addition, it is intended to train cylinder inspectors in the proper handling, filling, and inspection techniques, including the identification of the various defective conditions that can lead to cylinder rejection or condemnation.
This course will also cover the operation and repair of valves, cleaning and maintenance, and the operation of high-pressure compressor systems.
Our VIP course is based on participants taking the SDI Visual Inspection Procedures online course before attending a one-day practical training session at our shop.
The course fee is $255 plus tax per person. This includes the VIP online course, practical training, reference manual, and certification.
The SDI Visual Inspection Procedures Course can be easily combined with the SDI Air Fill Station Technician course. The VIP/Air Fill Station Tech combo is $350 plus tax per person.
Who this course is for
If you work in the scuba diving industry, especially if you handle high-pressure tanks as part of your employment, this certification really is a must-have. We also highly recommend this course for people that
- Wish to know more about the visual inspection procedures used in the compressed gas industry, not just scuba
- Wish to know how to properly handle high-pressure cylinders
Course participants must be 18 years or older.
What you can expect to learn
Our course is based on students completing the VIP Inspector eLearning course serves two main functions:
- Completion of the online portion of this course meets the OSHA regulations for awareness level training for anyone who handles high-pressure cylinders as part of their job duties. Any dive center employee handling cylinders should complete this training prior to handling cylinders. Many divers may benefit from this knowledge as well.
- Serves as the academic material for the VIP Inspector course, developing a student’s knowledge base and preparing them for the hands-on training components of the VIP Inspector course with their instructor.
The SDI Visual Inspections Procedures course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:
- Purpose
- Legal requirements, standards of the community
- Safe handling of cylinders
- Fill station operator rules and recommendations
- Identification of the various cylinder markings
- Legal/illegal filling requirements
- Filling procedures
- Tools and their uses
- Visual inspection indications
- Proper identification of the various defect conditions
- Criteria for rejection and condemnation of a cylinder
- Define the criteria for cylinder rejection
- Define the criteria for condemning a cylinder
- Other services
- Valve inspection and cleaning
- Compressor operations
- oxygen cleaning
- The basis for cylinder cleaning
- Visual inspection procedures
- Step by step walk-through of the inspection process
What’s in it for you
Upon successful completion of this course graduates may:
- Visually inspect high-pressure scuba cylinders for defective conditions that could cause a cylinder failure
- Train fill station operators (FSO) in the safe methods of handling, transporting, and filling of high-pressure scuba cylinders
Also, the SDI VIP certification counts towards a single specialty rating to achieve the SDI Advanced Diver Development Program.
SDI Visual Inspection Procedures minimum requirements
- Inspect a cylinder during the program
- Satisfactorily complete the SDI Visual Inspection written examination with a score of at least 80% – available as an eLearning course
- Demonstrate the ability to identify those conditions in a cylinder that would reject or condemn
