In the PADI Public Safety Diver certification course, students learn how to evaluate and manage a scene, critical self-rescue skills, search and rescue techniques, and communication procedures.

Public safety dive teams search for lost or deliberately discarded objects and sometimes participate in criminal investigations. Their work can help provide legal and emotional closure and the job can be very rewarding.
Public safety divers may be called upon to look for evidence, locate underwater vehicles and missing people, but not all public safety dive team members get in the water. Surface support personnel handle important topside tasks, such as scene management and witness interviews.