Navy clearance diver: requirements, selection and training

Navy Diver and Clearance Diver

Navy Diver is the advertised role; Clearance Diver is its in-service title. This is a military diving career, not a recreational-diving job. ADF Careers lists service with clearance diving teams and other operational, support and instructional organisations.

Start by considering whether Navy service itself appeals to you. An enthusiasm for scuba diving is useful context for your interests, but it is not evidence that the military role is suitable. Research the service environment, responsibilities and training demands as carefully as the underwater element.

Entry requirements and specialist screening

The official listing includes Year 10 English and Maths, a driving-licence requirement, a diving medical and a specialist pre-entry fitness assessment. Check the full conditions on the role page, including age and licence details, before assuming you qualify.

Make separate lists for documents, fitness preparation and questions for the recruitment medical team. Do not diagnose your eligibility from a forum discussion about a condition. Ask the authorised team what evidence they need and follow the process you are given. A civilian diving certificate is not a replacement for the ADF’s assessment.

Fitness: entry is only one stage

The published Navy Diver PFA currently lists 30 push-ups, 25 sit-ups and a shuttle run to level 10.1. The role has further diving suitability and selection requirements. Passing the PFA alone does not secure completion of specialist training.

Use those figures as a dated reference, then confirm the current instructions before assessment. Work with a qualified professional on appropriate preparation. Never improvise breath-holding, underwater endurance or deprivation challenges, and do not copy military selection activities unsupervised. Swimming development belongs in a supervised setting with suitable instruction.

Where recruit and diving training fit

The official pathway identifies initial sailor training at HMAS Cerberus and clearance-diver employment training at the ADF Diving School, HMAS Penguin. It also describes an aptitude assessment and selection-panel recommendation before continuing specialist training.

Ask what happens if you do not progress at a selection stage, including any alternative employment or discharge provisions applying to your circumstances. This is particularly important if your motivation depends entirely on becoming a diver. Confirm the current timetable directly rather than combining course lengths from different years.

Choosing the career for the right reasons

Make a list of the less visible parts of the job you want to understand: equipment preparation, procedures, teamwork, time away and maintaining competence. Use recruitment events to ask about these topics without requesting operational or restricted information.

Compare the role with other Navy occupations on what you would actually do. Do not treat any other job as a guaranteed route into clearance diving later. If you are considering a related officer role, check its separate responsibilities and entry pathway instead of assuming it is the same job at a different pay level.

Pay, obligations and life planning

Read the pay and service information for the entry method you intend to use. Ask which amounts describe training and which describe qualified service, whether allowances are conditional and when any obligation begins. Keep the answer attached to the exact role and offer.

Think through the practical effect of moving for training. Discuss accommodation arrangements, contact with family and the notice you may receive for each stage. A realistic plan should still work if your course timing changes. Avoid making irreversible plans on the strength of a general online guide.

Preparing your application

Write a short explanation of why you want this military role, what you understand about its selection stages and what you still need to clarify. For general reasoning practice, focus on careful reading, numerical accuracy and reviewing mistakes. The free Service Prep quiz does not test diving suitability or predict selection.

Bring these questions to your Careers Coach: Which stages must I pass before employment training? What documents are required for the diving medical? What are the current fitness instructions? What happens if I am not recommended to continue? What service conditions apply to my entry method?