Aptitude test
A.-“Underwater diving” section of the BP JEPS
1. Technical safety test.
The technical safety test comprises four tests which take place in the following chronological order, each test being eliminatory.
a) Test of management of an emergency situation with a standardised free diving dummy:
This test assesses the candidate’s ability to manage an accident situation involving a diver. It consists of carrying out, with the aid of a dummy, a rescue at a depth of less than six metres, using all appropriate individual equipment, under the following conditions:
– swim a hundred metres along a marked course;
– descend to a depth of between four and six metres and breath-hold for a minimum of twenty seconds while moving;
– after recovering for a maximum of ten seconds at the surface, descend to the same depth and reassemble a dummy weighing 1.5 kg;
– bring up a standard dummy, then tow it safely, with the airways out of the water, over a distance of one hundred metres.
It is compulsory to wear an isothermal suit and, at the candidate’s choice, a weight belt, when the water temperature is below 20°C. When this temperature is equal to or greater than 20° C, the candidate may choose whether or not to wear an insulated suit. The maximum duration of this test is eight minutes.
The candidate must keep the airways of the manikin out of the water, using a grip and holding technique applicable to a real victim.
The defined test must be completed in its entirety. If it is not, the candidate will be eliminated.
The candidate has only one attempt to complete the test in its entirety. However, if he/she fails to recover the dummy, he/she may make a second attempt, the timer not being stopped.
The use of a dummy of 1.5 kg apparent weight is compulsory.
b) Test to assist a diver in difficulty in a natural environment:
This test verifies the ability of a candidate equipped with a self-contained diving suit to manage an accident situation that has occurred to a diver equipped with a self-contained diving suit.
It covers the safe ascent of a diver in difficulty using any means from a depth of twenty-five metres and should also enable the towing back to the boat and the removal of equipment to be assessed.
c) First aid test applied to activities in the natural environment
This test assesses the candidate’s ability to deal with an accident that has occurred to a diver.
The candidate must take charge of a victim from the surface of the water, organise his or her hoisting aboard, carry out an assessment, perform first aid procedures and set up the sea rescue chain in accordance with French regulations.
d) Leading a group of divers to a depth of forty metres:
This test verifies the candidate’s ability to lead an exploration dive in a deep zone (forty metres).
This test verifies the candidate’s ability to lead a group of divers in deep zone conditions, including French regulations.
The candidate reacts as necessary to incidents simulated by two examiners in the role of supervised divers. The following are taken into account in the assessment: the quality of the descent, leading a group of divers to a depth of forty metres, carrying out tests defined by the jury, reacting to situations proposed by the jury, the last of which involves assisting a diver in difficulty, from the intervention depth to the surface support.
2. Test to verify theoretical and practical knowledge of safety.
Conducted orally and lasting a maximum of forty minutes, the test to verify theoretical and practical safety knowledge is designed to check the candidate’s ability to direct and organise diving.
It covers knowledge specific to diving in France: regulations governing the activity, organisation and implementation of emergency services, characteristics of diving in deep areas to a depth of forty metres (causes and prevention of accidents, etc.).
After a preparation time of a maximum of twenty minutes without documents, the candidate presents to the jury his/her choices for the organisation and conduct of the forty-metre dive mentioned in d of 1. The jury questions the candidate on the choices made and the quality of his/her performance.
B.- DE JEPS “underwater diving activities” option
1. Technical safety test.
The technical safety test consists of four tests which take place in the following chronological order, each test being eliminatory.
a) Test of management of an emergency situation with a standardised free diving dummy
This test verifies the candidate’s ability to manage an accident situation involving a diver. It consists of the candidate, equipped with fins, mask and snorkel, swimming a distance of two hundred metres along a marked course, descending to a depth of ten metres and bringing up a standardised dummy weighing an apparent 1.5 kg in less than five minutes, then towing it safely, with its airways out of the water, over a distance of one hundred metres.
The isothermal suit must be worn when the water temperature is below 20°C, and a weight belt may be added if the candidate so chooses. When the water temperature is equal to or greater than 20° C, the candidate can choose whether or not to wear an anti-exposure suit.
The maximum duration of this test is eight minutes.
b) Test to assist a diver in difficulty in a natural environment
This test checks the ability of the candidate equipped with a self-contained diving suit to manage an accident situation involving a diver equipped with a self-contained diving suit.
It involves the safe ascent of a diver in difficulty using any means from a depth of twenty-five metres.
c) First aid test applied to activities in the natural environment:
This test verifies the candidate’s ability to manage an accident situation involving a diver.
The candidate takes charge of a victim from the surface of the water, organises his or her hoisting aboard, carries out an assessment, performs first aid procedures and sets up the sea rescue chain in accordance with French regulations.
d) Leading a group of divers at forty metres
This test assesses the candidate’s ability to organise and lead an exploration dive in a deep zone and to assist a student in difficulty.
It tests the candidate’s ability to organise immersion and to take charge of a group of divers in the conditions of deep diving, including in particular the French regulations.
The candidate reacts as necessary to incidents simulated by two examiners in the role of supervised divers.
This test takes place in open water, at a depth of more than forty metres.
The following are taken into account in the assessment: the quality of the descent, leading a group of divers to a depth of forty metres, carrying out tests defined by the jury, reacting to situations proposed by the jury, the last of which involves assisting a diver in difficulty from the intervention depth to surface support.
2. Test to verify theoretical and practical knowledge of safety.
Conducted orally and lasting a maximum of forty minutes, the test to verify theoretical and practical safety knowledge is designed to check the candidate’s ability to direct and organise diving.
It covers knowledge specific to diving in France: regulations governing the activity, organisation and implementation of emergency services, characteristics of deep diving to a depth of sixty metres (causes and prevention of accidents, etc.).
After a preparation time of a maximum of twenty minutes without documents, the candidate presents to the jury his/her choices for the organisation and conduct of the forty-metre dive mentioned in d of 1. He/she is questioned by the jury on the choices made and the quality of his/her performance.
