American Academy of Underwater Sciences Records
Finding aid prepared by Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, California, 92093-0175
858-534-2533
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Copyright 2015
Descriptive Summary
Title: American Academy of Underwater Sciences Records
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0773
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, California, 92093-0175
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
1.6 Linear feet
(4 archives boxes)
Date: 1956-2015
Abstract: Records of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), including extensive documentation of the organization's efforts
to exempt scientific diving from OSHA commerical diving regulations in the early 1980s, and board meeting minutes.
Creator:
American Academy of Underwater Sciences.
OFF-SITE STORAGE
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 2015.
Preferred Citation
American Academy of Underwater Sciences Records, MSS 773. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Administrative History
The mission of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) is to facilitate the development of safe and productive
scientific divers through education, research, advocacy, and the advancement of standards for scientific diving practices,
certifications, and operations. The AAUS was officially chartered in California in 1983 by individuals and organizations involved
in the effort to obtain the scientific diving exemption from OSHA commercial diving standards. In the years since, the AAUS
has expanded from the original six organizational members to more than 130 organizational members and over 1100 individual
members. Organizational membership includes colleges and universities, government agencies, museums and aquaria, environmental
and archaeological consulting firms, and community science groups sharing a common thread of the use of diving as a research
tool and a commitment to the health and safety of scientific divers. AAUS produces consensual standards for the training and
certification of scientific divers and the operation of scientific diving programs, maintains statistics detailing scientific
diving activities and incident rates, conducts annual symposia and topical workshops, and directly supports student research.
Text from http://www.aaus.org/about.
Scope and Content of Collection
Records of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), including extensive documentation of the organization's efforts
to exempt scientific diving from OSHA commerical diving regulations in the early 1980s, and board meeting minutes.
Arranged in three series: Series 1) OSHA EXEMPTION; Series 2) ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS; Series 3) DIVING HISTORY MATERIALS.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American Academy of Underwater Sciences. -- Archives
Scuba diving
Scuba diving -- Safety measures
United Bro. of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Afl-Cio v. U.S. Dept. Of Labor, OSHA (82-2509)
Box 1, Folder 1
On petition to review the Secretary of Labor's amendment to his OSHA standards for commercial diving operations - Brief for
the Secretary of Labor, and Addenda
undated
Box 1, Folder 2
Petition for review of an amendment to an OSHA standard - Brief for petitioner
undated
Box 1, Folder 3
AAUS motion for leave of Court to appear as Amicus Curiae in support of the U.S. Dept. of Labor
1983 July
Box 1, Folder 4
Petition for review of an order
1984 April
Box 1, Folder 5
On petition for review of an amendment to a standard of OSHA - Reply brief for petitioner
undated
Box 1, Folder 6
Judgement
1984 December 28
Box 1, Folder 7-10
AAUS compilation of documents relative to diving regulation
1976-1984
Box 2, Folder 1
Federal Register - Commercial diving standards
1976-1978
Box 2, Folder 2
Statement of the United Bro. of Carpenters and Joiners of America: The need to improve diving health and safety regulations
in the United States
1981 November 2
Box 2, Folder 3
Statement of Barry J. White - Informal public hearing on educational and scientific diving
1982 June 29
Box 2, Folder 4-5
Diving regulations, Department of Labor Hearings, parts 1-2. Washington, D.C.
1982 June 29-30
Box 2, Folder 6-8
Diving regulations, Department of Labor Hearings, parts 1-3. Los Angeles
1982 July 7-9
Letters and affidavits supporting proposed exemption
Box 3, Folder 2
Phillip Stuart-Sharkey and Lloyd Austin. "Update on the federal regulation of scientific diving"
1985
Box 3, Folder 3
Michael Lang and John M. Duffy. "Scientific diving in the USA"
1985
Box 3, Folder 5-17
Annual Conferences
1981-1994
Box 3, Folder 20
Introductory newsletter
1985 January
Box 3, Folder 21
Statement of the organization of the AAUS
1986 August
Box 3, Folder 22-27
Board meeting minutes
1988-2005
General note
Missing 1996-1998, 2001.
Box 4, Folder 1
Virtual office binder
2002
Box 4, Folder 2
Legal questions for AAUS panel re: scientific diving definitions and status
2004-2005
Box 4, Folder 3
Scientific diving program compliance review checklist
2006
Box 4, Folder 4
Presentation - Introduction to AAUS and scientific diving
2006-2008
Box 4, Folder 5
DSO training - Statistics presentation
2015
Box 4, Folder 6
Fact sheet, list of presidents, and annual awards summary
undated
General note
Includes photographs of awards.
Box 4, Folder 7
Nominating Committee
undated
Box 4, Folder 8
Strategic plan documents
undated
Box 4, Folder 9
Proposed cave diving standards
undated
Box 4, Folder 10
U.S. Divers Aqua-Lung product manuals
1956-1963
Box 4, Folder 11
University of California diving safety manuals
1963, 1967-1978
Box 4, Folder 12
Memorandum, Technical Fact-Finding Committee for December 3 Hannes Keller Dive Experiment
1963 February 14
General note
Report on the death of Christopher K. Whittaker.
Los Angeles County, Dept. of Parks and Recreation - Underwater Instructor Certification Course (UICC)
Box 4, Folder 13
Correspondence, planning documents, and reports
1967-1968
General note
Includes open resignation letter from Clint Degn.
Box 4, Folder 14
Proposed basic SCUBA certification requirements
undated
Box 4, Folder 15
Underwater Safety Committee
1971
Box 4, Folder 17
Canadian Diving News
1971
Box 4, Folder 18
Letter from Terry Rioux re: his diving injury
ca. 2010