Terms Used in This Document
This document uses a specific vocabulary deliberately, and the same word is expected to mean the same thing everywhere it appears. This page defines the terms that matter most, so that a reader encountering any of them for the first time later in the document already has a fixed reference point.
ATA (Atmospheres Absolute)
The unit used to express absolute pressure underwater, combining atmospheric pressure at the surface with the additional pressure of the water column above a diver. Used throughout this document to express oxygen exposure limits (see ppO₂).
Bundle
Certification
A card or credential issued by a conventional training agency confirming a diver has completed a course. FlowState Divers does not issue certifications, and the term is used in this document only when describing the wider industry's practices or a diver's prior training history from elsewhere, never to describe anything FlowState Divers itself provides. A valid Open Water certification is required for entry into any FlowState Divers training - see Who We Train but it is never treated as proof of readiness for what we teach. See Evaluation Record.
Competency Assessment
A session conducted with a mentor to confirm that a diver arriving mid-chain, or with prior training from another organisation, has genuinely retained the skills a prerequisite programme was meant to build, before progression continues. Distinct from a Currency Assessment, which addresses skill erosion over time rather than an unverified starting point.
Currency Assessment
A session, scaled to the length of a diver's absence and what they intend to train toward next, that re-confirms which previously demonstrated skills still hold up in the water today. Used when a diver returns after an extended gap in training. Distinct from a Competency Assessment, which addresses an unverified starting point rather than skill erosion over time.
Diver
Any individual training under FlowState Divers, at any tier, in any programme, regardless of experience level. Used interchangeably with "candidate" where a diver is specifically working toward completing a given programme.
DSMB (Delayed Surface Marker Buoy)
An inflatable signalling device, deployed on a line from depth, used to mark a diver's position at the surface. Required equipment across FlowState Divers training, specified in detail in Core Configuration Overview.
END (Equivalent Narcotic Depth)
A calculated figure representing the narcotic effect of a breathing gas mixture, expressed as the depth on air that would produce an equivalent narcotic load. Governed by the limit set out in Depth, Gas, and Decompression Limits.
Evaluation Record
The scored, criteria-based account of a diver's demonstrated performance, produced at the conclusion of every training and issued to the diver in parallel with the copy FlowState Divers retains. This is the document FlowState Divers provides in place of a certification, and it is never converted into a badge, rank, or public credential. Described in full in Assessment Philosophy.
Mentor
ppO₂ (Partial Pressure of Oxygen)
The pressure exerted specifically by the oxygen component of a breathing gas at a given depth, expressed in ATA. Governed by the working and decompression limits set out in Depth, Gas, and Decompression Limits.
Programme
A single named module within a bundle (for example, Genesis, Furian, Velari, Sidemount). A programme is the specific unit of training a diver enrols in and is evaluated against; a bundle is the family of programmes it belongs to.
SPG (Submersible Pressure Gauge)
The instrument that displays a diver's remaining cylinder pressure. FlowState Divers requires an analog SPG connected by hose rather than a wireless transmitter, for reasons set out in Core Configuration Overview.
Tier
Training
A single instance of instruction delivered under the FlowState Divers name, whether covering part or all of a programme. Used in place of "course" throughout this document.
Waiver
A documented exception to a specific procedural requirement, granted only by the roles and within the categories set out in Who Can Grant a Waiver and Categories of Waivable Requirements. A waiver never excuses the underlying competency a requirement was designed to verify, only the specific route ordinarily used to demonstrate it.