Between September 4^th and 9^th 2023, the first scientific diving workshop organised in Cyprus was conducted in the Protaras region. The workshop was organised by the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) and the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) with the support of the SDSupport Centre and the No Limit Scuba Training Centre. It was part of the broader Cyprus Regional Development Project (CRDP) funded by the Honor Frost Foundation (HFF). The aim of this project is to acquire a greater understanding of the maritime cultural resource of the island of Cyprus, and develop an integrated approach to documenting archaeology in selected coastal regions, and more broadly share expertise and build capacity in the HFF eastern Mediterranean region.

The main aim of this workshop was to introduce professionals from different backgrounds (marine biologists, maritime archaeologists, professional divers) coming from Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, and Lebanon to the theoretical and practical aspects of scientific diving. Participants had the opportunity to attend indoor lectures about the physiology of diving, diving regulations, equipment maintenance, and compressor operations.  Also, they performed essential scientific diving skills such as the use of full-face masks with communication units, rescue procedures, lifeline signals, and the use of lift bags. They also practiced various roles of diving planning and supervision and tendering on dry land. Finally, they familiarised themselves with techniques of visual survey census for marine life and archaeological methods of underwater surveys. Consequently, this workshop provided specific and basic skills in order to cover as many as possible of the requirements of the European Scientific Diving, and give the opportunity to participants to get this certification.