Our first Scientific Diver

Since 2009, the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) has coordinated and facilitated the scientific diving activities of Belgian scientists. Every year, a BELSPO working group organizes a ten-day course to train and prepare Belgian marine scientists. GhEnToxLab member, Maarten De Rijcke, has been selected as one out of only eight divers to be trained as a Belgian Scientific Diver this year. Diving offers substantial benefits over traditional “blind sampling” methods. Still, given the challenging conditions of our coastal waters, diving should be seen as an additional tool, not an end in itself. As with every diving activity, safety remains key. For this reason, scientific divers are required to fulfil all the legal requirements of a commercial diver and to have successfully completed a course that meets the European standards on scientific diving. Congrats Maarten, enjoy and keep it safe!