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Looking for a Career in Hydrography

A career in Hydrography can be extremely exciting and rewarding, with the workplace enabling the choice of being in the great outdoors or carrying out important calculations in the office. Many career opportunities today require a balance between the two activities. Technology is improving daily and thus the hydrographer is ensured of an ever changing and technologically stimulating career.

Study Options

Hydrography has two distinct levels of academic qualifications, technical and professional. Options available are University Degree courses or TAFE qualifications or through IBSC recognised Programs (see the S-5B information below). Surveying is the main stream of study with a specialism in Hydrography this method of study also enables the variety of career on the land or water or even a mixture of both.
Note that Surveying is also known as Geomatic Engineering and related courses are sometimes titled Spatial Information.
Below are some universities and training centres around Australasia to get you started, a background as a marine scientist could also lead towards a career in hydrography, however only the Surveying links are provided below.

TAFE Study Options

If you are considering studying at TAFE it is a good idea to go and speak to the Surveying related Department to discuss the level of study you wish to complete. If you are at all considering University studies then I would suggest aiming for the highest level of study at TAFE currently being the Advanced Diploma. Many universities provide credit for TAFE studies in order to articulate to University. Ask your University of choice if this is an option they provide, in some cases the credits can be quite substantial. More info is available at TAFE Website.

Student Sponsorship up to AUD$3,500

Annual Education Award

The Australasian Hydrographic Society is proud to provide an Annual Education Award of $ 3,500 AUD.
Applications are open every year from 1 February to 30 April. Please note that the closing date for applications is 30 April of the applicable year.
Applications for grants under the AHS Education Award will be accepted ONLY from nationals and persons with official permanent residential status of the following nations:
Australia, New Zealand, East Timor, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, whether the applicant is studying at home or abroad.
The award is open to students studying, or proposing to study, within a broad range of maritime disciplines including, but not necessarily limited to, the following:

  1. Hydrography - Nautical Charting - Surveying at Sea 
  2. Coastal Studies - Coastal Zone Management 
  3. Offshore Resource Surveys and Management 
  4. Port Development and Maritime Engineering 
  5. Law of the Sea 
  6. Marine Cartography 
  7. Environmental Studies 
  8. Marine Geology and Geophysics

POLICY DIRECTIVE 001/22 – AHS EDUCATION AWARDS SCHEME

Application Form

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Hydrographic Certification
Level 1 or 2

The next step for many hydrographers after obtaining a tertiary qualification is to gain professional recognition of their specialized skills through hydrographic certification. In Australia and New Zealand certification is endorsed by the Australasian Hydrographic Surveyors Certification Panel (AHSCP) through the Spatial Sciences Institute.
All surveyors are encouraged to gain Certification enabling industry to set a high level of standard for hydrographic surveyors. If any members have concerns about the system of certification or require assistance with how to get started please visit the Australasian Hydrographic Society Forum page. Voice any concerns or questions regarding certification and current certified members will happily assist. In addition, specific concerns or queries can also be raised with the AHSCP Secretary, Mr Jasbir Randhawa on Tel: +61(02) 4223 6672.

APPLICATION FORMS AND DETAILS OF THE GUIDELINES AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM:

THE SECRETARY (JASBIR RANDHAWA)

 
AUSTRALASIAN HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYING CERTIFICATION PANEL (AHSCP)

C/- LOCKED BAG 8801, WOLLONGONG, NSW 2500, AUSTRALIA
PHONE: +61 2 4223 6672;
FAX: +61 2 4223 6599;
E-MAIL: JASBIR.RANDHAWA@DEFENCE.GOV.AU


Category A and B Courses

IIC Technologies S-5B Hydrographic Surveyor Program

IIC Technologies deliver an S-5 Category B Hydrographic Surveyors program in Australasia, that maximises online learning techniques. This course is designed for those with the desire to start or build a career in Hydrography and is recognized by the FIG/IHO/ICA International Board on Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors and Nautical Cartographers (IBSC). This is the only course of its type available to the public in Australasia.

The program is delivered as a combination of remote learning (not less than 13 weeks theory delivered over a 23 week period to allow flexibility for the students), and onsite practicals (5 weeks) and assessments (4 weeks), ensuring students have the knowledge and experience they need. This program is endorsed to maximise delivery via distance learning, which means that the majority of the course can be undertaken by students in their own location, with the practicals and assessment being undertaken consecutively at varying locations in Australasia but normally in Australia.

The online delivery is provided by as part of a global distance learning delivery that also includes North America and Europe, allowing students the benefit of learning in a global pool of students. The delivery of the practical components and final assessment is undertaken consecutively in each of the regions, with a maximum of 12 students per region to ensure high levels of instructor-led hands on learning. Further it allows Australasian students to be brought into direct contact with important regional entities including National Authorities, Professional Bodies, academia and industry partners.

This course runs annually with the online component commencing in September and the onsite practical component commencing in Australia in May the following year. 

For more information or to register your interest please follow the link below.

Find More ...


Under the supervision of instructors, S-5B Students undertake practical training onboard a survey vessel. Here they learn the practical aspects of nautical science, boat safety, rigging a survey vessel, gathering survey data and more.


Although the distance learning approach maximises online delivery, students have close interaction with instructors throughout the course. The practical component includes time with the instructors ensuring learning outcomes are achieved, planning surveys, processing and visualising data, and answering any questions the students may have.

Summary of Education Award Recipients'

Year Recipient Research
2024 Chris Berr The Habitats and Morphology of the Tasmanian Seamounts
2023 Katie Hughes Reconstructing coseismic landslide-generated lacustrine tsunami
2023 Emily Harrex Breaking Waves; A Snapshot of Women in Hydrography
2022 Daniel Adams Processing improvements for 3D models to support maritime archaeology
2021 Alysha Johnson Using bathymetry and geospatial techniques to interpret Norfolk Island and it's marine shelf
2020 Moleni Tu'uholoaki Developing a tropical cyclone inundation forecast system for Tonga
2018 Reenu Toodesh Towards indicators for prioritizing resurvey frequencies
Non-standard award to align with HYDRO2018 conference
2017 Henry Ellis The Hydrodynamics of Gulf of St Vincent, South Australia
2016 Kay Critchell Understanding the impacts, processes and risk to primary consumers by micro-plastic in marine debris
2015 Thomas Rutter An Investigation into the use of remotely operated survey vessels for a multibeam, nautical charting project
2014 Carolyn Martin 3D photogrammetric modeling of SCUBA-accessible shipwrecks
2012 Michelle Linklater Past and Present Reef Growth at High Latitude Reefs: Implications for Expansion and Refugia
2011 Emily Todd Optimal use of Underway SV Measurements in a Multibeam Survey on the Tamar Estuary
2009 Jacquomo Monk Understanding demersal fish-habitat associations using video observations and sonar imaging
2008 Malcolm Lindsay The larval recruitment and oceanographic dynamics of the Wilson’s Promontory Marine National Park, Australia

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