The recreational diving instructor assessment and certification course of the China Diving and Salvage Contractors Association (CDSA) started at Guangdong Ocean University (GDOU) in Zhanjiang on Dec 14, meaning that Zhanjiang is able to train recreational divers independently.

Public recreational diving training originated 30 years ago. After 2001, foreign training systems and institutions began to enter China, namely CMAS (Confdration Mondiale des Activits Subaquatiques) from Italy, PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and NAUI ( National Diving Patrol) from the United States, as well as SSI (Scuba Schools International) from Germany. In 2018, CDSA created a local recreational diving training system with independent intellectual property rights. In that year, the first batch of 70 recreational divers and instructors independently trained and certified in China took place in Qingdao, Shandong province.

Zhanjiang has high-quality recreational diving tourism resources, such as Naozhou Island and the Coral Conservation Area of Jiaowei. GDOU has more than 20 years of teaching history in recreational diving, providing services for marine scientific research, marine public welfare, and marine leisure.

The recreational diving course cooperation between CDSA and GDOU will cultivate the first batch of the independent training of recreational divers in Zhanjiang, which will play a positive role in promoting the local and South China marine economy and coastal tourism industries.