IIC S-5B Program Students Feature in Spatial Source

IIC was privileged to be asked to provide an article to Spatial Source covering the recently graduated IIC Academy S-5B Hydrographic Surveyor Program. This article focuses primarily on the students and their time on the Practical and Assessment in Portland Australia.

Spatial Source Article 2 Dec 2024 by Jonathan Nally extracted from:

https://www.spatialsource.com.au/hydrographic-practice-from-theory-to-field-work/

Hydrographic practice: From theory to field work

By jnally on 2 December, 2024

Tebetiraoi Inatoa working on a tide gauge deployment during the practical in Portland.

Earlier this year, a group of students from around the world gathered in Portland, Victoria to participate in the internationally recognised S-5B hydrographic surveying training program delivered by IIC Academy.

This Program runs until the end of February. Then will meet in again in April for review before finally meet in person in the Gold Coast, Queensland Australia in May 2025!

The program attracted a wide range of participants: some were totally new to the industry, others had more than 30 years’ experience as hydrographic surveyors, and others were in between.

The program comprised 13 weeks of theoretical, self-paced, instructor-led online learning and nine weeks of practical in-the-field training and assessment.

In the following, we hear from two of the participants.

Tebetiraoi Inatoa, Kiribati

As a new graduate from the University of the South Pacific, I’ve jumped into the world of hydrography as a survey technician working in the hydrographic unit under the marine division of the Ministry of Information Communication and Transport (MICT) in Kiribati. The world of hydrography is totally new to me, and we are currently developing our hydrographic capability in Kiribati.

I decided to undertake the program to work towards becoming a qualified hydrographer to support the work of the Government of Kiribati by assisting in mapping the nation’s oceans. This work will enable the update of nautical charting, improve navigational safety and assist with marine management.

Tebetiraoi Inatoa completing levelling field work during the practical in Portland.

There was so much to learn while I was on the program, but it was fantastic to be able to have so much condensed into the length of the course. I learnt so much, including installing equipment, using data acquisition software, collecting data, cleaning and processing data, and producing a final report.

I found the course material to be great and the delivery of the theory and practical was conducted very well; IIC has a great team working on the program. My biggest takeaway from the program is understanding how to conduct a hydrographic survey from start to finish.

Yudovan Vidyan

I am currently working as a Survey Party Chief with PT Bintang Subsea Indonesia/Shelf Subsea. I joined the program having studied hydrography at university and with considerable industry experience including offshore survey and inspection work.

My goal for attending the program was to gain a better understanding of hydrographic surveying and nautical charting, particularly in relation the standards set by the International Hydrographic Organization. A lot of the material was great refresher of the different aspects of hydrographic surveying.

What I found most beneficial was the material that concentrated on practicing hydrographic surveying, particularly in the context of nautical charting.

I found the course to be very enjoyable; the online theory was easy for me to follow while juggling my time between offshore survey assignments for work and studying in the program. The in-person practical was a great experience, with a live project to work on and real survey equipment, software and survey vessel to work with. The instructors were very helpful throughout the practical and supported my learning.

The program has provided me with many lessons to take back into my work. The program would be great for others in the industry who, like me, are busy working full-time offshore, as the online theory is easy to progress and keep track of without having to attend classes in person.

The in-person practical was a great opportunity to connect with students from other companies and from countries around the world, and it was great to share and learn from each of my peers’ experiences as well as build some incredible new friendships.

I highly recommend this program not only to people wanting to enter the industry but to hydrographic surveying professionals who are wanting to grow their knowledge in this space. I believe it makes you more attractive to companies when you have completed training like the S-5B program.

Support and success

All of the participants successfully graduated the program and very much enjoyed their time studying throughout the theory and practical components.

IIC Academy and the students had great local support during the practical component of the program from Seismic Asia Pacific,Port of Portland, Acoustic Imaging/QPS, Bintang Subsea and CTS Environmental.

Those interested in taking part in the 2025 program should email hydrographicsurveyor@iicacademy.com or visit the IIC Academy website for more information.