46 CFR § 197.320 - Diving ladder and stage.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t46/s197.320"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "46 CFR § 197.320 - Diving ladder and stage."
title_number: 46
title_name: "Shipping"
section_number: "197.320"
section_name: "Diving ladder and stage."
chapter_name: "COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY"
subchapter_number: "V"
subchapter_name: "MARINE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS"
part_number: "197"
part_name: "GENERAL PROVISIONS"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "33 U.S.C. 1509; 43 U.S.C. 1333; 46 U.S.C. 3306, 3703, 6101; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1."
regulatory_source: "CGD 76-009, 43 FR 53683, Nov. 16, 1978, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "197"
---


# 197.320 Diving ladder and stage.

(a) Each diving ladder must—

(1) Be capable of supporting the weight of at least two divers;

(2) Extend 3 feet below the water surface;

(3) Be firmly in place;

(4) Be available at the dive location for a diver to enter or exit the water unless a diving stage or bell is provided; and

(5) Be—(i) Made of corrosion-resistant material; or

(ii) Protected against and maintained free from injurious corrosion.

(b) Each diving stage must—

(1) Be capable of supporting the weight of at least two divers;

(2) Have an open-grating platform;

(3) Be available for a diver to enter or exit the water from the dive location and for in-water decompression if the diver is—

(i) Wearing a heavy-weight diving outfit; or

(ii) Diving outside the no-decompression limits, except when a bell is provided; and

(4) Be—(i) Made of corrosion-resistant material; or

(ii) Protected against and maintained free from injurious corrosion.