Commercial Divers
Commercial divers have the unique opportunity to dive underwater to fix structures, conduct experiments and retrieve sunken objects for a career.
Don’t want to work in an office? How about underwater? That’s exactly what commercial divers get to do. They wear scuba gear and dive underwater to remove, repair, inspect and install structures and equipment or to take pictures, do experiments or rig explosives.
Commercial divers must communicate with employees working above the water by using telephones or signal lines, track dive depths and lengths, maintain diving equipment, register with authorities, gather information about the environment and retrieve sunken objects.
People with this career also test and inspect docks, bouyage systems, ships, underwater pipelines, plant intakes and outflows, cables and sewers. They even use underwater welding tools, photography and closed circuit television to do their job.
As as commercial diver you will use tools like masks, air tanks, helmets, harnesses, gauges, supports, jigs, crane lines, derricks, winches and cranes.
People who do well in this career are usually good at maintenance, critical thinking, fixing things, troubleshooting, communicating and using their hands.
To be a successful commercial diver, you will need an associate’s degree. An educational program will teach you all you need to know about design, mechanics, physics, math, engineering, building, technology, construction, public safety and personal service.
The average hourly wage for commercial divers is about $22 and the average annual income is about $46,000.