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Commercial Divers

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

Work below surface of water, using surface-supplied air or scuba equipment to inspect, repair, remove, or install equipment and structures. May use a variety of power and hand tools, such as drills, sledgehammers, torches, and welding equipment. May conduct tests or experiments, rig explosives, or photograph structures or marine life.

What you’d do

  • Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
  • Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
  • Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.
  • Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.
  • Inspect and test docks, ships, buoyage systems, plant intakes or outflows, or underwater pipelines, cables, or sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.
  • Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.
  • Inspect the condition of underwater steel or wood structures.
  • Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, or related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Speaking
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Complex Problem Solving

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Diver
  • Diver Tender
  • Salvage Diver
  • Saturation Diver
  • Diving Coordinator
  • Hard Hat Diver

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