Commercial Diving
Off Shore, Inland & Scientific Commerical Scuba Diving
Scuba diving is, no doubt, one of the most enjoyable sports out there. Every year, millions of people put on their suits and go scuba diving. It is, for them, both a passion and a hobby. But most people would like to do what they like for a living, and it’s possible that you, as a scuba diver, have had this same desire. You’d like to turn your passion and love for scuba diving into a decent income. But is there any way of reasonably doing this? If you consider commercial diving, there definitely is.
What is Commercial Diving?
The term “commercial diving” gets thrown around a lot, and so you may be confused as to what it, exactly, means. Basically, commercial diving is any type of diving in which people are paid for their services by a company. But, it doesn’t stop there. There are different sub-areas within commercial diving, each with differences that separate them from the rest. Depending on your interests both as a scuba diver and otherwise, you may find one area preferable over another area.
Sub-Areas of Commercial Diving
There are four main sub-areas of commercial diving. Brief descriptions of each are below.
Offshore Diving
Considered to the entry point for most aspiring paid scuba divers, offshore diving is also among the most dangerous forms of scuba diving employment. Offshore diving is a type of professional diving in which scuba divers explore underwater for the oil and gas industry. Offshore divers may also do work on underwater oil platforms, as well as build underwater structures. For this reason, it is a somewhat dangerous type of work.
Inland Diving
Inland diving is a slightly more specialized, yet safer form of commercial diving. Inland divers can expect to do work underwater with engineering projects and surveying. This type of diving pays less than offshore diving, but has the benefit of allowing divers to work from home.
HAZMAT Diving
This is by far the most specialized type of commercial diving and is also the most dangerous. In HAZMAT diving, divers are expected to often dive into raw sewage and/or water with many chemicals to repair damaged pipelines, make a variety or repairs or even find bodies, depending on who they are working for. HAZMAT diving can be a very rewarding job financially, but is not for the amateur scuba diver.
Scientific Diving
Yet another type of diving, and perhaps one of the most exciting types, is that of scientific diving. Scientific divers are responsible for studying things underwater, much like a scientist may study an animal above ground. Scientific divers gather data and reach conclusions on their findings. They may study specific organisms underwater, or perhaps just different types of fish. Scientific divers aren’t very well paid, but most are very happy with their job.
What Do I Need to Become a Commercial Diver?
The requirements for becoming a commercial diver will depend on what field you are looking to go into. What you will need for certain is basic scuba diving certification, such as PADI certification. If you are looking to become a HAZMAT or scientific diver, you will need much more training and experience than a simple certification. If you are interested in any of the types of commercial scuba diving mentioned above, you should look into the requirements for each.
Posted in 
content rss