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Scuba diving is an underwater activity that involves using an underwater breathing apparatus to enable the diver to breathe. Scuba divers carry a source of compressed air to enable them to breathe while being able to freely swim about. This is different than divers that use an air line or hold their breath for an extended period.

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This is a list of underwater divers whose exploits have made them notable.

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Key Facts & Information

Training, Other Qualifications

Commercial divers typically need a high school diploma or GED. Training and certification through a commercial diving school is mandatory for most jobs. Basic scuba diving certification should be obtained prior to attending a commercial diving program.

Because there are a large variety of jobs to be done underwater, commercial divers may also need to acquire other skills, like underwater welding, photography, or construction, depending on the type of work they'll be doing. In some companies, on-the-job training by more experienced divers also occurs.

Education and Training

A high school diploma or GED and certification through a commercial diving school are necessary for most commercial diving jobs.

Other Qualifications

Frequent scuba diving is physically taxing and commercial divers must be extremely fit. Good mental health is also critical because commercial divers, such as search and rescue workers, often work in emotionally taxing environments. The smallest deviation from diving protocols can have disastrous consequences, so divers must be detail oriented and able to remain calm under stress.

Nature of the Work

Watch this video if you've ever wondered who invents and tests diving equipment. See the Naval Experimental Diving Unit in action creating new diving products and pushing the physical limits of commercial diving.

Commercial divers perform underwater activities related to construction, salvage, repair, research, rescue and photography. They use specialized scuba equipment. The exact type of equipment depends on the diving conditions, but may include wet suits, dry suits, hot-water-heated suits, diving bells, decompression chambers, full face masks and air compressors.

Commercial divers find employment with many types of companies and organizations. Oil companies, demolition companies, police and fire departments, underwater salvage companies, and the Navy are just a few of the places where commercial divers work. Depending on the task, commercial divers may need other skills, such as welding, rigging explosives, photography, or emergency management.

Work Environment

Commercial divers spend their working hours in wet suits and scuba gear, swimming around in a variety of bodies of water, from freezing oceans to murky lakes. They are found in swamps, streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, ports, harbors, locks, weirs, reservoirs, spillways, quarries, pools, and sewers.

On the Job

Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.

Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths, and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.

Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses and gauges.

Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.

Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.

Inspect and test docks, ships, buoy systems, plant intakes and outflows, and underwater pipelines, cables, and sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.

Repair ships, bridge foundations, and other structures below the water line, using caulk, bolts, and hand tools.

Cut and weld steel, using underwater welding equipment, jigs, and supports.

Recover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects.

Install pilings or footings for piers and bridges.

Take test samples and photographs to assess the condition of vessels and structures.

Install, inspect, clean, and repair piping and valves.

Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, and related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.

Remove obstructions from strainers and marine railway or launching ways, using pneumatic and power hand tools.

Salvage wrecked ships and/or their cargo, using pneumatic power velocity and hydraulic tools, and explosive charges when necessary.

Set or guide placement of pilings and sandbags to provide support for structures such as docks, bridges, cofferdams, and platforms.

Perform activities related to underwater search and rescue, salvage, recovery, and cleanup operations.

Supervise and train other divers, including hobby divers.

Carry out non-destructive testing, such as tests for cracks on the legs of oil rigs at sea.

Drill holes in rock, and rig explosives for underwater demolitions.

Remove rubbish and pollution from the sea.

Perform offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction duties, such as conducting underwater surveys and repairing and maintaining drilling rigs and platforms.

Cultivate and harvest marine species, and perform routine work on fish farms.

Set up dive sites for recreational instruction.

Companies That Hire Divers

Explore what you might do on the job with one of these projects...

Ask Questions

Do you have a specific question about a career as a Diver that isn't answered on this page? Post your question on the Science Buddies Ask an Expert Forum.

Sources

O*Net Online. (2016). National Center for O*Net Development. Retrieved July 1, 2017, from https://www.onetonline.org/

The El Group. (2009). Commercial Diver. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from http://www.schoolsintheusa.com/careerprofiles_details.cfm?carid=1404

United States Navy (2009). All Hands Television: Divers train and test equipment at the Naval Experimental Diving Unit. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from http://www.navy.mil/ahtv.asp?id=11859

Sea Grant Marine Careers. (2007). Researcher Profile: Michael Lombardi Retrieved July 16, 2009, from http://www.marinecareers.net/profile_detail.php?id_prof=83

Underwater Centre. (2016). Diver Training Case Studies: Amelia Bartlem. Daily Express. Retrieved January 24, 2017, from http://www.theunderwatercentre.com/tasmania/diver-training/case-studies/

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Please ensure you have JavaScript enabled in your browser. If you leave JavaScript disabled, you will only access a portion of the content we are providing. Here's how. Key Facts & Information Commercial divers typically need a high school diploma or GED. Training and certification through a commercial diving school is mandatory for most jobs.

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Crystal Blue Reef Safari, Fiji islands

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People get to experience there curiosity of the underwater world.

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Breathing equipment
camera
regulator
scuba gloves
compass
dive computer

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35,000 to 40,000 per year

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High Diploma,
GED,
clarification from diving school,
18 years or older,
understand proficient English,
read and write.

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Diver , Earth and Environmental science