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OP, out of curiosity, I looked up a school to see what the requirements are. You have to be able to swim 400 meters (437 yards) unassisted, that's more than the length of 4 football fields. Do you have the stamina and swimming ability? This would be in rough, choppy, freezing cold water as well, not like a swimming pool.
Under the equipment requirement. it says you need to purchase a weight belt and at least 40 pounds of weights, so that is what you'd have around your waist as you're in the water as well.
This is not a career for an average-shape person IMO but for someone in exceptional shape and fairly athletic. It would require you be detail oriented and be very skillful with your hands (while wearing layers of rubber and being in the very deep, dark waters, being held down there by weights and safety cords)
It's not for people who like to play it safe, but IMO more suited for physical adventure/risk-taker types, ex-military, the type of people who bungee jump off bridges for fun, people like that. The staff photo looks like a group of very tough-type men.
I also remember your posts about your foods requirements and your mom issues. You won't have control over what you eat in this job, they aren't going to have a special organics or vegetarian or low sodium menus on these job sites. you won't be able to bring all your special foods. Also you said your mom won't sign FASFA papers. The cost of the school I linked to is $35,000.
What kind of work do you do now? What are you good at, and more importantly what do you already like?(not what you think you might like, that's a terrible way to pick a career because nothing is what you imagine it to be like)
I am physically fit. Durable.I understand the food issue. I love excessive and being strong. And I know they will train you to withstand the weights that hold you down. I was actually asking to see if anyone had experience in the industry but yet again. All I'm getting is a bunch of useless knowledge...
LOL at the commercial diving vs driving mixup!!!
I was first turned onto the commercial diving thing when taking some welding courses back in 2010. Seems to be some rather excellent pay with some technical training/certification to get on board.
I would imagine oil rigs, salvage companies, ship-building and repair companies are just a few of the many spots a diver could be utilized.
I'm starting wonder if I could possibly cross train into this after getting myself back into some semblance of shape at my age? Did it once for a law enforcement career that never happened. Might as well make this a new goal for that purpose.
I would think that good paying jobs are things like welding on oil rigs, that sort of thing, and I suspect that it is a young man's game, not a lifetime career.
There is a commercial diver that posts in Oregon occasionally and it sounds like the job is cold and dark and dangerous. He's been bitten by sea lions a couple of times.
I am physically fit. Durable.I understand the food issue. I love excessive and being strong. And I know they will train you to withstand the weights that hold you down. I was actually asking to see if anyone had experience in the industry but yet again. All I'm getting is a bunch of useless knowledge...
I just looked at the OSHA website for Commercial Diving, there is only about 10,000 divers active, not likely to find many people familiar with it in a general forum.
Hemlock posted links to some schools. I'm in Seattle too, did have 2 room mates back in 89-90 that were schooling, they seemed to have a good idea of what to expect, including the risks. That's likely your best source for information and will also likely lead to other sources as well.
[quote=SoLikeable;48128779]I am physically fit. Durable.I understand the food issue. I love excessive and being strong. And I know they will train you to withstand the weights that hold you down. I was actually asking to see if anyone had experience in the industry but yet again. All I'm getting is a bunch of useless knowledge...
Gee, you're welcome for me taking time out of my day to try to assist you. How many commercial divers do you think there are that they are going to be on this forum?
You're not going to be just living near the water, by the way, these aren't jobs you commute to and go home at the end of the day. You'll be on an oil rig or something for as long as it takes to weld whatever you are welding, or whatever you are doing.
I just get the sense you think you're going to be in the Caribbean gathering Conch shells, but that;s not what they do. https://www.sokanu.com/careers/commercial-diver/ You're basically an underwater construction worker.
That's great that you're in shape, but you skipped the question regarding swimming experience. How are you mechanically, because the gist of your job is going to require skilled use of tools and equipment?
BTW, if you simply Google "what it is like to be a commercial diver?" you will get actual experiences from people. You're welcome.
OP, I will agree with the suggestion that you take a recreational SCUBA course and get your PADI certification. It isn't even close to the training a commercial diver goes through, but it will give you a taste of the underwater environment.
As one example, there is a misconception on this thread about diving weights. Yes, you will need to wear weights, but the experience of wearing weight underwater is very different from weight above water. They are worn to counteract the bouyancy of your body and establish neutral bouyancy. It won't feel like 40 lbs of weight on your belt, although it will add 40lbs of mass to your body, which will require more work to propel yourself and you will have increased momentum as well.
This is basic physics, but it is hard to describe. The first time you dive it will become very apparent though.
I can't say anything about the actual work conditions or lifestyle though. I am only a recreational diver.
Sorry, I just reread my post and it sounds like the commercial diver posts on the Oregon forum here at C-D. He doesn't. He is posting on ifish.net, which is the Oregon/Washington recreational fishing forum.
OP, I will agree with the suggestion that you take a recreational SCUBA course and get your PADI certification. It isn't even close to the training a commercial diver goes through, but it will give you a taste of the underwater environment.
As one example, there is a misconception on this thread about diving weights. Yes, you will need to wear weights, but the experience of wearing weight underwater is very different from weight above water. They are worn to counteract the bouyancy of your body and establish neutral bouyancy. It won't feel like 40 lbs of weight on your belt, although it will add 40lbs of mass to your body, which will require more work to propel yourself and you will have increased momentum as well.
This is basic physics, but it is hard to describe. The first time you dive it will become very apparent though.
I can't say anything about the actual work conditions or lifestyle though. I am only a recreational diver.
"Recreational Diver'? is that a full time job or a hobby?
"Recreational Diver'? is that a full time job or a hobby?
Definitely a hobby. I go scuba diving on tropical vacations.
You can become a certified instructor or dive master and try to make a living that way. It isn't very lucrative. Most of the divemasters that I have met over the years fall into one of two categories.
People from Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and similar who do it for a living at tourist resorts. If you are ok with the standard of living maintained by service industry workers in the third world, this might be ok for you.
Young people in their early to mid twenties who want to see the world. You can make enough to sustain yourself while revealing from resort to resort and working for a season or two. It is pretty transient, and most people don't do it for more than a few years. I have a friend who did this when he was younger, then he became an electrician so that he could raise a family and pay the bills.
A scuba instructor certificate tends to be one of a number of certifications some people hold while working on private yachts and the like. You might be a deckhand with a PADI cert, or a masseuse...divemaster, etc.
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