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Careers in Scuba Diving

Some people live to dive, while others dive for a living. If you become a certified SCUBA diver and decide that this is what you want to do for your career, you’ll be happy to know that there are many ways to earn a respectable income performing a task you love. Remember, its not really work if you enjoy it. So what careers are there that involve SCUBA diving?

Construction

Commercial divers perform many vital tasks. They are well known for working with underwater welding tools. Many commercial divers, like underwater welders, mostly do underwater construction. They help put underwater rigs, ships, and other structures together. As well as having a commercial and technical diving certification, these construction workers must be experienced with welding/construction out of the water. Underwater construction workers will also perform any maintenance a structure needs. Although they are hired all over, the rigs in the Gulf of Mexico hire the most commercial divers. These underwater construction jobs are considered entry level. The dangers of this job, combined with the relatively low wage some offer, make underwater welding/construction an undesirable job for all but the die hards. Though some make over $100,000 a year, some make a paltry $20,000.

Scientific research

Besides underwater construction, diving careers exist for scientific research. Private research companies and government agencies use divers to observe and gather data for studies. Job tasks vary from agency to agency, but most scientific divers require bachelor degrees in a biological field.

Hazmat

Hazmat divers work with dangerous substance and biological hazards. Their duties include cleanup of chemical spills, performing pollution control, and fixing pipes. Perhaps the most unappetizing job lies with the sewer divers. Sewer divers fix pipes in sewer lines. Imagine, diving with human waste, biological hazards, and other hazardous materials.

Hazmat divers must be protected from hazardous materials at all costs, so full drysuits, including headgear that keeps the head dry, must be worn. They also need to keep up to date vaccinations of every kind.

Media Divers

Media divers take photographs and make videos for professional purposes, such as shooting a documentary for the Discovery Channel. They also help film movies for Hollywood.

Diving instructors and shop owners

Diving instruction is the easiest, and perhaps the most enjoyable, of all diving careers. Diving instructors must first pass the requirements from a diving agency like PADI. They must have performed at least 100 dives and show written, verbal, and technical proficiency in diving topics. Each organization has their standards, but generally, about 6 months of training and plenty of experience are required. Diving instructors not only teach students how to dive, many work with a SCUBA shop owner or own the shop themselves. Instructors enjoy organizing and participating in dive trips, lasting multiple weeks in tropical locations such as Australia. Imagine sightseeing for living. SCUBA instructors get to do just that, in a sense.

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