Commercial Divers

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Installation, Maintenance & Repair
• O*NET-SOC code: 49-9092
• O*NET job zone: 3 — medium preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• 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, or gauges.
• 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.
• Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.
• Supervise or train other divers, including hobby divers.
• Inspect the condition of underwater steel or wood structures.
• 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.
• Repair ships, bridge foundations, or other structures below the water line, using caulk, bolts, and hand tools.
• Recover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects.
• Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, or related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.
• Take test samples or photographs to assess the condition of vessels or structures.

Tools and technology

Adjustable crescent wrenches, Air tanks, Bailout bottles, Barometers, Box end wrenches, Buoyancy control devices, Carbon dioxide CO2 monitors, Chain hoists, Closed circuit system helmets, Closed circuit televisions, Closed diving bells, Code alpha flags

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Riggers
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Ship Engineers
• Sailors and Marine Oilers
• Boilermakers
• Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
• Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
• Dredge Operators

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 3 (medium preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Commercial Divers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.