These commercial divers are taking pictures of the fish.

What is this occupation?

Commercial diving is an occupation in which divers go underwaters to fix different things. It is said that they are almost like construction workers, only they are underwater. They must do difficult jobs underwater like welding, pile driving, patching, and maintaining and replacing.

How is it related to chemistry?

Commercial diving is related to chemistry in many ways. One way that it is related to chemistry is in corrosion. There are specific divers who have come up with a new system, which allows a diver determine where a structure is, how easily it can be obtained, and whether or not it's corroding. If the structure is corroding, the devise tells where corrosion is most likely to occur. This is just one of the ways that commercial diving is related to chemistry.

What educational background is needed?

You begin training by watching divers and checking their depth, time, air consumption, passing them tools, keeping logs, run the compressors and the equipment in use. There are different kinds of schooling. There is the ADC, which is the Association of Diving Contractors. This is not a good association to go to, to become a commercial diver because anyone could start an ADC standard school. This means if you receive basic SCUBA information you can still become a certified commercial diver. It is better to go to an ACDE or ANSI organization. They are organizations set with national standards. They are the schools you want to go to.

What is the average salary?

The salary of a commercial diver varies. If you are working on-shore, you may make $8.00-$9.00/hour. You get paid this amount between your first 18-36 months of learning. The salary may rise to $11.00/hour. However, after five years of experience, a diver can make between $35-70k a year. A diver usually doesn't make that much unless they were trained well and know what they are doing. Divers who are in Unions tend to make about $34.00/hour.

What are the working conditions?

The working conditions for a diver are dangerous sometimes due to underwater conditions. It is cold, dark, and you often work alone.

Are there many jobs in this field?

There are many jobs in this field. Anyone can become a commercial diver as long as they have a high school diploma, or a GED, and then attend a divers training school.