Considering Commercial Diving as a Career? Read this.

[Mr T.]

http://jobs.independent.co.uk/career...p?story=117037


Diving



If you've never considered diving as anything but a hobby, think again. Tony Tapp, lecturer in diving and underwater technology at the University of Plymouth, describes how to pursue a career in diving without getting out of your depth


Taken from School Leaver magazine issue 31.5
29 January 2002



The image that most people have of diving is the one portrayed in countless television wildlife documentaries and glamorous holiday programmes: groups of recreational divers drifting effortlessly through warm, azure waters surrounded by a veritable aquarium of rainbow-coloured fish. If only all diving was like that...

One of my recent dives took place on a dismal day in March; the water was as grey as the clouds and as cold as ice. For most of the dive I could barely see my hands in front of my face. Rainbow-coloured fish? No chance! Just discarded shopping trolleys amid an array of broken concrete and twisted steel. Busying myself with the task in hand, I took comfort from the memory of past dives in tropical seas ­ and the thought that at least I was being paid to be there!

As a qualified commercial diver and a practising civil engineer, I usually don't get much of a choice as to where or when I dive ­ that's dictated by the work that has to be done. I dive as a means of getting to and from a work site. The work itself could be anything from carrying out a video survey of a breakwater to building a foundation for a bridge pier.

I began my diving career by learning to dive for leisure and sport. There are three main organisations which train recreational divers in the UK: the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC), the Sub-Aqua Association (SAA) and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

* BSAC is reputed to be the world's biggest dive club with over 55,000 members. It trains divers through a network of some 1,250 branches and 200 schools in over 50 countries. BSAC branches are normally run by local members who are free to organise and promote their own diving activities. Anyone can join a branch and take advantage of the facilities offered. Dive training can begin at the age of 14 and is usually conducted over a period of time. BSAC Schools offer the same training as the branches but as full-time concentrated programmes.

* The SAA is also based in the UK. It acts as a "forum" for a national network of independent diving clubs. SAA training programmes have been devised to ensure that trainee divers work through the grades of competence in an enjoyable and progressive way.

* PADI was founded in the USA and operates through a worldwide network of over 4,000 dive centres and resorts. Their educational programme takes a modular approach. Core courses, which teach essential diving skills, can be supplemented with optional speciality modules (e.g. photography, navigation, night diving, rescue). PADI also offers a career path to those who want a job in recreational diving ­ you could end up running your own PADI dive centre!

If you want a diving career in the UK, you must hold a commercial diving qualification. These are approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ­ the Government's safety supervisory body. You must also work within a set of legal rules, the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 (DWR).

There are many different types of working diver, each requiring different skills and competencies. These include:

• Offshore diving in support of the oil and gas industries
• Inland and inshore diving, for example, in support of civil engineering or fish farming
• Scientific and archaeological diving in support of research and education
• Media diving ­ working as presenters, stunt performers, photographers or sound and lighting technicians
• Recreational diving ­ involving the instruction and guiding of recreational divers
• Police and military diving.

There are three levels of commercial diver training:

1. The "entry" level qualification trains a diver to use SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus), where the diver carries an air supply in cylinders

2. The next level of training is known as Surface Supplied Diving, where the diver receives an air supply via umbilical hose from the surface

3. The highest level of training is called Closed Bell Diving. These divers breathe mixed gases in order to dive deeper than 50 metres. They often live for weeks at a time in a compression chamber

The financial rewards for divers can be considerable, but so are the risks ­ diving is a potentially hazardous occupation. Good training will, however, minimise these risks through the application of safe working practices.

There are only a handful of places in the UK where you can train to be a commercial diver, and there's only one University that offers HSE-approved commercial diver training to its undergraduate students. Students who study civil and coastal engineering, ocean science or marine biology at the University of Plymouth are able to train as HSE Professional SCUBA divers as part of their normal curricular studies. The University has its own diving and sailing centre, where a team of full-time diving instructors work closely with academic lecturers.

Further information:

BSAC: telephone: 0151 350 6200; www.bsac.com

SAA: telephone: 0151 287 1001; www.saa.org.uk

PADI: telephone: 0117 300 7234; www.padi.com

HSE Diving: www.hse.gov.uk/spd/noframes/spddiv.htm

University of Plymouth: telephone: 01752 232232; www.plymouth.ac.uk (for general information) or

www.plymouth.ac.uk/dsc (for information about diving)

[Ivon]

There are only a handful of places in the UK where you can train to be a commercial diver, and there's only one University that offers HSE-approved commercial diver training to its undergraduate students. Students who study civil and coastal engineering, ocean science or marine biology at the University of Plymouth are able to train as HSE Professional SCUBA divers as part of their normal curricular studies. The University has its own diving and sailing centre, where a team of full-time diving instructors work closely with academic lecturers.

I knew i enroled at the the wrong uni!!!!

[Mr T.]

Originally Posted by NarkedOFF

I knew i enroled at the the wrong uni!!!!

No wonder you're 'NarkedOFF!""

[Mr T.]

Here's a good summary report on what you can expect from the job, the role, the working environmemt and what will be expected of you in terms of attitude, skills etc.

http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/49-9092.00

[Mr T.]

BSAC TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS Information Sheet G.1

CAREERS IN COMMERCIAL DIVING

As the UK governing body for the sport of underwater swimming, the British Sub-Aqua Club has no direct dealings with commercial diving activities and therefore can only offer basic information on this subject.

There are various career opportunities in commercial diving, marine science and technology. Universities and colleges, which offer such specialist courses, will be able to tell you more about career opportunities in marine sciences.

In order to comply with Health and Safety at Work legislation, persons seeking employment as a commercial diver in Great Britain must hold a Certificate of Diver Training, issued by a diving school approved by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). According to the nature of the commercial diving work you hope to pursue, different levels of certification are available:


HSE Scuba Diver: Air Diving with self-contained equipment where no surface compression chamber is required on site.

HSE Surface Supply Diver: Air Diving where no surface compression chamber is required on site.

HSE Surface Supply (Top Up) Diver: Air Diving where surface compression chamber is required on site.

HSE Closed Bell Diver: Mixed Gas and / or Bell Diving

Each qualification level covers the capabilities of the preceding one. Only Surface Supply (Top Up) Diver and Closed Bell Diver certificates are acceptable for working offshore.

In UK, training courses offered by the H&SE approved commercial diver training schools listed overleaf lead to such certificates. On completion of diver training, these schools may be able to place successful students with companies wishing to employ divers.

It should be understood that the majority of career opportunities in commercial diving are for divers with engineering or scientific skills. It is therefore advisable to continue your education, or seek additional education and training in order to acquire the technical skills needed by those who employ divers. People can be taught to dive relatively quickly: learning the specialist skills which an employer needs usually takes much longer, and should be the priority for any young person planning a career in commercial diving. Possession of an 'entry level' recreational diving qualifications is necessary before embarking on a commercial diver training course.



Commercial diver training schools offering all H&SE approved courses:

The Underwater Centre, Fort William, Inverness PH33 6LZ
Telephone: 01397 703786 Fax: 01397 704969
Email: tuc@stenmar.com

Stenmar Ltd. 16 Denmore Industrial Estate, Denmore Road, Aberdeen, AB23 8JW
Tel: 01224 827288 Fax: 01224 827289
E-mail: stenmar@stenmar.com

Interdive Services, 22 Leyford Close, Wembury, Devon PL9 0HX
Tel: 01752 863235 Fax: 01752 862833
web: www.interdive.co.uk

Commercial Diver Training and Services, The Neuk, Corpach, Fort William PM33 7LR
Tel 01397 772244

Commercial diver training school offering SCUBA only H&SE approved courses:

DV Diving, 138 Mountstewart Road, Newtownards, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT22 2ES
Telephone & Fax +44 (0)28 91 464671
Email: info@dvdiving.co.uk

H&SE First Aid training:
The National Hyperbaric Centre Ltd. 123 Ashgrove Road West, Aberdeen AB16 5FA,
Tel: 01224-698 895 Fax: 01224-692 222
Email: nhc@hyperbar.demon.co.uk

There are also a small number of specialist Commercial Diver Training Schools attached to Universities which offer courses in marine sciences. The full list of such schools can be obtained from: Diving Policy Division, Health & Safety Executive, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS Telephone: 0207 717 6763 Fax: 0207 717 6911.

Career Development Loans to meet the cost of training as a commercial diver may be available from the Department of Employment. You are advised to seek more information from your local DoE Office.

(c) 04/03. The British Sub-Aqua Club, Telford's Quay, South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 4FL

[Mr T.]

http://scuba.about.com/od/commercial...commdiving.htm

[Dangerous Dan]

Thats my course at Plymouth Uni