Commercial Diving - Can you Help?

[ianwheeldon]

i recently chucked in my job and flat to go travelling for 7 months. now i'm back and i need a job. i was thinking of some kind of salvage diving or maintenance work. i have no experience in this field and know idea of how to get information on how to get started. i am a sport diver, but i've heard you get army training for professional diving.
if anyone out there can give me any advice i would be very greatful.
cheers
ian.

[Narked@50]

I seem to remember a certain TV show following the training of commercial divers??? The training was around £5-8k and the estimated work in the first year was £0, I seem to know a few "ex-commercial divers" so it's definately not a gold mine. With legislation getting tougher and ROVs getting cheaper I wish you well. Perhaps becoming an instructor would be a better way ahead for the short term, you could then either stay at home and earn a bit (not a lot) or go abroad, and earn a bit more (but not much), at least the lifestyle is better?

James

[Andy the Coastie]

you have NO HOPE.......

[Bikerbill]

As Andy said, you have no hope. This is because there are already too many experienced Commercial divers competing for work. What about instructing abroad? The money may not be great, but it could be a good experience.

Billy (Ex Commie)

[hawkeye]

I have looked into commercial diving and have found the same just look here at the commie divers bulletin board.
http://www.longstreath.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl

hope this helps

[Richie]

Some years ago I worked on a fish farm in the west of Scotland (Oban) and that involved a lot of diving. BUT.......
That was before the HSE Stasi got so involved and some of the work was less than inspiring. Some was good but not much.

Don't know what the current legal position is but pay will be crap given the current market price of Salmon!

[ianwheeldon]

thanks everyone. it was only an idea but it looks like a bad one. plan B then. whatever that is. driving instructor?

[fizzydve]

You would need to get a HSE surface supply ticket - the only place in the UK where this is currentlly available is the underwater centre at fort william. the full ticket (including offshore) will cost in the region of £7.5k and take 10 weeks. - you'll also need to pass a HSE medical, which will cost about £150 for your first one, with x-rays. It is still possible for someone to come into this industy and make a living, but.... it is very difficult and is often a matter of luck - right time, right place. It would be a major advantage if you already have some relevant 'surface skills' e.g. welding, plant/motor mechanics, general building work. 'Office' workers coming into the business tend to find it hardest. If you don't have any such skills then you should budget for a wet welding course aswell (about £2k). Contractors will not be interested in any scuba experience, this is largely irrelevant in the commercial world. There are a few companies who like to take 'baby divers' straight from school, this is usually because they pay less and work you harder, they do however get some guys started on the ladder. Other than that it's a case of making lots of phone calls and getting lucky. Once you get a start with a contractor it's a question of getting your head down, doing the job asked and generally having a decent attitude - this will give you the best chance of getting invited back. It is possible you'll fall on your feet, I know some blokes who got work more or less straight from school and have been regular employees of the same company ever since, but that is very rare. More likely you'll scratch around and be lucky to earn £10k in your first year.As has been said before in this thread, there's a lot of people trying to making a living this way and it is not easy, most give up within 2 years. If you get beyond the 2 year mark, you'll likely have the chance to move into offshore work and life generally get a bit easier, you'll also be known to enough UK civils / shipping companies to get regular work here. But it is a long hard slog to get to this stage, as I've said you'll need to work hard and have a bit of luck on your side.
So, do you have : relevant experience / skills?
£10k plus to spare? (you'll need to live while doing your course and afterwards)
the ability to live on £10 - £15k for two years?

If yes to all the above then you have a chance, question then is 'is it worth it'

My advice is no, spend the money on diving you'll enjoy, and get job thats gives you a better chance of earning a decent living.

If you do go for it anyway - good luck!

Cheers.

[Sandman]

Fort Willaim went into receivership in January, not sure what the current situation is up there or if anyone else does HSE courses in the UK.

http://www.divernet.com/news/stories...ar050104.shtml

Cheers

Simon

[fizzydve]

Its up and running again now, no one else currently offers HSE surface supplied training in the UK (you can get equivalent tickets elswhere which are acceptable)