How to become a Commercial Diver

Official title: Commercial Divers

Also called: Diver, Diver Tender, Diving Coordinator, Hard Hat Diver, NDT UW Welder (Non Destructive Testing Under Water Welder), Salvage Diver, Saturation Diver

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.

Main tasks

• Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
• Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
• 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.
• 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.
• Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.
• Inspect the condition of underwater steel or wood structures.
• Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, or related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.

How to become one

Typical education to start: Postsecondary nondegree award

Ways in

• Certificate or associate's degree: Postsecondary nondegree award. Programs such as Diver, Professional and Instructor

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $72,990 a year The middle half earn $54,810 to $101,550.
• About 4,000 people work in this job now, and about 4,200 are projected by 2035. (+4.8%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers
• Locksmiths and Safe Repairers
• Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers
• Riggers
• Signal and Track Switch Repairers
• Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Commercial Diver?

Ways in include: Postsecondary nondegree award.

How much does a Commercial Diver earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $72,990 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $54,810 to $101,550.

Is a Commercial Diver a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5% by 2035, from about 4,000 to about 4,200 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Commercial Diver?

Usually not. Only 12% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Postsecondary nondegree award.

Will AI change the work of a Commercial Diver?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.