Am I too old???

[ymi5150]

I am almost 33 years old and have been in corporate America for the past 7 years. I need a change and I hope commercial diving is still an option. I keep reading that offshore diving stops being an option around the age of 38 or 40, is this more of a guide line or a rule? What are the chances of working in the offshore arena after 40? I am in good physical condition, approaching great. I have a limited knowledge/ experience working with my hands and no scuba experience. I worked construction for about 5 years in my 20's. I am very comfortable in the water and on the water. I am not afraid of hard work, I can grind.

Are there any schools in California? I keep finding them on the gulf and the east coast but not the west.

Any additional info that can be supplied by an experienced commercial diver would be greatly appreciated, i.e; the stuff you wish you knew before choosing this as a career.

 

[DivingOtter]

There is a school in Seattle Washington I believe.

 

[fstbttms]

Santa Barbara City College has a commercial dive program. Well respected, if I am not mistaken:

Marine Diving Technology: Welcome to Marine Diving - Santa Barbara City College

 

[DivingOtter]

The age limit depends on what kind of diving you are doing. Saturation diving from what I am told caps around 40-45. I dive "inland" which there is really no limit too. My boss before I started my company turned 60 and he still hats up. Just beware that this is an industry with inconsistant pay and no such thing as time off. You need to be ready to leave at the drop of a hat, and if anyone tells you you will walk into an 80k plus a year job they are blowing smoke. The truth is that people who graduate from dive schools are highly likely to leave the industry for various reasons. From a class of 20 which I graduated only 5, yes 5 are currently diving. Schools will tell you places are hiring like crazy which isnt the case. You will need to find an employer willing to help you learn to dive because face it, just because you have maybe 400 minutes of dive time from school doesnt mean you are able to dive in a current with zero vis operating equipment that can kill you. Not being a downer just laying out the facts. I get calls non stop from people getting ready to graduate and the meanwhile schools are filling their heads with BS about how phenomenal the job market is. Truth be told I tell them up front the same stuff I stated above. If you are lucky enough to find work expect to get paid around 25-30 k a year. If you go offshore you wont dive for about a year minimum in most cases. Inland diving you might be put to work first day on the job so your boss can see if he can shape you into a decent diver and make him money or if it isnt worth his time. If you can put up with all the above, in the long run it can be a very lucrative career, but DO NOT become a diver because someone told you the insane amount of money you will make because you will end up being a statistic of those who leave the industry. Trust me, Ive seen it.

 

[DCBC]

I think that it's more of a question of a person's health and condition than it is age. Age is of course a factor, but I don't believe it's the 'key factor.' I did my last Sat dive when I was 50 and have maintained my saturation diving medical until this year (I retired last January). That said, most of my Sat dives were completed in my early 30's, and later in my 40's as a Supervisor.

The Commercial Diving Industry can sustain a person until retirement. Most of the diving however, is undertaken in the persons 20's and 30's. After that, most people are in a position to take a supervisory or management position. This obviously can't be expected until you become experienced, which takes time. There's the rub; if you don't start until your mid-30's, you face the prospect of possibly not gaining the requisite experience before you are unable to physically or emotionally continue doing the job. This is something that you should think about. The real challenge here is the long-term prospects, not in the short-term.

Good luck with your decision.

Wayne

Am I too old???

 

[Bombay High]

I am almost 33 years old and have been in corporate America for the past 7 years. I need a change and I hope commercial diving is still an option. I keep reading that offshore diving stops being an option around the age of 38 or 40, is this more of a guide line or a rule? What are the chances of working in the offshore arena after 40? I am in good physical condition, approaching great. I have a limited knowledge/ experience working with my hands and no scuba experience. I worked construction for about 5 years in my 20's. I am very comfortable in the water and on the water. I am not afraid of hard work, I can grind.

Are there any schools in California? I keep finding them on the gulf and the east coast but not the west.

Any additional info that can be supplied by an experienced commercial diver would be greatly appreciated, i.e; the stuff you wish you knew before choosing this as a career.

You are not too old as a working diver.

As someone starting out, I fear you are.

Why have you chosen this path if you dont mind my asking ?
You dont dive, and you have a white collar job. Working as a rig hand, then tender and then air, and then Sat ... long hard road ahead.

I am a lot older than you and still dive Sat, but I started when I was 17 years old.

 

[Darol]

I would ask, family situation? financail situation? midlife crisis?
I wish you all the best, guaranteed it won't be easy.

 

[muddiver]

Here are my recommendation on schools:
1. Santa Barbara City College Marine Diving Technology: Welcome to Marine Diving - Santa Barbara City College the best in the U.S., cheap to California residents and offers the only Marine Technology degree that I know of anymore.
2. Youngs Memorial College in Louisiana South Central Louisiana Technical College the least expensive and the shortest accredited program.
3. DIT in Seattle, WA has been accredited for a long time and offers the certifications that are good in Canada and overseas Divers Institute | Commercial Diving & Underwater Welding School expensive, probably around $14,000.00
4. National University in San Diego, CA (use to be the College of Oceaneering) National University • Professional Certificate in Marine Technology recently had to go through the accredidation process after loosing their accredidation. Also probably very expensive.

If the school is not on the list of accredited schools on the Assoc. of Commercial Diving Educators web site you best stay away because their certification is bougus. See Association of Commercial Diving Educators

I hope this helps. I also reccomend looking up the local Pile Drivers Union, either Local 2235 in Los Angeles or Local 34 in San Francisco. The pay is much better but you will be trained as a pile butt as well as a diver. That way you can build wharfs when your not diving.

 

[soulrebel]

80K? In Australia, specifically WA some divers are making 200K+.

 

[fstbttms]

80K? In Australia, specifically WA some divers are making 200K+.

Yeah, but those are Aussie dollars, so it works out to be about the same.