Forget Commercial diving and think Professional Diving. I've dubbed this phrase to fill the niche between recreational and commercial. Anywhere there is a large number of recreational boating Marina's there is a large amount of work. The interesting thing is that true Commercial diving companies are either not interested in or don't have the time to service the recreational boating industry. They are busy with large projects like bridges, piers, large salvage operations, shipyards etc... Cleaning boat bottoms, doing light salvage such as recovering the grill dropped off the back of a boat, someones wallet that fell in the water, changing zinc anodes etc... has a potential for becoming a niche business in your area. Four years ago I started a part time business in this niche role. Today I have the largest full-time 24/7 emergency response business in the area catering to recreational boaters. We pull crab lines and debris from props, intakes etc... recover lost keys, clean props and shafts etc...
Commercial Divers on average have terrible quality of life and don't make near as much as they used to. Tenders usually start in the $12 - $15 an hour range and the best paid usually can max out in the mid to upper $30's an hour range.
I have divers working for me that earn much much more and they have great quality of life. I pay $20 an hour to start while in 2 months of training... then once able to do the work on your own... you have the ability to earn 60% of a job assignment. In other words... if the job is billed out at $200, you will earn $120. Not bad money, since this type of job usually takes between 1 - 2 hours to complete from the time you leave your house to the time you get back home.
The work is seasonal from about April 1 - November 1... but it is not unusual for my divers to earn $100 an hour.
If you live near the water, this is a great way to go... Fill in the niche in your area
