interest in commercial diving school

[lrapp15]

I am interested in possibly going to a commercial diving school sometime next year. I have seen advertisements for schools such as CDA, OceanCorp, divers institute, etc. but recently a commercial diver told me to go to a smaller school such as SCL Tech (Young Memorial) because it is much cheaper and companies will train you their way anyway so spending almost $20K for a big time school is a waste of time and money.

Basically, I need some advice...is there a particular school that I should look at? I am currently a Rescue Diver with PADI (been diving since I was 10 years old) working up to divemaster, work full-time in sales/service at a local dive shop and have a B.S. in Marine Biology from SFSU. I would love to use my degree in conjunction with a commercial diving cert. Is there a program that I should pursue that would benefit my bachelors degree? Should I go to a dive school if I am interested in working for the DFG or other environmental agencies?

Any advice will help...trying to start a career that includes my interests is not the easiest thing to do!!

 

[Kevrumbo]

Santa Barbara City College’s Marine Diving Technologies Program is recognized worldwide for its vocational excellence. It is the only community college degree program in the nation which is accredited by the Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE), the International Diving Schools Association (IDSA) and the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). . .

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

 

[DivingOtter]

As long as you avoid DAI, you should be okay, but be warned.. There are a lot of divers being pumped out in an industry where there isn't a very high demand at the moment. At one point I was receiving 20 resumes a week from divers straight out of school.

 

[Akimbo]

… I am currently a Rescue Diver with PADI (been diving since I was 10 years old) working up to divemaster, work full-time in sales/service at a local dive shop and have a B.S. in Marine Biology from SFSU. I would love to use my degree in conjunction with a commercial diving cert. …

I have no idea what kind of work that would be. Are you thinking of working in scientific diving instead of commercial diving? There are lots of threads in this forum, but your training so far is of little value to the commercial diving industry.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Here's a plum commercial diver job:

Recovery Operations Lead, Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Responsible for the overall recovery planning, coordination and execution of the post-launch recovery operations

Coordinate and plan recovery vessel(s) for missions and training events
Coordinate support divers for missions and training events
Work with various spacecraft subsystem teams to ensure all recovery requirements are met
Build and maintain project schedules, identifying potential bottlenecks, developing proper resolutions, and reporting to management
Oversee the recovery team during missions, ensuring the safety of all employees and hardware
Lead team member on the recovery boat for all the operations.
Asset with the hands-on recovery efforts, which may include things such as crane operations, loading and unloading sea vans, rigging operations, etc.

Familiarity with Environmental Health and Safety on OSHA, SCBA and SCAPE requirements is preferred
Experience working with lifting large loads and shipping
Commercial Dive knowledge

BS degree required. A degree in engineering (mechanical, marine, etc.) is preferred.
Minimum of 3-5 years of related experience leading a team in complex operations
Technical project management experience
Experience leading dive, recovery, research, or other closely related complex operations
A demonstrated success of planning and executing large scale operations while maintaining a safe work environment

Ability to coordinate a divertive group of individuals and resources for successful recovery operations
Must enjoy hands-on work and not be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get dirty
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to think quickly during operations with safety always in mind
Highly detail oriented, diligent, and hardworking individual
Ability to perform work expectations and thrive in a high-stress environment
Must be able to travel for extended period of time and maintain a flexible schedule
This position requires the person to work on a large boat for extended periods of time
Physical requirements: Ability to perform job duties that require standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting, climbing hand over hand and lifting 50 lbs.

Careers | SpaceX

 

[muddiver]

Biology is a useless degree in the commercial diving industry and going throat the training won't benefit you in the marine bio/scientific fields. Find a school that provides a scientific diver course, go volunteer at the local aquarium, apply for jobs at a scientific outfit like the Ocean Studies Institute in San Pedro, or Woods Hole. Any job will do to get you in and get you going. Don't waste your money on commercial diving school unless you want to be an underwater construction worker and hang out with filthy deckhands on a barge all day, seven days a week for $12 an hour.

 

[DCBC]

It would be helpful to understand your goals. Are you interested in becoming a commercial diver to work within this industry, or use commercial diving skills to work as a Marine Biologist?

Scientific organizations such as NOAA and Wood's Hole employ Marine Biologists, as well as Divers (SCUBA and umbilical). Moreover, many of the Pilots used for ROV, AUV and Submersibles have gained their knowledge through the military and commercial diving fields.

All too often a commercial diver is stereotyped as someone wearing a Kirby Morgan helmet with a welding stinger in his hand. I worked for several years as a diver with the Experimental Diving Unit (Navy) at DCIEM doing research (my M.Sc. is in Hyperbaric Physiology). I'm equally comfortable in carrying a welding stinger. Learning how to use the equipment and procedures used in commercial diving doesn't mean that the only place you can use it is an oil rig.

I suspect that the area of underwater exploration is one in-which growth is inevitable. Your skills as a Marine Biologist with commercial training should be beneficial to you (even more so if you add ROV/Submersible competence to your CV). Again this is dependent on the direction you elect to take and the needs of the Employer.