Plumber/Gas Technician interested in Underwater Welding -- looking for advice

[EvanMcCartney]

I am a 4th year plumbing Apprentice in New Hampshire – a year away from obtaining my journeyman plumbing license. I currently hold a NH Gas Equipment Installation License as well. I am interested in becoming a commercial diver and, more specifically, an underwater welder. I was curious if my current background and experience would aid me towards this career change. Would it be beneficial to finish my plumbing license before pursuing a career in commercial diving? What are the steps/certifications that I should take to give myself the best advantages possible in being successful in my endeavors? Any and all advice is appreciated.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

How much welding experience do you have?
Any certifications or welding school?

 

[Justin Bove]

I'm not a commercial diver but maybe I can give some advice.
First you mention you are interested in becoming a commercial diver/ underwater welder.....If not scuba certified I'd start there, that way you will know how it feels being underwater....worst case scenario you become recreational certified and maybe a new hobby...
Second you mention if your current background would aid you in an commercial underwater welder career....I'd say defiantly! I'd imagine a lot of jobs will be dealing with piping and all jobs need someone who can work with there hands and solve problems similar to what your doing now.
Thirdly you ask if would be beneficial to finish your plumbing license before pursuing a career in commercial diving. I'd recommend finishing your current path to become licensed if your almost there. That way you always have something to fall back on. You can't go wrong becoming a licensed plumber really.
Lastly you ask about certifications and steps to reach your goal......I do know you need to be physically fit, other then that I'd look at getting properly trained. Check out some of the following
Divers Insitute of Technology | DIT | Commercial Diving School and Diving Courses
Commercial Diving & Underwater Welding School Divers Academy
and a big list at the site below
Guide to underwater welding salary and careers
We live in the greatest country in the world and if you want a career in commercial underwater welding you'll make it happen!

 

[Neilwood]

As @Justin Bove says, I would suggest that you finish your current training. That way, if you don't succeed with dive training for whatever reason, you have a trade to fall back on.

A buddy of mine is a trained welder and a divemaster. He is currently doing his commercial dive training and I think the dive training he already has is a help. I have heard it said that it is a lot easier to make into a welder a diver than making a diver into a welder.

 

[Silty Sam]

There is a commercial dive company based in Portsmouth. Maybe they would tell you how to get on the path you’re asking about.

NH Commercial Diving | Black Dog Divers | Commercial Diving in New Hampshire

 

[Johnoly]

.....If not scuba certified I'd start there,...

We know several of the guys from CDA Technical in Jacksonville. In the southeast, they are one of the top commercial underwater welding schools. They say that actually they prefer new students DON'T be open water certified prior to them enrolling in their program. The main reason is it takes longer to get the student to correct 'improper habits' picked up in BOW. The scuba certs mean zero in their programs. Bad habits like finning/kicking and lots of other stuff. @Akimbo would be a better expert on this thread than me.

 

[Justin Bove]

We know several of the guys from CDA Technical in Jacksonville. In the southeast, they are one of the top commercial underwater welding schools. They say that actually they prefer new students DON'T be open water certified prior to them enrolling in their program. The main reason is it takes longer to get the student to correct 'improper habits' picked up in BOW. The scuba certs mean zero in their programs. Bad habits like finning/kicking and lots of other stuff. @Akimbo would be a better expert on this thread than me.

I really should have said do a "try scuba class or whatever they are called". I only mention this because a good friend wanted to get certified and signed up for OW certification class. He was fine in 3 feet of water, but as soon as they went to the bottom of the 12 foot section of the pool he had an anxiety attack and that was it for him wanting to scuba dive.

 

[EvanMcCartney]

These are all excellent suggestions. Thank you for your help! I currently do not have any welding experience or certifications, but I am familiar with working with my hands, with sauntering, and obviously dealing with pipe and piping materials. From what I am gathering, it seems the best course of action would be to finish my last year as a plumbing apprentice and get my license for that. Then, take a scuba class to get a feel for what it would be like and then, assuming I am interested, I should apply for a diving school. Would it be beneficial to take welding courses before entering the underwater diving classes? Or should I just go through their programs to do that?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

AFAIK, most or all welding done underwater is stick welding, which is the most difficult welding to master.
Being a great diver is great but if you can’t weld well you won’t make it.
There isn’t any MIG underwater, and you don’t just pull a trigger on a wire feed underwater. Maybe I’m wrong, there might be something new I don’t know.
Learn to be a great stick welder with all rods, flat vertical and overhead, all positions. If you F up a weld underwater there is no air arc gouge to dig it out and start over. Your skills have to be there fluently before you attempt it in a hard hat underwater in a critical situation.

 

[Akimbo]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

We moved this thread to the Commercial Divers forum from New Divers and Those Considering Diving.

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You would benefit from reading the threads in this forum to get a flavor of what commercial diving and underwater welding entails. In general, mechanical skills are valuable and the ability to work in a high-demand field when diving work is slow or you want a more predictable lifestyle provides a lot of options.

Underwater welding is a pretty broad field. Dive schools will teach you the basics of "wet' underwater cutting (burning) and welding, which is limited to non-critical applications.

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Certified structural and pressure pipe welds are done in dry hyperbaric environments, almost exclusively by saturation divers. Pipeline welds are mostly robotic but still requires certified welders with a lot of skill.

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It is probably a good idea to find out if you even like being underwater before making such a life-altering decision. Granted, some dive instructors prefer virgin students but that is a relatively small consideration. It is well worth visiting several commercial diving schools before committing but be aware that they often paint unrealistic pictures of the industry, earning potential, and lifestyle.