Underwater wet welding ???

[bayliner]

:14: My son who is an advanced diver will turn 18 in June. He wants to start a carear in underwater construction. He is very mechanical and wants to learn wet welding. He will go to college of engineering and oceaneering in Wilmington Ca. I started him diving when he was 10, never thinking he would pick iit as a profession. Does anyone have experiance in this area? Should I direct him in a different direction? My concern is the danger involved in diving.

Any advice is welcome.
Larry

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Commericial diving is a lot safer than it was 20 years ago but I think it is still largely a profession where you consider "when" you will get bent, not "if" you will get bent.

So his best bet is to still plan on a fairly short commerical diving career transitioning at around age 40 into something else a little less strenuous and more cerebral. It would be a good idea for him to pick up a BS or even MS degree by then and/or to ensure he is able to move into a management or supervisory position or move into some type of self employment.

1 atmosphere diving suits (like the Newt Suit) are becoming very common and are a very cost effective option to saturation diving for many jobs. So that is another field he may want to consider specializing in if the opportunity arises.

Similarly, operating Remotely Operated Vehicles has much potential and a lot less risk.

 

[bayliner]

Thanks for the advice. I'll sugest it to him.

Larry

 

[pipedope]

It is often said that it is easier to teach a weldor to dive than it is to teach a diver to weld.

I suggest him going to a good welding school first. My first choice is the one at the Lincoln factory. I doubt that the price they charge even covers all of the rod and wire you burn up and the training is top notch.

If he doesn't love welding in the dry he won't much like doing it wet.

 

[versatile34]

hello, how about commercial scuba? what kind of stuff do they usually do? good day..

 

[Gary D.]

hello, how about commercial scuba? what kind of stuff do they usually do? good day..

Mostly grunt low paying stuff. Everyone wants commercial Scuba except the perspective employers.

When you have 50,000+ scuba divers trying to get a hand full of jobs you just might have to pay the company to work there.

Of course there is always the PADI Scuba Underwater Welder card. They might require payment in cash and in advance due to a low survival rate in class. How shocking.

All kidding aside Commercial and Military diving is very hard on the mind and body. Listen to DA when he says plan on retiring prior to 40 years old. Not because your rich but because your body just can’t take much more.

You can end up being a very old lonely person while all your classmates are enjoying the prime of their lives.

Gary D.