Diver - specialist
Work underwater in the sea, rivers and lakes - fixing oil rigs, working on civil engineering projects or doing scientific research.
About the job
Salary
Source: LMI for All
Weekly
£590
Average
Monthly
£2,556
Average
Yearly
£30,680
Average
9,100
people are currently employed
High growth
400 more jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You would work underwater in the sea, rivers and lakes.
Diving is a physically demanding activity and can be dangerous. You’d need to follow strict health and safety procedures and respond calmly if things go wrong.
You would work at sea or inland in rivers, lakes, canals and reservoirs. Many underwater tasks can now be carried out by remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) but ROVs have not replaced the need for skilled divers.
You could work in a variety of industries.
In the offshore oil and gas industry you would do underwater exploration and surveying. You’d build and repair drilling rigs and pipeline
In inland or inshore diving you could work on civil engineering projects. You’d do underwater repairs, demolition or salvage
You would specialise in one of four types of diving:
SCUBA (Self-contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) where you’d use an air tank and flippers. This is used in recreational, media and police diving.
Restricted Surface Supplied, using an air line to the surface. This is usually used in inshore/inland diving.
Surface Supplied where you’d use a hot water suit, air line and open diving bells. This is for offshore diving.
Closed Bell or Saturation Diving using a diving bell and mixed gas for deep sea diving. This is often used in surveying, marine archaeology and scientific diving
Hours
Environment
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- taking responsibility
- self esteem
- risk taking
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- observation
- problem solving
- cooperating
- resilience
- adaptability
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Human Biology
PE (Physical education)
Though there are no set qualifications for entry to this career you must gain a qualification recognised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
To work as a commercial diver you will need the right skills and qualifications for your industry, as well as learning how to dive.
Many commercial divers gain academic or technical qualifications relevant to their chosen industry first:
Some offshore divers might need a degree in surveying or engineering.
Construction divers might need qualifications in welding or non-destructive testing
Most scientific divers have a degree in oceanography or marine biology.
Emergency services or armed forces divers must already be serving in the force.
You might find it useful to have experience of recreational SCUBA diving before training as a commercial diver, but this is not essential.
Physical fitness and satisfactory swimming capabilities.
Before commencing any training, you need to pass a thorough medical examination by an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers (AMED). The certificate has to be renewed annually and includes a fitness test.
There is an upper age limit of 32 years for diving in the Royal Navy.
To work offshore in the oil industry you must pass an offshore survival course such as the Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training Certificate (BOSIET).
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