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Commercial Divers

Work below surface of water, using surface-supplied air or scuba equipment to inspect, repair, remove, or install equipment and structures. May use a variety of power and hand tools, such as drills, sledgehammers, torches, and welding equipment. May conduct tests or experiments, rig explosives, or photograph structures or marine life.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Set or guide placement of pilings or sandbags to provide support for structures, such as docks, bridges, cofferdams, or platforms.
    • Install, inspect, clean, or repair piping or valves.
    • Install, inspect, clean, or repair piping or valves.
    • Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
    • Inspect and test docks, ships, buoyage systems, plant intakes or outflows, or underwater pipelines, cables, or sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.
    • Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
    • Supervise or train other divers, including hobby divers.
    • Recover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects.
    • Drill holes in rock and rig explosives for underwater demolitions.
    • Salvage wrecked ships or their cargo, using pneumatic power velocity and hydraulic tools and explosive charges, when necessary.
    • Install, inspect, clean, or repair piping or valves.
    • Repair ships, bridge foundations, or other structures below the water line, using caulk, bolts, and hand tools.
    • Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.
    • Take test samples or photographs to assess the condition of vessels or structures.
    • Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, or related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.
    • Inspect the condition of underwater steel or wood structures.
    • Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.
    • Perform activities related to underwater search and rescue, salvage, recovery, or cleanup operations.
    • Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
    • Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.
    • Inspect and test docks, ships, buoyage systems, plant intakes or outflows, or underwater pipelines, cables, or sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.
    • Carry out non-destructive testing, such as tests for cracks on the legs of oil rigs at sea.
    • Perform offshore oil or gas exploration or extraction duties, such as conducting underwater surveys or repairing and maintaining drilling rigs or platforms.
    • Perform offshore oil or gas exploration or extraction duties, such as conducting underwater surveys or repairing and maintaining drilling rigs or platforms.
    • Remove rubbish or pollution from the sea.
    • Cut and weld steel, using underwater welding equipment, jigs, and supports.
    • Remove obstructions from strainers or marine railway or launching ways, using pneumatic or power hand tools.
    • Recover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects.
    • Supervise or train other divers, including hobby divers.
    • Install pilings or footings for piers or bridges.

    Skills

    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    Knowledge

    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    Education

    Education
    Postsecondary certificate
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    1 to 12 months on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    117210/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    56.35/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    120
    Yearly Projected Openings
    10

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Self-Control
    • Cautiousness
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Anemometers
    • Barometers
    • Blow torch
    • Bouyancy compensators
    • Box end wrenches
    • Chain saw
    • Circuit breakers
    • Clock timers
    • Closed circuit television CCTV system
    • Concrete or cement testing instruments
    • Corrosion testers
    • Demolition hammers
    • Depth gauges
    • Detonators
    • Diving air pump
    • Diving boot
    • Diving instruments or accessories
    • Dredge pumps
    • Drysuits
    • Electrode holder
    • Flashlight
    • Gas mixer
    • Geological compasses
    • Hammer drills
    • Hoists
    • Hose reel
    • Hydraulic shears
    • Impact wrenches
    • Jib crane
    • Magnetic particle examination equipment
    • Masks or fins or snorkels
    • Measuring jigs
    • Metal detectors
    • Multi gas monitors
    • Oxygen gas analyzers
    • Pick or place robots
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Power chippers
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power saws
    • Pressure gauge
    • Pry bars
    • Pullers
    • Reciprocating saw
    • Scuba regulators
    • Scuba tanks
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Single gas monitors
    • Sinker drills
    • Sledge hammer
    • Sonars
    • Specialty wrenches
    • Submersible pumps
    • Thickness measuring devices
    • Torque wrenches
    • Ultrasonic examination equipment
    • Underwater cameras
    • Underwater communication system
    • Utility knives
    • Water hoses
    • Water samplers
    • Welding regulator oxygen
    • Wetsuits
    • Winches
    • Wire or cable cutter

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Internet browser software