I've recently become interested in marine diving as a career option after high school. Can anyone shed light on the specific responsibilities and skills required for this job? How does one get started in this field?
A career as a marine diver, often working as a commercial diver, can be both challenging and rewarding. It is a unique profession that involves more than just diving skills.
Marine divers carry out a range of underwater tasks related to construction, salvage, or maintenance work. This may include welding or cutting materials underwater, photographing structures or marine life, retrieving sunken objects, or installing, repairing, and removing structures.
Safety is paramount in this job, so a marine diver must be trained in first aid, dive medicine, and emergency procedures. Furthermore, a potential diver needs to be in excellent physical shape, as the job can be quite physically demanding.
As for getting started in the field, you'd need to get certified as a diver from an accredited school, often following a commercial diving program that covers classroom instruction, simulated dives, and open-water sessions. Topics studied usually include physics of diving, decompression procedures, use of diving equipment, and hyperbaric chamber operations, among others.
After finishing the training program, new divers often start as tenders, assisting experienced divers and learning more about the practical parts of the job, before progressing into more advanced roles.
It's a thrilling career choice, though potentially risky and physically demanding. Still, it can provide opportunities to work in a broad range of environments and industries, from offshore oil and gas to marine construction and even scientific research.
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