Also called: Surface-Supplied Diver, Construction Diver
Works underwater building, repairing, and inspecting docks, bridges, dams, pipelines, and ships.
Wearing a heavy helmet fed with air from the surface, a commercial diver might pour concrete for a bridge pier, cut steel with a torch, or inspect a dam intake, often in near-zero visibility. Work can mean weeks on the road or offshore.
BLS median about $61k (May 2024); experienced offshore divers earn far more.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Commercial diving school (e.g., Divers Institute of Technology, CDA Technical Institute, The Ocean Corporation, or Santa Barbara City College's Marine Diving Technology program) with ADCI certification. Programs take about 5-9 months.
Ways in: Trade school, Certification, Military. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Commercial Diving (trade school), Marine Diving Technology (2-year).
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). BLS projects about 9% growth (2024-34), much faster than average.
Low risk for 10 years. ROVs and sonar take over some inspections; building and fixing docks, bridges and dams underwater still needs people.
Classes: Physical education and swimming, Welding CTE class, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-9092.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.