Also called: Golf Ball Recovery Diver
Dives into golf course ponds to recover thousands of lost golf balls for resale.
Golf ball divers scuba into murky ponds, feeling along the bottom for balls, sometimes sharing the water with snakes or alligators in Florida. A single pond can hold thousands of balls, which get cleaned and resold. Most run their own small business.
Paid per ball; hardworking divers can earn well, but it is a tough, risky job.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 0 years after high school. Scuba certification; commercial diving training is safer for murky water.
Ways in: Certification, Self-taught, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Growing slowly. No separate BLS projection; estimate based on related occupations.
Low risk for 10 years. Towed ball-retrieving machines work some shallow ponds, but murky, snag-filled dives and running the business stay human.
Age 18+. One way to start: Get Open Water scuba certified, then apply to golf ball recovery companies First: Open Water scuba certification (a few days) plus company training
Classes: PE/swimming, Biology, Business, Health/first aid.
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.