Sediment Removal for Commercial Bodies of Water

A body of water can be a commercial asset. However, water must be maintained! While pools and fountains need to be cleaned or sanitized, lakes, rivers and harbors will require other maintenance techniques to stay usable.

Sediment removal is one of the most important ways to keep commercial bodies of water in their best condition. This process involves dredging the bottom of the area to clean up any excessive sediment or other deposits that have developed over time. This process should be completed by commercial divers in order to ensure the best results.

There are many reasons to clear away sediment on a regular basis. To start, it is a matter of aesthetics. Bodies of water are more appealing when they are clearer. When too much sediment accumulates, the water will be noticeably clouded, which can hinder its appeal. Moreover, minimizing the amount of sediment at the bottom of a commercial body of water can be part of keeping the water safe. Less sediment carries less risk of contamination, and it can improve underwater visibility.

The process is also environmentally sound and economically tested. Sediment that is removed can be collected and reused. Salvaged sediment can be added to the coast in order to reduce the effects of erosion. With all this, sediment removal is a powerful tool to maintain any commercial body of water.

What Kinds of Commercial Divers Exist?

What recreational divers do for fun, commercial divers do for a living, laboring beneath the surface for a widely divergent range of industries. The numerous options present an equally broad variety of dangers that differ in severity from one job to the next.

Offshore Commercial Divers

Most of the divers in this risky category work for the offshore drilling industry, performing undersea exploration in addition to building or maintaining underwater structures.

Inland Commercial Divers: While some inland divers concentrate on bridge building and wastewater treatment, others specialize in such diverse areas as fish farming and hydroelectric plant maintenance. These underwater versions of civil engineers operate largely in rivers and freshwater lakes. 

Navy Divers: The duties of Navy divers revolve mainly around the offshore inspection and maintenance of seagoing vessels. When necessary, however, they may also assist in recovering plane crash and shipwreck debris.

Media Divers: The filming of movies and still shots deep in the sea allows for underwater cinematographers to wet their feet in the world of entertainment with no acting talent required.

Hazardous Material Divers: In what may be the most dangerous of all commercial diving positions, the duties of HAZMAT divers can range from pollution control to sewer maintenance and dead body recovery. The job can expose them to a variety of poisonous substances and waterborne diseases, and post-dive decontamination is routine. 

Scientific Divers: Underwater scientists dive the depths to measure, count, and collect samples of underwater organisms. Their duties may include surveying, taking pictures, and setting up study equipment.

With so many types of commercial diving jobs from which to choose, the field presents a wide choice to anyone in search of the perfect underwater career!

An Overview of Commercial Diving Training

Commercial diving is a hands-on career with versatile employment opportunities in underwater construction, marine salvage, and more. Training for commercial diving has several components.

1. Diving training. All diving training involves coursework on how to dive safely. Therefore, commercial diving training will include nationally approved curriculum about anatomy, diving injuries, seamanship, rigging and decompression. Commercial divers will also learn operation planning, equipment maintenance, dive logs, and more.

2. Commercial education. Commercial divers are expected to master advanced training with equipment necessary for underwater construction. This training will cover topics such as welding, mixed-gas diving, marine engines, and industrial safety.

3. Certification. All training must be completed with a school accredited by the ADCI. Some commercial divers complete a short-term certification program, which may last from two months to a year. Other training programs are offered as an Associate's Degree. These accreditation programs usually take two years to complete. There are several schools that offer advanced commercial diving degrees. Many divers pursue an advanced degree program after working for several years in order to broaden their career options.

4. Field experience. Divers who complete training will start with a basic ACD Commercial Diver certification. This Entry Level Tender/Diver certification can be advanced after logging field experience. On the job training is required in order to maintain certification and advance in the field.

As you can see, commercial diving requires a well-trained background and knowledge of the underwater world. From underwater construction, marine salvage, and more, each area of commercial diving is extensive and full of skilled divers and technicians.