What Exactly Do Commercial Divers Do?

Commercial divers are not in the business of training recreational divers, but rather are involved in completing job-specific tasks. Commercial divers complete these complex tasks in waters that can be rather deep and murky, making the job a challenging one. Many businesses call us for commercial diving services to dredge ponds, inspect pipelines, and help with underwater construction.

In order to conduct these jobs, they require specific training and education in addition to dive training. Usually, this type of training takes place at educational facilities that are strictly dedicated to commercial diving services, and are organized under national boards for commercial diving.

Where Do Commercial Divers Work?

Construction divers typically work in harbors, bridges, ponds, or in other locations where construction companies build structures that are maintained in water. These divers also conduct underwater surveys to report on what’s happening in certain bodies of water, and even work on coastal protection. Many commercial divers are responsible for working on laying, inspecting, and maintaining cables and pipelines underwater.

The Importance of Dive Training

This type of diving requires specific training, and the use of specialized equipment. We use both scuba units and surface-supported equipment, in addition to a variety of tools and techniques, including welding.

The Expertise of Commercial Divers

Commercial divers can descend in waters up to 600 feet deep. For this reason, extended decompression times are necessary. Saturation diving is often used when these divers spend a long amount of time at great depths. In these situations, once their tissues are entirely saturated with nitrogen, their decompression time will not increase unless they go to a greater depth. After they’ve completed their shift — which can be upwards of 12 hours — the divers are brought back up to the surface and decompressed in a chamber.

If you are in the construction business and are building structures in or around certain bodies of water, contact American Underwater Services to find out how commercial divers trained in the construction realm can help you.