Underwater welding

[Parm]

Hi guys, my name is charlie im 18 and currently doing an apprenticeship in welding and fabrication. Im doing a city and guilds level 3 course in mechanical engineering along side. I really enjoy what i do but was looking at the salaries that the guys doing off shore work get and was blown away especially by the hyperbaric welding salarys! So today i was at work wondering how on earth would you get a welding contract of this sort? I understand you will need to be a certified commercial diver but what else would help? Any tips would be great and anyone in the business who knows their shizz please speak up!
Thanks charlie.

Hi there

I work a lot in the offshore sector and come across all sorts of different trades. My advice is to,learn to weld first and get a trade and some skills under your belt. Then go for a commercial diving course to learn the basic stuff. Once confident and happy look at the saturation diving course. One of the best ones is in Fort William, cost is around £30k.

Saturation divers typically earn around £60k for each 30 day cycle and can only work six months of the year. Money is ace but working life is very very short with most divers done by the time they are 40/45

 

[Buter]

Hi Parm

With no offence intended, I think your figures for sat pay might be a little off. Having just looked into it I would suggest that the pay is roughly half of what you have stated.

If you can confirm where the going rate is £2k/day in sat I'd be all giddy as I blow the dust off my hat!

Cheers

Buter

 

[Parm]

Hi there

I have just come back from a deep sea diving project in the Med. Had 6 weeks on a Sat boat installing a gas platform just off Tel Aviv. £60k was the going rate for 28 days work which consisted of one day blow down, 20 days work and then around 7 days of bringing back to ambient pressure

Nitrox divers were on around £700 a day

 

[Buter]

I shall investigate further, then.

5-600'?

Cheers

B