Commercial Divers
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 49-9092.00United States
Work below surface of water, using surface-supplied air or scuba equipment to inspect, repair, remove, or install equipment and structures. May use a variety of power and hand tools, such as drills, sledgehammers, torches, and welding equipment.
- Median annual earnings
- $71,649
- Projected change
- +4.8%
- Typical education
- Certificate
- Employment
- 4.66K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
72.4% of the workforce
Growing to 4.89K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What commercial divers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
- Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
- Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.
- Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.
- Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.
- Supervise or train other divers, including hobby divers.
- Inspect and test docks, ships, buoyage systems, plant intakes or outflows, or underwater pipelines, cables, or sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.
- Inspect the condition of underwater steel or wood structures.
- Repair ships, bridge foundations, or other structures below the water line, using caulk, bolts, and hand tools.
- Recover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects.
- Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, or related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.
- Take test samples or photographs to assess the condition of vessels or structures.
- Cut and weld steel, using underwater welding equipment, jigs, and supports.
- Install, inspect, clean, or repair piping or valves.
- Carry out non-destructive testing, such as tests for cracks on the legs of oil rigs at sea.
- Install pilings or footings for piers or bridges.
- Salvage wrecked ships or their cargo, using pneumatic power velocity and hydraulic tools and explosive charges, when necessary.
- Remove obstructions from strainers or marine railway or launching ways, using pneumatic or power hand tools.
- Set or guide placement of pilings or sandbags to provide support for structures, such as docks, bridges, cofferdams, or platforms.
- Perform activities related to underwater search and rescue, salvage, recovery, or cleanup operations.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $40,897
- 25th percentile
- $52,846
- 50th percentile
- $71,649
- 75th percentile
- $101,311
- 90th percentile
- $160,371
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $71,649 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+4.8%average or slower
20254,663 jobs
2035 projected4,885 jobs
222 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Certificate
- 72.4%
- Associate degree
- 11.6%
- High school diploma or less
- 7.7%
- Bachelor's degree
- 5%
- Some college
- 3.3%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Commercial Divers128 postings
- 02Explosive Detection Canine Handlers117 postings
- 03Divers113 postings
- 04Canine Handlers104 postings
- 05Scuba Divers52 postings
- 06Divers/Tenders48 postings
- 07Engineer Divers37 postings
- 08Contractors34 postings
- 09Study Managers31 postings
- 10Border Patrol Agents27 postings
- 11Commercial Supervisors19 postings
- 12Safety Officers17 postings
- 13Commercial Drivers15 postings
- 14Supervisors14 postings
- 15Caretakers13 postings
- 16Diagnosticians11 postings
- 17ICE Technicians11 postings
- 18Structural Engineers10 postings
- 19Aquarists9 postings
- 20Biologists9 postings
Top employers
- 01Allied Universal106 postings
- 02Andy Frain Services68 postings
- 03United States Department of Homeland Security41 postings
- 04All Funeral Services32 postings
- 05Constellis19 postings
- 06Six Flags Discovery Kingdom18 postings
- 07WSP Global16 postings
- 08Stantec15 postings
- 09Under The Sea15 postings
- 10Applied Training Solutions13 postings
- 11Ballard Marine Construction13 postings
- 12Leoforce13 postings
- 13Global Diving & Salvage12 postings
- 14Jacobs Solutions12 postings
- 15Zenex Partners12 postings
- 16Aidt11 postings
- 17KCI Technologies11 postings
- 18Walter P Moore11 postings
- 19J F Brennan10 postings
- 20New York City10 postings
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