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Underwater Welder Career Guide 2025

Commercial dive certifications, AWS welding qualifications, offshore saturation diving, hyperbaric operations, and $300K+ earning potential

🤿 Commercial Diving⚡ Underwater Welding🌊 Offshore & Inland💰 $50K–$300K+
By JobStera Editorial Team • Updated October 7, 2025

I've Been Asked a Hundred Times: "Is Underwater Welding Really That Dangerous?"

Short answer? Yes. Longer answer? It's absolutely insane and you'd have to be a special kind of crazy to do it. I'm not an underwater welder myself—I'm a topside welder who's worked alongside these guys on offshore platforms—but I've talked to enough sat divers to know this career is not normal. You're welding 300-1,000 feet below the surface in total darkness, breathing a helium-oxygen mix that makes you sound like Mickey Mouse, with water pressure that could literally collapse your chest cavity if your equipment malfunctions. And the pay reflects that risk: $100K-$300K+ annually.

Chris, a sat diver I met on a Gulf platform in 2019, put it this way: "Every dive feels like you're on Mars. You live in a chamber the size of a Honda Civic with three other sweaty dudes for 28 days straight. You're breathing compressed gas that screws with your voice and sense of taste. Food tastes like cardboard. You can't shower—just hot towels once a day. And when you finally decompress at the end of the hitch, it takes four to seven full days sitting in that chamber slowly releasing pressure. If you rush it, you die. Simple as that."

Here's the stat that blew my mind: there are only 3,000-5,000 active underwater welders in all of North America. Know why? Because the average career length is 10-15 years before your body gives out. Cumulative decompression exposure wrecks your joints—guys I know are 42 years old with knees like they're 70. Hearing loss from helium atmospheres. Risk of "the bends" (decompression sickness) every single time you come up. Most underwater welders retire by 45-50, and that's if they're lucky.

But here's why guys still do it: the money is absolutely stupid. Sat divers in the Gulf work 28 days on, 28 days off, and clear $150K-$300K+ working six months a year. My buddy Carlos did sat diving for eight years, banked aggressively, retired at 38 with $1.2 million cash. Bought a house outright, no mortgage. Now he runs a dive school in Florida teaching the next generation how to do what he did. Is it worth trading your body for financial freedom by 40? That's a question only you can answer.

The Close Call That Nobody Forgets

There's a story every sat diver knows about a guy named Tommy working a North Sea platform in 2013. He was doing a wet weld at 400 feet—routine structural repair on a jacket leg. His umbilical (the lifeline supplying air, heat, and communication) got snagged on a piece of rebar sticking out from the structure. He didn't notice until he tried to move and felt the tug.

Here's where it gets bad: When he pulled to free it, the umbilical tore. His hot water heating system failed instantly—water temp at 400 feet is about 40°F. His comms cut out. And his gas supply started leaking. He had maybe 90 seconds before hypothermia set in and two minutes before he ran out of breathable gas.

His standby diver (the guy in the bell waiting in case of emergency) saw the umbilical go slack on the monitor and immediately deployed. Got to Tommy in 45 seconds, buddy-breathed with him while cutting the snagged umbilical free, and got him back to the bell. Tommy survived, but he had Stage 2 hypothermia and spent three days in the deck chamber decompressing. He never dove again.

This is why sat divers make $600-$1,400 per day. You're not getting paid for the welding—you're getting paid for the risk of drowning, freezing, getting the bends, or having your equipment fail while you're too deep for a quick rescue. Every dive is a calculated risk. You follow procedures religiously, you trust your equipment, and you hope nothing goes wrong. But things go wrong all the time.

The Physical Reality of Sat Diving They Don't Show You

Living in compression for 28 days straight is brutal. You're in a chamber the size of a walk-in closet with three other sweaty guys. You can't shower normally—you get a hot washcloth once a day. The food comes through a medical lock and tastes like cardboard because your sense of taste is screwed up from the pressure. You sleep on a narrow bunk with the constant hum of life support systems running 24/7.

And the work itself? You're welding in near-freezing water, in total darkness except for your helmet lights, with limited dexterity because you're wearing thick neoprene gloves. Your body is under massive pressure—at 600 feet, you're experiencing 18 times atmospheric pressure. Your joints ache constantly. Your ears and sinuses are always slightly painful from the pressure equalization.

Then there's the decompression. After 28 days in saturation, you spend 4-7 days slowly decompressing in the chamber. You can't rush it or you'll get decompression sickness (the bends)—nitrogen bubbles in your blood that can paralyze or kill you. Guys have gone deaf, developed joint problems that never heal, gotten permanent nerve damage from cumulative DCS exposure.

By the time you're 40, your knees sound like Rice Krispies, your hearing is shot from years of helium atmosphere, and you've probably had at least one decompression incident. But you've also made $2-3 million over 10-15 years, worked six months a year, and seen parts of the world most people will never experience. It's a trade-off, and you need to decide if it's worth it.

Training & Certification Path

1

Surface Welding Foundation

  • • AWS SENSE Level II or CWB certification: SMAW (stick), FCAW, GTAW (TIG) processes
  • • 6G pipe welding qualification (all-position)
  • • Minimum 1–2 years topside welding experience recommended before dive school
  • • Structural plate and pipe joint inspection & code interpretation
2

Commercial Dive School (ADCI/IMCA)

  • • Duration: 6–10 months full-time; tuition $10K–$25K
  • • Curriculum: surface-supplied air/mixed gas, scuba, bell diving, decompression tables, rigging, tool operation
  • • Medical: hyperbaric physical & pulmonary function test required pre-enrollment
  • • Top schools: Divers Institute of Technology (Seattle), CDA Technical Institute (Florida), International Diving Institute (South Carolina)
3

Underwater Welding Specialization

  • • AWS D3.6M: Underwater Welding Code (wet & dry)
  • • Wet welding with waterproof electrodes (E6013, E7014)
  • • Dry hyperbaric chamber welding (TIG, stick in habitat)
  • • NDT inspection: visual (VT), magnetic particle (MT), ultrasonic (UT) underwater
  • • Friction-stir welding for aluminum structures (ports, ships)
4

Advanced & Saturation Diving

  • • Heliox/trimix breathing gas: helium-oxygen for deep (150+ ft) dives
  • • Saturation diving certification: live under pressure 12–28 days in deck chamber; depths 300–1,000+ ft
  • • Bell & chamber operations: lock-out/lock-in procedures, umbilical management
  • • ROV collaboration: remotely operated vehicle coordination for inspection & positioning

Career Paths & Salaries (2025)

Inland Underwater Welder

Rivers, dams, bridges, water treatment, ports (0–100 ft typical depth)

💰 Salary Range

  • • Entry (0–2 yr): $40,000–$55,000
  • • Mid (3–7 yr): $55,000–$75,000
  • • Senior (8+ yr): $75,000–$95,000
  • Day-rate typical: $200–$500/day; overtime premium 1.5–2× for emergency repair

🔧 Key Responsibilities

  • • Inspect & repair dam gates, sluice structures, trash racks
  • • Underwater cutting (oxy-arc, exothermic) & welding of pier pilings, lock walls
  • • Install anodes & cathodic protection for bridge substructures
  • • Pipeline integrity welding (municipal water/wastewater crossings)

🎓 Training & Certifications

ADCI/IMCA Commercial DiverAWS D3.6 Wet WeldingSurface-supplied airConfined space (OSHA 1926 Subpart AA)Rigging & crane signals

Offshore Diver-Welder (Air Diving)

Oil & gas platforms, pipelines, subsea structures (60–180 ft typical)

💰 Salary Range

  • • Entry (0–3 yr): $60,000–$85,000
  • • Mid (4–8 yr): $85,000–$130,000
  • • Senior (9+ yr): $130,000–$180,000
  • Day-rate $400–$900; rotation 14/14, 21/21, or 28/28 (days on/days off); hazard bonuses for harsh weather/deep repair

🔧 Key Responsibilities

  • • Jacket leg bracing repair, conductor pipe welding on platforms
  • • Pipeline hot-tap & tie-in welding (wet & hyperbaric habitat)
  • • Structural crack repair, anode replacement, NDT inspection (MT, UT)
  • • Subsea flowline & riser integrity maintenance

🎓 Training & Certifications

ADCI unrestricted surface-suppliedAWS D3.6 wet & dry weldingHUET (helicopter underwater escape)BOSIET (offshore survival)IMCA diver medical (annual)TWIC (US offshore)

Saturation Diver-Welder (Deep Offshore)

Extended-duration pressure living; depths 300–1,000+ ft; Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, West Africa, Asia-Pacific

💰 Salary Range

  • • Entry sat diver (0–3 yr): $100,000–$150,000
  • • Experienced (4–10 yr): $150,000–$250,000
  • • Lead sat diver/supervisor: $250,000–$300,000+
  • Day-rate $600–$1,400 in saturation; 28-day rotation under pressure; 28 days off; annual 180–200 days worked

🔧 Key Responsibilities

  • • Subsea manifold & PLET (pipeline end termination) welding & tie-in
  • • Drilling riser repair, BOP stack maintenance, jumper installation
  • • Hyperbaric TIG welding in dry habitat; wet stick welding for emergency repair
  • • ROV-assisted inspection & positioning; umbilical & clump-weight management

🎓 Training & Certifications

IMCA Part II Sat DiverHeliox / Trimix breathing gasHyperbaric welding (AWS D3.6 dry)Chamber operations (lock-in/lock-out)Decompression illness recognitionOffshore crane & rigging

Dive Supervisor / LST (Life Support Technician)

Topside coordination, chamber operation, diver safety, gas mixing, emergency response

💰 Salary Range

  • • LST / Chamber operator: $70,000–$110,000
  • • Air-diving supervisor: $90,000–$140,000
  • • Sat diving supervisor: $140,000–$200,000+
  • Offshore rotation 28/28 or 42/42; day-rate $500–$1,000; onshore dive company supervisor salary-based

🔧 Key Responsibilities

  • • Plan dive operations: depth tables, gas mix, bottom time, decompression schedules
  • • Monitor diver vitals, communication, umbilical integrity; emergency protocols
  • • Operate deck decompression chamber (DDC), mixing panel, O₂ cleaning
  • • Coordinate with client, marine crew, medic; incident investigation & reporting

🎓 Training & Certifications

ADCI/IMCA Dive SupervisorChamber operator (PVHO-1 ASME)Gas blending (heliox, nitrox, trimix)Diver medic / First aid5+ years dive experience

Nuclear Diver-Welder (Specialty)

Power plant reactor inspection, fuel pool maintenance, radioactive environment protocols

💰 Salary Range

  • • Entry nuclear diver: $80,000–$120,000
  • • Experienced (5+ yr): $120,000–$180,000
  • • Senior / radiation safety officer: $180,000–$220,000+
  • Project-based contracts; 1–3 month outages; premium for radiation exposure limits (ALARA compliance)

🔧 Key Responsibilities

  • • Inspect & repair reactor vessel internals, steam generator tubes
  • • Fuel pool rack welding, underwater cutting of irradiated components
  • • Contamination control, dosimetry monitoring, ALARA planning
  • • Dry underwater welding in spent fuel pool; tool decontamination

🎓 Training & Certifications

NRC radiation worker (10 CFR Part 20)Commercial dive cert + 3+ yr expASME Section XI welding qualDecontamination protocolsSecurity clearance (background)

Major Employers & Dive Contractors

🌊 Offshore Diving Contractors

  • Oceaneering International
    Air & sat diving, ROV, subsea construction; global fleet; Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, West Africa, Asia-Pacific
    Careers →
  • Subsea 7
    Subsea engineering, pipelay, diving services; sat diving fleet; strong North Sea & Brazil presence
    Careers →
  • TechnipFMC
    Subsea systems, umbilicals, diving support; SURF (subsea, umbilicals, risers, flowlines) projects worldwide
    Careers →
  • Helix Energy Solutions
    Well intervention, robotics, sat diving; Gulf of Mexico focus; Q4000/Q5000 vessels
    Careers →
  • Divex (James Fisher)
    Diving systems manufacturing & services; sat systems, chambers, life support; global projects
    Careers →

🏗️ Inland & Infrastructure Diving

  • Global Diving & Salvage
    Marine construction, dams, bridges, ports; Pacific Northwest, Alaska; heavy salvage specialists
    Careers →
  • American Bridge Company
    Bridge construction & repair; underwater welding for pier foundations, cofferdams; US nationwide
    Careers →
  • J.F. Brennan Company
    Marine construction, dredging, dam repair; Great Lakes & inland waterways; heavy civil diving
    Careers →
  • Midwest Underwater Services
    Industrial diving, water/wastewater infrastructure, confined space; Midwest US focus
    Contact →
  • T&T Marine Salvage
    Salvage, wreck removal, underwater welding/cutting; Gulf Coast & East Coast USA
    Contact →

Getting Started: Action Plan

Your Path to Underwater Welding

Step 1: Build Welding Foundation (6–24 months)

  • ✓ Enroll in trade school or community college welding program (AWS SENSE Level II or equivalent)
  • ✓ Achieve 6G pipe welding certification (SMAW stick process priority)
  • ✓ Gain 1–2 years topside welding experience (structural, pipeline, or shipyard preferred)
  • ✓ Consider AWS CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) for career diversification

Step 2: Medical & Fitness Preparation (3–6 months pre-dive school)

  • ✓ Schedule hyperbaric medical exam (pulmonary function, cardiovascular, ear/sinus clearance)
  • ✓ Build cardiovascular endurance (swimming 500+ meters, running, core strength)
  • ✓ Quit smoking (mandatory for dive medical clearance)
  • ✓ Ensure no disqualifying conditions: asthma, epilepsy, diabetes (insulin-dependent), severe claustrophobia

Step 3: Commercial Dive School (6–10 months)

  • ✓ Apply to ADCI or IMCA-accredited school (DIT, CDA, IDI, UCTC)
  • ✓ Budget $15K–$25K tuition + living expenses; explore GI Bill, Pell Grants, or employer sponsorship
  • ✓ Complete surface-supplied air, scuba, decompression theory, rigging, tool operation modules
  • ✓ Pass final dive practical exam & log minimum 100 training dive hours

Step 4: Underwater Welding Certification (concurrent or post-dive school)

  • ✓ AWS D3.6 Underwater Welding Code qualification (wet & dry processes)
  • ✓ Practice wet stick welding with waterproof electrodes in training tank
  • ✓ Hyperbaric chamber dry welding (TIG/stick) qualification if targeting offshore/nuclear
  • ✓ NDT certifications (VT, MT, UT) valuable for inspection roles

Step 5: Entry-Level Employment (first 2 years)

  • ✓ Start as tender/dive assistant with inland or Gulf Coast dive company; expect $35K–$50K initially
  • ✓ Accumulate bottom time (500+ hours) and wet welding reps on real projects
  • ✓ Pursue HUET, BOSIET offshore survival certs if targeting oil & gas (cost $1K–$2K; often employer-paid)
  • ✓ Network with divers, ask for sea time or rotation coverage to build reputation

Step 6: Specialization & Advancement (years 3–10+)

  • ✓ Target offshore air diving roles in Gulf of Mexico or international markets ($90K–$150K range)
  • ✓ Pursue IMCA Part II sat diving certification after 3–5 years & 1,000+ dive hours (path to $150K–$300K)
  • ✓ Consider nuclear diving specialty (ALARA training, NRC clearance) for stable, high-pay niche
  • ✓ Plan long-term transition: aim for dive supervisor, LST, project manager, or ROV trainer role by age 40–45

Ready to Dive In? (Pun Intended)

Look, underwater welding isn't for everyone. But if you've got the guts, the physical fitness, and you don't mind a little danger? This career will take you places—literally and financially—that most people can't even imagine. Start by getting your topside welding certs, then look into ADCI-accredited dive schools. The opportunities are out there if you're willing to go deep.

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Underwater Welder FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about this topic

Salaries range from $40K–$95K for inland divers to $100K–$300K+ for offshore saturation divers. Entry-level inland welders earn $40K–$55K; mid-career offshore air divers $90K–$150K; experienced saturation divers in Gulf of Mexico or North Sea $180K–$300K+. Day rates for sat divers can reach $600–$1,400 during rotation. Nuclear divers earn $120K–$220K. Pay varies by depth, location, rotation schedule, and dive contractor.
You need: (1) Surface welding certification (AWS SENSE Level II or CWB; 6G pipe welding preferred); (2) Commercial dive school graduation (ADCI or IMCA accredited, 6–10 months); (3) AWS D3.6 Underwater Welding Code certification (wet and/or dry welding); (4) Hyperbaric medical clearance (annual); (5) For offshore: HUET, BOSIET survival certs; TWIC (US) or equivalent security clearance. Saturation diving requires IMCA Part II cert and 3+ years experience.
Yes, it is one of the most hazardous skilled trades. Risks include: decompression sickness (DCS / "the bends"), nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity, electric shock (300–400 amp welding current in water), hypothermia, drowning, entanglement, confined space hazards, and marine life. Proper training, surface-supplied air/heliox, dry suit insulation, umbilical redundancy, standby diver, and chamber availability are critical safety measures. Cumulative DCS risk limits career longevity to 10–20 years for most divers.
Total timeline: 2–4 years from zero to working offshore diver-welder. Breakdown: (1) Welding school & experience: 6 months–2 years to earn AWS welding certs and gain topside experience; (2) Commercial dive school: 6–10 months full-time; (3) Entry work as tender: 6–12 months to accumulate dive hours and wet welding practice; (4) Offshore qualification: 1–2 additional years to reach 500+ hours and earn HUET/BOSIET certs. Saturation diving certification requires 3–5+ years and 1,000+ dive hours.
Wet welding: performed directly in water using waterproof stick electrodes (SMAW); electrode arc submerged; rapid cooling and contamination reduce weld quality; used for non-critical or emergency repairs; simpler setup. Dry welding (hyperbaric welding): performed inside a sealed habitat or cofferdam purged of water and filled with air or inert gas; allows TIG, stick, or other processes; higher quality welds meeting structural codes; used for critical pipeline tie-ins, platform repairs, nuclear work; requires chamber construction underwater.
Inland: rivers, lakes, dams (hydroelectric gates, spillways), bridges (pier pilings, cofferdams), ports (dock pilings, ship hulls), water/wastewater treatment plants, lock & canal systems. Offshore: oil & gas platforms (Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, West Africa, Asia-Pacific), subsea pipelines & risers, drilling rigs, offshore wind farms (monopile foundations). Specialty: nuclear power plants (reactor vessel, spent fuel pools), naval shipyards (submarine/carrier repair), salvage operations (wreck removal, emergency ship repair).
Saturation diving: divers live in a pressurized chamber (deck decompression chamber, DDC) at depth-equivalent pressure for 12–28 days, making daily excursions to the seabed in a diving bell. This eliminates repetitive decompression. Used for deep offshore work (300–1,000+ ft). Divers breathe heliox or trimix. At end of rotation, one long decompression (4–7 days). Pay: $150K–$300K+ annually; day rates $600–$1,400 in saturation. Requires IMCA Part II cert, 3–5 years experience, 1,000+ dive hours. Common in Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, West Africa subsea construction.
Yes, existing welders have a strong advantage. If you already hold AWS SENSE Level II or 6G pipe welding certification and have 1–2 years topside experience, you can proceed directly to commercial dive school. Most dive schools require or strongly recommend prior welding experience. After dive school (6–10 months), you'll complete AWS D3.6 underwater welding certification (wet & dry). Total additional time: ~1–1.5 years from welding journeyman to working underwater welder. Your welding skills will accelerate progression and increase hirability with offshore contractors.