Commercial Diving Course

[sweetchariot]

Hi folks, I'm new to this forum so please be gentle.

I'm thinking about doing a commercial diver's course with a view to working offshore. I am looking for something that will excite and interest me, but give me plenty of time off to spend in LOS.

I'm 35 and generally healthy, although I do smoke. My background is banking, but I retired 2 years ago. I have no experience of manual work, but am a fast learner.

I was told there was a place in Singapore, but after trawling the internet for days I can only find schools doing the full course in either the US or UK. The courses vary from 4 to 6 months, and $16,000 to $20,000.

So, I would appreciate a bit of advice on the following, from anyone who has experience in this field:

1. Am I too old?

2. Is there work available for qualified newbies with no experience.

3. Do I need to give up smoking (maybe the excuse I've been looking for), how tough is the medical?

4. Would this be a good investment?

Before you tell me how dangerous it is, I am fully aware of that aspect. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie anyway, I already hold a pilot's license and like to skydive, paraglide, bungee etc.

Any experienced advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks,

SC...

[Etrigan]

Hello again!

The commercial side requires minimum HND 1-4 which you have already found online. One of the best schools is in Scotland. Expensive but the earning potential is there. You may also want to loot at ROV (remote operated vehicle) piloting, as ROV's are replacing human divers. I know of one English guy making a fortune from ROV.

If you can find Siam Diving Enterprises, I think they have an office in Laem Chabang, they can advise you about HND work in Thailand.

I have PADI credentials and have done some commercial work in Thailand. This may be another route to consider. As you live in Pattaya you could dive every day if you wanted. PADI professional is a fraction of the commercial price and not as equipment intensive nor expensive.

No, you are not too old.

The medical for HND involves chest x-rays to check the lungs, so do that here first before the official one. They also look for history of seizures, blackout, lung or spinal surgery, and other common sense health related exclusions.

Yes, quit smoking. You would be surprised just how much a ciggie can affect you on a decompression dive.

For the money involved, take the PADI route. You could become a PADI divemaster (which is a start after all) for less than $2,000. If you still like it, you will be in a better position when you take HND with the experience from PADI work.

PM if you want any more info

[funfun]

Hi folks, I'm new to this forum so please be gentle.

I'm thinking about doing a commercial diver's course with a view to working offshore. I am looking for something that will excite and interest me, but give me plenty of time off to spend in LOS.

I'm 35 and generally healthy, although I do smoke. My background is banking, but I retired 2 years ago. I have no experience of manual work, but am a fast learner.

I was told there was a place in Singapore, but after trawling the internet for days I can only find schools doing the full course in either the US or UK. The courses vary from 4 to 6 months, and $16,000 to $20,000.

So, I would appreciate a bit of advice on the following, from anyone who has experience in this field:

1. Am I too old?

2. Is there work available for qualified newbies with no experience.

3. Do I need to give up smoking (maybe the excuse I've been looking for), how tough is the medical?

4. Would this be a good investment?

Before you tell me how dangerous it is, I am fully aware of that aspect. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie anyway, I already hold a pilot's license and like to skydive, paraglide, bungee etc.

Any experienced advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks,

SC...

"I have no experience of manual work"

[Etrigan]

Apologies for the typo above I was half asleep this morning! Change HND to HSE (Health & Safety Executive).

[sweetchariot]

Apologies for the typo above I was half asleep this morning! Change HND to HSE (Health & Safety Executive).

Yeah that threw me a bit. The courses I have been looking at include the relevant HSE (or OSHA) accreditations. Thanks for your advice.

You talk about becoming a divemaster over here, I was under the impression that Thailand was somewhat swamped with diving instructors, and that the legaility of most of them was questionable, so a bit more info on that would be great.

Funfun, I mentioned manual work as commercial divers will be required to do all manner of things from welding to construction, although most of the prerequisite skills are taught topside as well as underwater on the course, I was wondering if my inexperience in that kind of arena would be a hinderance.

I will look into the ROV side of things, will come back when I've done a bit more research. If a divemaster course is only going to cost around $2,000 then I guess that is a good starting point.

Thanks again.

Edited April 8, 2008 by sweetchariot

[funfun]

Apologies for the typo above I was half asleep this morning! Change HND to HSE (Health & Safety Executive).

Yeah that threw me a bit. The courses I have been looking at include the relevant HSE (or OSHA) accreditations. Thanks for your advice.

You talk about becoming a divemaster over here, I was under the impression that Thailand was somewhat swamped with diving instructors, and that the legaility of most of them was questionable, so a bit more info on that would be great.

Funfun, I mentioned manual work as commercial divers will be required to do all manner of things from welding to construction, although most of the prerequisite skills are taught topside as well as underwater on the course, I was wondering if my inexperience in that kind of arena would be a hinderance.

I will look into the ROV side of things, will come back when I've done a bit more research. If a divemaster course is only going to cost around $2,000 then I guess that is a good starting point.

Thanks again.

sweet chariot, if ya not scared of heights another popular job which pays good money and will give you a buzz is ropes, theres many lads who come bar work on rigs do a 6 weeks 0n 6 weeks off type of job!

theres plenty of work around be sound of it, i take what you say about having a trade but i think these lads mainly based scotland are constantly going on training courses for stuff like checking weld etc! dosent sound like hard work, but i also have forgotten what that is!

chris

[thaibutty]

Hi,

i don't think working as a divemaster is a really good option, because you've never been diving before. Once you are working would have to go diving almost every day just to make a minimum of income at least here in Thailand. As an Instructor your income would be better but still not that much comparing to what you work. To make a decent living you have to work so much that you usually don't have that much of a time to go exploring LOS. The commercial diver thing is a more expensive investment, and it usually takes a bit longer to get a job after your newly certified, but once you worked and you showed your skills than its getting alot easier to get new jobs. Usually you are working between a month and three and than taking off for about the same period. Usually having the money spent for the course back after the first one or two jobs.

There are also commercial divers schools in South Africa.

[Etrigan]

The ropes course can be taken in Singapore. You need to contact an organisation called IRATA. If you are scared of heights, forget this route. Recreational diving will not make you rich, but it will give you something to do and focus on. Commercial diving is a big investment. No offence but in your mid - 30's, there will be a younger lads doing more, for less.

Good luck. If you need any recreational diving advice get in touch.

[sweetchariot]

The ropes course can be taken in Singapore. You need to contact an organisation called IRATA. If you are scared of heights, forget this route. Recreational diving will not make you rich, but it will give you something to do and focus on. Commercial diving is a big investment. No offence but in your mid - 30's, there will be a younger lads doing more, for less.

Good luck. If you need any recreational diving advice get in touch.

Thanks Etrigan, from my research I learnt that the majority of commercial divers are 18-35, hence my question about age.

I'm not sure how this thread went from going down to going up, but thanks for the ideas. I am certainly not scared of heights (read previous post about flying/ skydiving/ bungeeing), and had never considered this.

My main aim is to have something exciting/ interesting to do, but also lots of time off. The income is secondary (although always nice), so I might have a look into this.

BTW I was watching the Discovery Channel a few evenings ago, and they had a programme about oil rigs. The rope gang team leader froze at the top of a 200 ft tower, and had to be dragged off by his mates. If they are taking on people like that then the mind boggles

Plenty of food for thought, thanks guys.

[draggons]

There's a company runing IRATA rope access courses down at Ban Chang.

PM me for details.

[subseasteve]

G'day man,

I am a commercial diver, have been off shore for 6 years. My back ground was very hands on and I had an engineering mind, I am afraid to say my answer to you questions are all no, you are not too old, doesnt matter if you smoke, so long as you pass your medical, is it a good inverstment, well mate you used to be a banker??? Can you even change a car tyre? If you are handy type person, can service your own car, build a shed, poor some concrete, and weld to hold some to gether and make some thing work then yes it could be good for you. Other wise you struggle to keep work.

If you are into it enough then go for it, but it is no easy road and no easy life. It isd certainly not glamorous, divers arent like the Padi ones you meet, I would probably associate com divers with rough fishermen. Play hard and work hard. These padi dive instructers are all wanna be's who like good viz. nOnly certified to fill a bottle and change an O ring, so dont take advise from them, go to the bars and talk to people there are heaps of com divers in Pattaya. easy to find they will be the drunkest loudest ones. Ps make sure it is not a phase you are going through for a buzz, coz I assure you the novelty will wear off lol.

Good luck man.

[MEGALITHIC]

Hi folks, I'm new to this forum so please be gentle.

I'm thinking about doing a commercial diver's course with a view to working offshore. I am looking for something that will excite and interest me, but give me plenty of time off to spend in LOS.

I'm 35 and generally healthy, although I do smoke. My background is banking, but I retired 2 years ago. I have no experience of manual work, but am a fast learner.

I was told there was a place in Singapore, but after trawling the internet for days I can only find schools doing the full course in either the US or UK. The courses vary from 4 to 6 months, and $16,000 to $20,000.

So, I would appreciate a bit of advice on the following, from anyone who has experience in this field:

1. Am I too old?

2. Is there work available for qualified newbies with no experience.

3. Do I need to give up smoking (maybe the excuse I've been looking for), how tough is the medical?

4. Would this be a good investment?

Before you tell me how dangerous it is, I am fully aware of that aspect. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie anyway, I already hold a pilot's license and like to skydive, paraglide, bungee etc.

Any experienced advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks,

SC...

If you are really going to do the commercial air diving course then you need to get the right qualification. The one that all companies world wide accept is the IMCA approved one. The best two places to do the 12 week course are either at the Underwater Center in Fort William, Scotland or the Underwater Center at Beauty point in Tasmania.

In addition to the CAD (commercial air diver) qualification I would recommend that you also do the IMCA DMT course (diver medic technician). This will take an additional 2 weeks after the completion of the CAD training and it will enhance your employment prospects significantly. There's no gaurantee that you'll get offshore once you've got those qualifications though as alot of new guys usually do a couple of years doing civils diving (inshore and harbour work) before going offshore. However, if you've got all the correct safety training certs and medical certs, etc.. , in addition to your the above mentioned IMCA certs, then it's certainly possible to get work in asia as a newbie.

To get offshore you will need to do an OPITO offshore survival course and HUET (helicopter underwater evacuation training) at a NUTEC Training center. This is a 3 day course and it teaches you what to do if a helicopter ditches out in the ocean and how to escape. It also teaches basic fire fighting and first aid. Without this you won't get past first base with any of the dive companies. I would recommend the MSTS training center in Jahore Bahru in Malaysia. They have an OPITO 3 day course every Monday.

In addition to a proper dive medical, I would suggest you also get a UKOOA offshore medical. I would recommend doing both at the Ming Clinic in Singapore. Dr Roger Pang is very well known and respected in the offshore diving industry and most of the divers, in asia, go to him to have their medicals done.

From my own experience, the easiest place to get a start as a newbie is in asia. There's lots of work over here now. Plenty of companies in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. You just need to be patient and be persistent.

Good luck.

[cloghead]

Hi folks, I'm new to this forum so please be gentle.

This post is a year old and since oil is back to $50 bbl everything has changed. My answers/comments are for real

I'm thinking about doing a commercial diver's course with a view to working offshore. I am looking for something that will excite and interest me, but give me plenty of time off to spend in LOS.

I'm 35 and generally healthy, although I do smoke. My background is banking, but I retired 2 years ago. I have no experience of manual work, but am a fast learner.

Retired banker huh? Hope you saved yer $$$. You have no skills to bring to the table as a commercial diver. Forget about it...

I was told there was a place in Singapore, but after trawling the internet for days I can only find schools doing the full course in either the US or UK. The courses vary from 4 to 6 months, and $16,000 to $20,000.

So, I would appreciate a bit of advice on the following, from anyone who has experience in this field:

1. Am I too old?

Yes, absolutely.

2. Is there work available for qualified newbies with no experience.

None whatsoever, especially now and not likely to be any for 1-2 years because the dive schools have been pumping out baby "divers" for the past few years who are competing with guys with 20+ years experience or more (and some of them are having probs getting work).

3. Do I need to give up smoking (maybe the excuse I've been looking for), how tough is the medical?

No one cares whether you smoke or not. The medical is a breeze if you have 2 arms and 2 legs.

4. Would this be a good investment?

No, 100% NO!

Before you tell me how dangerous it is, I am fully aware of that aspect. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie anyway, I already hold a pilot's license and like to skydive, paraglide, bungee etc.

Good for you. Again, absolutely irrelevant.

Any experienced advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks,

SC...

Obviously the original poster is no longer around but I hope my reply will help anyone contemplating the same carreer move.

PS I'm speaking from 36 years as an oilfield diver, supervisor, superintendent and project manager who retired earlier this year when the bottom fell out of the offshore industry...

[carson]

I am in my 50th's and been on the world team that set 3 world skyding records in Thailand.

Made various jumps at the yearly boogie in Prachuap, Thailand.

I am a non-smoker but many of my fellow jumpers are and they do just fine.

Skydiving is a frame of mind based on a can do attitude.

On learning to jump it depends on what you want to do and what level of the sport you would like to be a part of.

The Golden rule of skydiving.. you get what you pay for and for the cost of correct training I would ask you.

What is your life worth to YOU?

[Beardog]

Edited Due to the same answers No No & Don't bother. They look for blue collar 18 year-22 year olds for this trade. Nitrogen & above 30 years old is a major liability in commercial diving. At 35 years old your in the office or down the road talkin to yourself. Any school will advise the same about age & your chances. Way more divers than work. I did my stint 36 years ago & work was easy to get. They are not looking for another Joe to fill a job now. And you do need some good skills while your under the water. Manual labor YES!

Edited September 10, 2009 by Beardog

[Zoggie]

I'm a 39 year old commercial diver, my suggestion is don't do it. There are other things you can do offshore that is exciting, safer and pays more or at least the same. Latley in fact diving has been paying pretty poorly. I'm sure riggers earn more now days.

See my comments here: http://www.thaivisa....-diving-course/

Edited June 28, 2010 by Zoggie