Commercial Divers
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. May conduct tests or experiments, rig explosives, or photograph structures or marine life.
Also called: Commercial Diver · Diver · Diver Tender · Hard Hat Diver · Non Destructive Testing Under Water Welder (NDT U/W Welder) · Salvage Diver
Median pay (national)
$61,130
$39,130–$152,580 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
3,430
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+8.5%
~400 openings/yr
Typical entry
Postsecondary nondegree award
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for commercial divers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $152,580 versus $39,130 at the bottom 10% — 3.9x. The median of $61,130 leaves roughly 150% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +8.5% from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than the 3% average for all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 400 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 19 states with released data, New York pays the most for this role (median $153,990, +152% vs the national median), while South Carolina sits lowest at $48,010 — a 221% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Science
- Mathematics
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Install, inspect, clean, or repair piping or valves.
- Remove obstructions from strainers or marine railway or launching ways, using pneumatic or power hand tools.
Tools & technology
- Diving logbook software
- Diving table software
- Dynamic positioning DP software
- Remote operated vehicle ROV dive log software
- Web browser software
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical
- Building and Construction
- Physics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Education and Training
- English Language