By Jim Sparks

Above and below: Student divers submerged in Los Angeles Harbor.

The on-site hyperbaric chamber.

Historic Diving society diver demonstrating WWII "heavy" diving equipment.

A tender assists a student with gearing-up.

Recreational divers travel the world and pay a bundle of money to find the "ideal" dive spot. Commercial divers earn a bundle of money travelling the world diving in spots that some recreational divers would avoid.

Recreational scuba divers and commercial divers alike must be well trained in order to be safe and proficient. Good divers, recreational or commercial, will get the best training available in the beginning and continue studying and learning throughout their diving careers. There are literally thousands of certified scuba training centers where one can get excellent training in scuba diving, but there are few commercial diving schools in North America. There are only five that are accredited by the Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE). There are only two in the world that also have Regional Accreditation by the United States Department of Education.

Someone who is considering a career in commercial diving should have a mechanical aptitude and enjoy working with his hands. Experience as a skilled construction worker, welder, electronic technician, or paramedic is always helpful. A candidate should be a good swimmer, enjoy being in the water, like challenges, enjoy travel, be adventuresome, be able to make fast, accurate decisions, be a logical thinker, be self-motivated with a burning desire to succeed and, above all, be able to work in a team. He must also be willing to start at the bottom, or should we say "top" as a tender (apprentice) and work his way to the "bottom" as a full-fledged diver.

Scuba skills will not give the commercial diving student advanced standing in class, but scuba experience will make the commercial training more understandable, and possibly faster, for the student. If someone with the basic aptitude has a desire to become a commercial diver, he needs to choose a school.

Every entry-level commercial diver, regardless of where he received his training, will start as a tender. A tender works topside, taking care of the air hose, tools and equipment for the diver. The tender earns an hourly wage, which could include a lot of overtime. The tender's take home pay (after deductions) could be $120 to $140 US per day. As a tender, he will do a few shallow dives in order for the dive companies to have an opportunity to test him thoroughly before he is allowed to "breakout" and become a full-fledged diver. The projects that the companies are working on are costing thousands of dollars per day. The companies will not permit anyone to go down to inspect a site, or weld a bead unless they are absolutely sure that the diver knows precisely how to do the job quickly and proficiently. When the company is confident that the diver can do the job, the diver breaks out. After breakout the diver will earn depth pay, which ranges from $.50 per foot to $3US per foot, depending on the employer and the depth. The depth pay, along with the base salary, puts the diver in an enviable income bracket .

The College of Oceaneering, (COO), established in 1967, is one of the oldest and largest commercial diving schools in the world. It is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC, which is the West Coast Region accrediting agency for the United States Department of Education), and offers an Associate of Science Degree in Marine Tech nology. Located in the Los Angeles Harbor (World Port LA), it attracts students from around the world. COO instructors have worldwide reputations in their specialties, which include WeldTech, SpecTech and MedTech. COO graduates in the MedTech Program can receive a certificate as an Advanced Diver Medical Technician and are eligible to test for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.

Those graduating in the WeldTech program may receive the AWS D3.6: 3 and 4F, Wet SMAW (Underwater Code). COO also trains its students in the SpecTech program to ASNT standard for level II in Ultrasonic Testing (UT), Magnetic Particle Testing (MT), Dye Penetrant Testing (PT), and Visual Weld Inspection (VT). Their graduates are readily employed, about 50% going offshore to the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and the others to worldwide projects. Many of COO's graduates start their own companies.

The College of Oceaneering has an active and efficient Student Services Department that assists students in finding housing and part or full time employment while attending classes. Their Financial Aid Department helps students get all the grants and loans for which they are qualified. COO has college work study programs and tutors for students needing extra help.

For more information on the College of Oceaneering call their admissions department and ask for an information kit. In the United States and Canada, call 800-432-DIVE. From the rest of the world call (310) 834-2501. Find their web page at www.diveco.com or you can e-mail them at admissions@diveco.com