How To Become A Commercial Diver: What It Is and Career Path

What is a commercial diver and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a commercial diver. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.77 an hour? That's $47,356 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 20,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCommercial DiverUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,356

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.15%

Asian 3.30%

Black or African American 10.04%

Hispanic or Latino 16.45%

Unknown 4.98%

White 64.08%

Gender

female 3.31%

male 96.69%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a commercial diver

Explore commercial diver education requirements

Most common commercial diver degrees

Associate

29.2 %

Bachelor's

28.8 %

High School Diploma

16.0 %

Start to develop specific commercial diver skills

Skills	Percentages
CPR	16.87%
Water Construction	11.75%
OSHA	9.67%
Hand Tools	7.54%
Topside	6.61%

Gain additional commercial diver certifications

Commercial diver certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific commercial diver certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for commercial divers include Air Diver and Diver Medic Technician (DMT).

More About Certifications

Research commercial diver duties and responsibilities

Manage commercial and residential plumbing projects, as well as heating and cooling installation and repairs.
Perform all aspects of subsea oil platform demolition and salvage through the use of Broco cutting torches and rigging procedures.
Maintain current CPR and first aid certificates.
Supervise divers on P/L and scrapping jobs.

Prepare your commercial diver resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your commercial diver resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a commercial diver resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable commercial diver resume templates

Build a professional commercial diver resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your commercial diver resume.