Divers Going On Strike !

[altitudemike]

They are making peanuts for what they do. I am an oilfield consultant which is close to the top of the food chain for field work & can tell you they would be by far the lowest paid people on any site. Pretty lousy pay for such a technical & key role in offshore operations.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

So the average gas diver makes about $74,000 a year working 40 hours a week?





Wouldn't this mean the average person is making over $35 an hour?

Here's what life as a Deepsea Diver is like:

> Contractual...there is no "9-5 / 40 hr." weeks in the deepsea business; rather, jobs are scheduled & personnel hired to complete the work. Some work goes on for long periods of time, & personnel are rotated on & off the work vessel ( no pay while your "off" ). Other contracts are short term & folks stay out till the work is complete.

> Sporadic...Different oilfields are more or less busy due to a variety of factors including economic factors, weather, political influences & a host of other situations that require the working diver to remain aware of what is going on in the business so they might go to where the work is.

> 12 on / 12 off...when offshore, work goes on 24 hrs./day, 7 days a week, but a diving crew is on call 24/7. Tenders normally work in 12 hour shifts. Divers are in "rotation to dive", & dive as required within the limits of the diving company's operations policies ( most major diving contractors have their own tables developed for them & set policy as to how all types of diving are to be conducted ).

> Different Companys / Different Rates...divers must learn what the pay scales are for a specific diving company prior to agreeing to contract for work; there is a great diversity in pay scale.

The bottom line is that it is very difficult to come up with an "average" yearly wage for a "gas diver" or other designation. Income earned is largely a function of the diver's experience / reputation, his/hers willingness to travel to the most lucrative areas, the time they are willing to commit to working offshore in a given year & the degree of extra education/certifications they are willing to accrue. It is truly a vocation wherein you "make it or break it". Some divers, by their skill & reputation, can negotiate their remuneration beyond the standard rates a company pays.

It is not a career for the unmotivated, the lazy or the non-self-starter.

Regards,
DSD

 

[Notso_Ken]

So the average gas diver makes about $74,000 a year working 40 hours a week?





Wouldn't this mean the average person is making over $35 an hour?

Yep, but that doesn't mean they make 70+ thousand a year. I doubt the conditions put on it allow them to put in 2,000 hours a year.

No thanks.


Ken

 

[tlawler]

$75K per year for gas diving? Are you kidding? They should make about 1.5X to twice that in my opinion. In this day and age, that's about the going rate for a master electrician or a journeyman a/c mechanic (in Florida, anyway. In union states, they make significantly more), and for a job where you truly put your life on the line everytime you go down, a commercial diver and his family deserves a lot more.

 

[LSDeep]

you have to be very specialized (and usually involved in the really risky stuff) to make a lot more than that.
still a pretty good income compared to recreational diving instructors! wonder when they will finally get their act together and go on strike