Light "Commercial" Diving

[Van Isle]

Around here you can get a restricted occupational SCUBA cert - what some call a "light commercial" rating - for about $2000 or something. It gives you the tools you need to do exactly what you're talking about. Non-decompression, table diving, on SCUBA (not surface supplied) and working with tools. A few friends have gone through the program and it still seems "simple" jobs require a standby diver and a tender. And usually a FFM, redundant air, and a serious (like a Viking) dry suit.

 

[Thalassamania]

Here's the critical equation:

Harbor diving = polluted water = helmet mated to drysuit = surface supplied = diver, standby diver, tender, operation supervisor (maybe).

 

[JKPAO]

First if you are talking about a ship in any United States harbor, you will need insurance. Let alone any harbor master will have to sign off on your entrance to the harbor. They will check if you are qualified to do the work. Walking in without proper training (or gear) and you will give it away yourself!
Stay alive and take the training, then do all the inspection you can! It is the gravy work of the job.
See you topside! John

 

[al1]

You want to get at least a restricted occupational SCUBA ticket. But you really want a dive team. The safest way.
I live overseas and 3 scuba divers doing exactly what you said lost there lives this year. Two of them got pulled off the job from the currents and ended up drowning. Never did find the other one. They have regulations here also but allow SCUBA diving to check ships. Had topside personnel also but did not relised the divers were in trouble, And they had no lines on them because of all the swimming around.

 

[rjack321]

There are multiple companies in Washington state inspecting and cleaning yacht hulls, replacing zincs, pulling props, and such on scuba. These are typically small 20-60ft <100 ton vessels that aren't going to crush you between the pier and the hull. And yes they have multiple employees and yes they meet our state approved OSHA equivalent program. They are required to have support, can't use mixed gases and have a pile of other rules like being prohibited from cleaning ablative paint. They aren't using hard hats nor surface supplied nor comms etc. Mostly just recreational gear and AL80s (its shallow work).

If you have to ask on scubaboard I would say you're not ready to take on this responsibility. Otherwise I think you need to research your state's labor and industry requirements, most states have assumed this role from OSHA.

edit looks like Georgia has not assumed primacy from Federal OSHA. You can call the local OSHA office for a consultation about requirements for your specific projects.
http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult_directory.html#GEORGIA

 

[fstbttms]

Despite what others have posted here about the need for tenders and OSHA regulations, blah, blah, blah, my experience is for inspections, hull cleaning, light salvage and similar jobs; if you can dive, you can work. No tenders needed and few (or no) regulations to follow (certainly no federal regulations.) Individual marinas may require that you carry ship repairers liabiltiy insurance, but even that is not is not a given. I have owned my hull cleaning business here in the Bay Area for over 15 years. I am not even a certified diver. I have done jobs for insurance companies, marinas, charter companies, sailing schools, boat yards, ferry services, police departments, even the United States government and have never, ever been asked if my company met any OSHA regulations. It's basically a non-issue.

Go to work, you don't have a problem.

 

[Water Monkey]

Despite what others have posted here about the need for tenders and OSHA regulations, blah, blah, blah, my experience is for inspections, hull cleaning, light salvage and similar jobs; if you can dive, you can work. No tenders needed and few (or no) regulations to follow (certainly no federal regulations.) Individual marinas may require that you carry ship repairers liabiltiy insurance, but even that is not is not a given. I have owned my hull cleaning business here in the Bay Area for over 15 years. I am not even a certified diver. I have done jobs for insurance companies, marinas, charter companies, sailing schools, boat yards, ferry services, police departments, even the United States government and have never, ever been asked if my company met any OSHA regulations. It's basically a non-issue.

Go to work, you don't have a problem.

I&#8217;m right there with ya!

 

[SurDo2]

Despite what others have posted here about the need for tenders and OSHA regulations, blah, blah, blah, my experience is for inspections, hull cleaning, light salvage and similar jobs; if you can dive, you can work. No tenders needed and few (or no) regulations to follow (certainly no federal regulations.) Individual marinas may require that you carry ship repairers liabiltiy insurance, but even that is not is not a given. I have owned my hull cleaning business here in the Bay Area for over 15 years. I am not even a certified diver. I have done jobs for insurance companies, marinas, charter companies, sailing schools, boat yards, ferry services, police departments, even the United States government and have never, ever been asked if my company met any OSHA regulations. It's basically a non-issue.

Go to work, you don't have a problem.

Until you or someone on your watch gets seriously injured or killed... Then you'll have all sorts of issues and problems. Blah, blah, blah...

 

[fstbttms]

Until you or someone on your watch gets seriously injured or killed... Then you'll have all sorts of issues and problems. Blah, blah, blah...

I'm not discounting the need to dive safely, just stating the reality of the hull cleaning industry. NOBODY uses a tender. And to be honest, since 99.9% of the work occurs within 6 or 7 feet of the surface (and most of it is even shallower) I don't think it's a particulary critical consideration.

 

[muddiver]

Your funeral, mate.