cameron
Contributor
1:How hard is it to learn how to weld under water?
Welding underwater is diferent in the fact that the weldpool cools very very quickly. Everything runs at about a third the speed as surface
2:Where is the best place to learn how to weld under water?
You need a Part 1 first then you can go and get your wet welding tickets. There are tonnes of places to do it. If your in canada, you can go to seneca and do the one week course
3:How hard is it to get a job in this field?
Its stupid. Give up on the notion that your going to walk out of dive school and start welding. You'll start out choking hose till some one gives you a shot in the water, and it won't we welding, it'll be a basic task so they can see if you can handle the work. You work your way up. Expect 5 years of work till you start making anything decent money wise.
4:Once you have job how much work is there to keep busy?
There is work as a diver but not as a welder. The problem with wet welding, is no one does it. Its not recognized or a certified form of welding. Its used in salvage and ship husbandry as a quick fix, but you don't see any pipe welding done in the wet. You can not even burn nowadays. All the big progressive companies don't want to see anything hot underwater, its plain as that. So you will be a diver, plain and simple, and underwater labourer.
5:What is the pay like? is it about the same as welding with out the under water part?(like how much an hour 30-40 bucks an hour and any overtime/danger pay)
Don't work in the GOM if your a canadian. Its an old system and there really isn't much money to be had till you are diving Sat. Offshore rates right now for expats in asia are around 350 day for an air diver and about 500-700 a day with 25-35 an hour in sat.
6:Where would i have to go to find work under water welding?
Australia is all union work and it is next to impossible to get in with them unless you are a australian and or your company pulls some strings for you. There is lots of work in Asia, middle east, africa, india. Its the best place to be to get some skills. eventually if you want and have the experience you can look for work in the north sea and east coast canada where the money is large and the egos and back stabbing is even larger.
7: What certs do you need to get to work in this field and are you more able to get a job if you have more certs then needed for that job?
You don't see specific wet welding jobs to often offshore. You do see Hyperbaric welding out of habitats. The money is rediculous and there are very few guys who do it. Usualy the company will get you certified for the specific job. Wetwelding certs expire every year so its very expensive to keep your tickets. You'll need a part one ticket. You can get that at seneca college, or CWDI in ontario.
8: Is the job any better or worse then an every day type welding job?
Diving takes a special breed. Don't expect clear water and fish. Its hard, cold and kicks the **** out of your body. Enjoy the memory loss, the joint pain and the arthritis... other then that it kicks ass.
This is an offshore perspective. Inshore is a different game. the west coast of canada is pretty good with the union. About 55/hr wet. There woud be alot more work as a welder as the work environment is not as tightly controled as it is offshore. The big money is offshore though.
Don;t even bother with anything other then a basic open water card. Scuba diving doesn't have anything to do with commercial diving. Your just wasting your money.
Cam
Welding underwater is diferent in the fact that the weldpool cools very very quickly. Everything runs at about a third the speed as surface
2:Where is the best place to learn how to weld under water?
You need a Part 1 first then you can go and get your wet welding tickets. There are tonnes of places to do it. If your in canada, you can go to seneca and do the one week course
3:How hard is it to get a job in this field?
Its stupid. Give up on the notion that your going to walk out of dive school and start welding. You'll start out choking hose till some one gives you a shot in the water, and it won't we welding, it'll be a basic task so they can see if you can handle the work. You work your way up. Expect 5 years of work till you start making anything decent money wise.
4:Once you have job how much work is there to keep busy?
There is work as a diver but not as a welder. The problem with wet welding, is no one does it. Its not recognized or a certified form of welding. Its used in salvage and ship husbandry as a quick fix, but you don't see any pipe welding done in the wet. You can not even burn nowadays. All the big progressive companies don't want to see anything hot underwater, its plain as that. So you will be a diver, plain and simple, and underwater labourer.
5:What is the pay like? is it about the same as welding with out the under water part?(like how much an hour 30-40 bucks an hour and any overtime/danger pay)
Don't work in the GOM if your a canadian. Its an old system and there really isn't much money to be had till you are diving Sat. Offshore rates right now for expats in asia are around 350 day for an air diver and about 500-700 a day with 25-35 an hour in sat.
6:Where would i have to go to find work under water welding?
Australia is all union work and it is next to impossible to get in with them unless you are a australian and or your company pulls some strings for you. There is lots of work in Asia, middle east, africa, india. Its the best place to be to get some skills. eventually if you want and have the experience you can look for work in the north sea and east coast canada where the money is large and the egos and back stabbing is even larger.
7: What certs do you need to get to work in this field and are you more able to get a job if you have more certs then needed for that job?
You don't see specific wet welding jobs to often offshore. You do see Hyperbaric welding out of habitats. The money is rediculous and there are very few guys who do it. Usualy the company will get you certified for the specific job. Wetwelding certs expire every year so its very expensive to keep your tickets. You'll need a part one ticket. You can get that at seneca college, or CWDI in ontario.
8: Is the job any better or worse then an every day type welding job?
Diving takes a special breed. Don't expect clear water and fish. Its hard, cold and kicks the **** out of your body. Enjoy the memory loss, the joint pain and the arthritis... other then that it kicks ass.
This is an offshore perspective. Inshore is a different game. the west coast of canada is pretty good with the union. About 55/hr wet. There woud be alot more work as a welder as the work environment is not as tightly controled as it is offshore. The big money is offshore though.
Don;t even bother with anything other then a basic open water card. Scuba diving doesn't have anything to do with commercial diving. Your just wasting your money.
Cam
