Transitioning from Tech to Commercial

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CAPTAIN SINBAD

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Location
Woodbridge VA
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Greetings everyone. Covid-19 lockdown is on and I need some candyfloss for the mind. As a TDI Trimix diver, how do I transition into commercial diving? Are there schools that would teach only skill specific courses such as underwater welding, hull inspection and cleaning etc to someone who is already tech certified? A typical commercial diver course looks somewhat like this:

I. Diving Physics
II. Diving Physiology, Decompression, & Emergency Management Procedures
III. Diving Equipment, Systems, & Procedures
IV. Practical Use of Diving Equipment

V. Diving Hazards & Legislation
VI. Diver Communication Systems
VII. Rigging
VIII. Underwater Inspections Training & Searches
IX. Hand & Power Tools
X. Water Jetting, Airlifts, Venturi Dredges, & Lift Bags
XI. Cutting & Welding Equipment
XII. Underwater Explosives
XIII. Underwater Construction Techniques
XIV. Commercial Scuba
XV. Hyperbaric Chamber Operations

The first four are what your typical technical diver is already familiar with and then there are things in there that do not interest me such as chamber operations. Explosives? Entertaining but I may keep them for a different life time.

So I was wondering if there are schools that would let me pick and choose or do you need to sign up for the whole sh'bang? Thanks in advnce.
 
Parts 3 and 4 are very different vs. what you're used to. Surface supplied is a completely different ballgame. Whether hyperbarics interests you or not, it is a mandatory part of commercial diving and you don't get to pick and choose what you do or don't do.
 
Parts 3 and 4 are very different vs. what you're used to. Surface supplied is a completely different ballgame. Whether hyperbarics interests you or not, it is a mandatory part of commercial diving and you don't get to pick and choose what you do or don't do.
Depends if you want an ADCI card or not. You can be a commercial diver with a PADI card, if you can get an insurance policy, which you can if you have enough cash.

That whole commercial dive school thing is designed to take your money and make you a cookie cutter diver. You spend 2-5 years tending, and maybe you get to dive once in a while, then you spend 5-10 years diving, and maybe you get to dive sup when the other dive sup is on smoke break, then you get bent and it's all over, no cure, no savings. Or the oil field tanks and all of the hard hat divers are working for peanuts on Scuba inspecting dams in Idaho.

Being a successful commercial diver is more about having the money and writing a plan and getting insurance than it is about going to school.
 
@Wookie don't disagree, but was talking about trying to skip over certain parts of the school.
When I learned to use a hardhat, I went to a commercial diver and we learned how to use a hardhat. I agree that a school isn't going to let you pick and choose your classes, but if you want to learn to broco concrete, someone will teach you and you don't get good until you do it for a few weeks anyway.

DMT classes are easy enough to find outside of school.

I'm quite certain that me and explosives don't mix well. Ever. Although it would be fun to try.....
 
Depends if you want an ADCI card or not. You can be a commercial diver with a PADI card, if you can get an insurance policy, which you can if you have enough cash.

That whole commercial dive school thing is designed to take your money and make you a cookie cutter diver. You spend 2-5 years tending, and maybe you get to dive once in a while, then you spend 5-10 years diving, and maybe you get to dive sup when the other dive sup is on smoke break, then you get bent and it's all over, no cure, no savings. Or the oil field tanks and all of the hard hat divers are working for peanuts on Scuba inspecting dams in Idaho.

Being a successful commercial diver is more about having the money and writing a plan and getting insurance than it is about going to school.

I dove the very first day out of school. You'll get inland jobs immediately, especially if you become known for being a non drinker.

Offshore, you'll be a tender for 2 years and will probably dive once a week if you're lucky. Either way, you'll make about $20/hour when you get to work.
 
When I learned to use a hardhat, I went to a commercial diver and we learned how to use a hardhat. I agree that a school isn't going to let you pick and choose your classes, but if you want to learn to broco concrete, someone will teach you and you don't get good until you do it for a few weeks anyway.

DMT classes are easy enough to find outside of school.

I'm quite certain that me and explosives don't mix well. Ever. Although it would be fun to try.....

You can't do DMT anymore unless you're already a commercial diver or already a nurse, fireman or paramed (outside of commercial dive school)
 
You can't do DMT anymore unless you're already a commercial diver or already a nurse, fireman or paramed (outside of commercial dive school)
Did Rutkowski and Duturi close their schools? We may be in semantics, I mean that if you're already an EMT you can take the DMT course, or did that change?
 
Did Rutkowski and Duturi close their schools? We may be in semantics, I mean that if you're already an EMT you can take the DMT course, or did that change?

If you're already an EMT you can take the course. That school in South Florida was never acde accredited, which means no commercial outfit in this nation would hire you.
 
If you're already an EMT you can take the course. That school in South Florida was never acde accredited, which means no commercial outfit in this nation would hire you.
Yes, and no commercial outfit would ever hire me, but what I do could easily be done by ROV. So I was able to get a commercial dive policy, but it was expensive. I charge them an ugly price.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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