Underwater Welder
Underwater Welder
Career Overview
An Underwater Welder is a commercial diver who uses welding, cutting, inspection, and repair skills to work on structures and equipment below the surface of the water. Projects can include ships, bridges, pipelines, offshore structures, dams, ports, and other marine infrastructure, with divers using specialized equipment, cameras, sensors, and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to inspect and complete underwater work.
Education
A high school diploma is normally the starting point, followed by a recognized commercial diving program that provides occupational-diving training and certification; a diving medical examination is also required. Students interested specifically in underwater welding should add professional welding training, and pursuing the Red Seal Welder trade can provide a strong additional qualification, although it is not a requirement to become a commercial diver.
Work Environment
Underwater welders can work in oceans, lakes, rivers, ports, shipyards, offshore facilities, and construction sites, often in cold water, limited visibility, strong currents, confined spaces, or at significant depths. The work can be physically demanding and hazardous, and modern crews increasingly use ROVs, underwater cameras, digital inspection systems, and other technology to inspect sites and support divers.
Future Outlook
Underwater welding is a specialized part of the broader commercial-diving field, so employment can be project-based and vary considerably by location and industry. In Canada, commercial diving is projected to face a moderate risk of labour shortage from 2024–2033, while the U.S. occupation of Commercial Divers has a Bright Outlook, with employment projected to grow at least 7% from 2024–2034.
Recommended High School Courses
- Math
- Physics
- Welding
- Physical Education
- English
- Computer Studies
- Metal Working
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Equipment Selection - Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Dynamic Strength - The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Extent Flexibility - The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Gross Body Coordination - The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Gross Body Equilibrium - The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Response Orientation - The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Spatial Orientation - The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Stamina - The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
- Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Monitor work areas or procedures to ensure compliance with safety procedures.
- Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.
- Maintain work equipment or machinery.
- Communicate with coworkers to coordinate installations or repairs.
- Gather information about work conditions or locations.
- Supervise employees.
- Train others in operational procedures.
- Inspect systems to determine if they are operating properly.
- Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
- Repair non-engine automotive or vehicle components.
- Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- Record images needed to address work issues.
- Attach rigging to objects so they can be moved.
- Install piping for installation or maintenance activities.
- Operate welding equipment.
- Repair pipes to stop leaking.
- Install structural foundations.
- Repair structural components.
- Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
Related Careers
References
PayScale, Inc., https://www.payscale.com/.
WaterWelders.com, https://waterwelders.com/.
CareersInWelding.com.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
WaterWelders.com, https://waterwelders.com/.
CareersInWelding.com.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.