To become an underwater welder, you must first be a skilled welder. You’ll need to have some experience working with metal and welding. You’ll also need to understand how to read a blueprint, because underwater welding projects require accurate drawings of the area where work will be done.
To get your certification as an underwater welder, you’ll need to take classes that are taught by experienced instructors who can teach you everything from proper welding techniques to the best ways to calculate costs for an underwater project.
After completing your training program, you must pass an exam before being able to work as an underwater welder.
How To Become An Underwater Welder
While a career as a commercial diver and underwater welder can be rewarding, it is not for everyone. The industry demands total commitment, long hours, extensive travel, a great attitude and superior work ethic. If you’re interested in becoming a commercial diver and underwater welder then it’s important that you be ready for a physically and mentally challenging career.
What you will need
If you believe becoming an underwater welder is right for you, these are the minimum requirements you will need to possess:
- High school Diploma or GED
- Ability to swim
- Mechanical aptitude
- Commercial Diving Certification
- AWS Certified Welding Training
Finding a School
A commercial diver certification requires significantly more training than a standard recreational SCUBA certification. As a certified commercial diver, you are trained to work in industrial environments that frequently involve heavy construction and dangerous working conditions including electrocution and pressure related injuries.
Commercial divers receive the specialized training that allows them to work in a wide variety of environments from inland dams and bridges to offshore pipelines and oil rigs.
In order to become a certified underwater welder, you will need formal underwater welding training from an accredited dive school and pass their program in accordance with the American Welding Society D3.6 standard. The Air Mixed Gas Commercial Diver Program does not qualify a student to become an underwater welding specialist. Additional training is required for certification.
Choosing the right school is an important first step to getting certified. Learn more about what CDA Technical Institute offers its students here.
Costs and Financial Aid
There are many costs associated with obtaining the required certifications to become a commercial diver. Financial aid (for those who qualify) – in the form of grants and loans – can assist you with the required costs of underwater welding training. Here are some of the typical costs associated with the certification:
- Tuition
- Registration Fees
- Room & Board
- Books / Equipment
- Dive Physical
To view CDA’s tuition and fees for the Air/Mixed Gas Commercial Diver Program (Underwater Welder) click here. And for more information on financial aid available at CDA Technical Institute, click here.
Get a dive physical
CDA Tech offers the option of obtaining your required diver physical on the first day of school ($699). However, this physical can be completed by any national board certified hyperbaric physician. If you have any questions please contact our Admissions Department at 888-974-2232, or contact us through the website here.
After graduation
CDA Alumni are assisted by the director of student services who provides every student with one-on-one counseling in their professional career development. Personnel from both offshore and inland / coastal dive companies are in contact with CDA regularly to recruit our graduates.
