How to Become an Underwater Welder
If a little thrill and adventure is your employment idea, then your ideal job is being an underwater welder. This is among the highest paying jobs, but it is also very demanding. Many people confuse the requirements of this employment with scuba diving. Nevertheless, one requires being a certified underwater welder and certified commercial diver to get this job. The candidate has to be equipped with the marine environment and work. With recent developments in deep sea oil rigs, there exist increased demands of underwater welders that are proficient.
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Becoming an Underwater Welder
The basic requirement of becoming an underwater welder begins by being a certified diver. People that familiar with diving under the water understand the differences between scuba diving and commercial diving. A scuba diver is not enough for you to get the job of an underwater welder.
Commercial divers go through training in compliance with particular norms put in place by authorities. They have the right training to use breathing apparatus, swimming gear, and safety equipment, which are a must, owing to dangers that come with the job.
Distinct scuba diving, which is an activity or sport for entertainment, training of commercial diving includes understanding the physical impacts of the task. As earlier mentioned, this work is psychologically and physiologically demanding, as most times they need to work underwater for long.
Therefore, one has to undertake formal training that includes written exams and physical training.
After acquiring relevant diving skills, you will have to get certification as a welder. Schools in the market are many, and they offer formal welding training alongside underwater welding training. With two certifications under the belt, the last thing that is needed will be getting experience for the job.
Stay in touch with marine firms hiring underwater welders. Work as an apprentice with them for some months, before starting to make applications to other companies. Experience is always the best tutor. Therefore, apprenticeship is a crucial part of being the best underwater welder. During this duration, you will learn about job intricacies, which are missed within classroom walls.
Description of the Job
The job of the underwater welder includes construction works at oil rigs, carrying out maintenance, and damaged parts of the ship.
As this job includes the use of electric appliances, it comes with so many risks. Nevertheless, methods like dry welding in habitat, dry spot welding, dry chamber welding, and friction stud welding do not include direct contact with electrical and water appliances.
The underwater welder will have to travel to far places to work in different habitats of water. Therefore, it needs the love for challenges and a docile temperament to take this job.
You need to have love daring nature and sea to pick the challenges that are imposing. On many occasions, as the underwater welder, you will have to work in deep seas with minimal visibility. It poses a great challenge and fear of unknown surroundings. This nature of the job that is high paying is attributed to the associated risks. Nevertheless, the amount needed to undergo training for this job is also high. In many cases, tuition payments do not include the cost of the required gear to be part and parcel of the job. However, there is a price to pay before getting the best of all things.
Continue improving skills to advance in this field. The required tools have to excel as the welder depends on the employing company, the nature of work done, and industry regulations in your area. The most crucial skills to have include inspecting finished projects, drafting standards and design plans, and fitting, rigging, and cutting metal components.
Other wet-welders have extensive training in still photography and underwater videography to document the progress of significant projects. Qualifications for these welders vary from one company to the next and from one project to another.
Stay the Course
Many underwater welders get in and out of this industry quickly. Others call it cutthroat business with zero tolerance and torturous hours. This is not entirely true, but you need to expect hardships.
In case you want to learn becoming an underwater welder, you have to begin by adjusting your expectations. Setting the right expectations will give you long-term success. If you have gotten employment and will be working as a tender, expect the worst jobs and high demands. If you go off the shore and dive in dangerous, deep places, expect a hard schedule and insane hours.
As the welder diver, you repair and construct a universe that no one can see but keeps the economy afloat daily. You need more than money to get motivated because challenges, travel, and exploration are part and parcel of the career for as long as you are doing it.
Maintain your Skill
Little of your career in commercial diving will be spent while welding underwater, and many companies will go for experience in all things relating to underwater construction and diving skill sets, and not just underwater diving. Nevertheless, less application should not equate minimal quality.