Description
Dive to significant depths to inspect, repair, construct, or recover underwater structures, vessels, and equipment. Use surface-supplied or SCUBA systems, tools, and rigging. Work from vessels or offshore sites while managing decompression and safety procedures.
- • Inspect designated underwater sites, monitor work areas, and reposition tools or lines as needed.
- • Obtain required authorizations and permits for diving operations from clients or authorities.
- • Travel by vessels, support craft, or helicopters to offshore and remote dive sites.
- • Steer support vessels and operate navigational instruments.
- • Clean and prepare underwater surfaces using scrapers and brushes.
- • Maintain and repair diving helmets, suits, umbilicals, and support equipment.
- • Remove biofouling or damaged coatings from structures using hand or power tools.
- • Deploy and secure dive lines, umbilicals, lift bags, and tools according to the job plan.
- • Maintain compressors, hydraulic tools, and other on-board dive systems and perform minor repairs.
- • Package, label, and stage recovered items, samples, or components for transport.
- • Recover objects or samples and measure or gauge them to verify specifications.
- • Locate targets or structures using sonar, transponders, or other locating equipment.
- • Obtain approvals for underwater cutting, welding, or blasting and notify personnel in affected areas.
- • Track pipelines, cables, or wreck sites by following markers, transponders, or seabed features.
- • Compute positions and plot courses on charts; plan dives and decompression schedules using depth and time calculations.
- • Select, rig, and set cutting, welding, inspection, or sealing tools based on depth and job requirements.
- • Attach slings, hooks, shackles, or lifting devices to loads for cranes, booms, hoists, or dredges.
- • Participate in subsea inspections, environmental surveys, and research activities.
- • Transport recovered materials or samples to processing facilities, labs, or clients.
- • Interpret weather, sea state, currents, and vessel conditions to determine safe responses.
- • Free entanglements, clear snags, and transfer recovered items to baskets or cages.
- • Isolate, lock out, or neutralize hazardous energy sources and make unsafe conditions safe.
- • Clean and sort recovered materials or components by type and condition.
- • Wash and disinfect decks, tools, helmets, and other equipment.
- • Connect floats, weights, flags, lights, or markers to lines, moorings, or equipment.
- • Train or guide crew members unfamiliar with specific diving methods or tasks.
- • Load and unload diving equipment and supplies by hand or using hoisting equipment.
- • Collect biological, geological, or structural samples using diving or dredging equipment.
- • Direct diving operations and supervise dive team members.
- • Oversee the purchase of diving supplies, gear, tools, and consumables.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
