Oil Industry Diving

When people think of the oil industry, they think of big money! Oil is a product that brings in huge amounts of money, and the oil companies pay their employees well.

Oil jobs for commercial divers are demanding – no question about that – but the reward is great.

As a diver for the oil companies you need to have certain skills, but not as many as you might think. Entry-level oil jobs may begin with PADI’s lowest working certification, dive master. If you want to make the big bucks, you need to be more skilled and in peak physical shape. Typically oil companies want their divers to have technical diving skills and be a graduate of a Commercial Diving School. This way they can ensure that you are qualified to do the extreme diving you will encounter – such as unknown conditions, depth, gas mixes, and enclosed spaces. Plus at a commercial diving school you will have the opportunity to learn a trade like underwater welding, pipeline inspection, or some other construction skill that will make you more employable.

The lifestyle for an oil diver is exciting. You will travel the globe working on pipelines and oil rigs, both onshore and offshore. A willingness to move around the globe on a seconds notice is key. You may be working in the North Sea one week and the Gulf of Mexico the next. In an oil career, you are following the jobs – wherever they may take you. Jobs are usually contract work for a set period of time, so you’ll always have to keep your eyes open for your next gig.

The work you will be doing will vary. But in general you are on call at all hours of the day and will be diving a lot. You’ll be diving deep for long periods of time, so be prepared for lots of decompression stops and long surface intervals. You may be helping with drilling, or fixing an oil derrick, or inspecting a pipeline. The work is an adventure in itself and there are not very many slow days.

If you’re interested in a high pay career while jet setting around the world, working for the oil industry will make you smile. The work, hours, and lifestyle may be hard but typical entry-level jobs can earn from $900 U.S. to $1,500 U.S. a week. And with experience, you can easily be making around $80,000 U.S. Not a bad way to make a buck – traveling and diving.

A good place to begin your search is with the many oil exploration companies.