Land Welder looking to get into Underwater

[BLUECOLLAR]

Quick question for you Underwater Welders. What where some of the ways y'all got into the field? I have been welding for close to 6 years. I'm a Union Ironworker. Looking to broaden the horizon if you know what I mean. How did y'all land some underwater welding gigs? Did y'all start with underwater welding school?

[xryan]

Spend $25k minimum and 6 months on school to get a $25k/yr dive tender job for a few years. Then maybe you might get a shot to make big money (when you are actually underwater for those few high paid hours, and no always welding, mostly NOT welding)

Stick to your ironworker trade. Trust me, you're better off and making more than most "underwater welders" with experience already do.

[TimmyTIG]

I would wager there is not one single underwater welder on this site.

[Bonzoo]

If it's dollars you're chasing go get some pipe training and go play in the oil-gas-water fields for six months a year.Work 7 x 12's and live with a bunch of other smelly bums in a crap house and bank damn near everything.
Keep your dues paid for the Iron Hall too.....or sit on yer asz, work on race cars or ride motorcycles the other six months. Lots of options World Wide.

[jpump5]

I’ve met guys at job sites who were trained for underwater
welding. They work as divers but not welding. When I see
them they’re scraping barnacles and mussels out of cooling
water intakes. Not the most glamorous job, but I was under
the impression they were well paid.

[xryan]

I’ve met guys at job sites who were trained for underwater
welding. They work as divers but not welding. When I see
them they’re scraping barnacles and mussels out of cooling
water intakes. Not the most glamorous job, but I was under
the impression they were well paid.

"Well paid" only when you are UNDERWATER. Otherwise your just a deckhand or a dive tender...not much better than 1st year apprentice wages out of high school. And when underwater all that time, it detroys your body. Ive worked with quite a few. Only guys who are actually doing underwater work were. YOUNG. read that as expendable ( and yes 99% of the work is crap work like barnacles, rigging gear, replacing equipment, survey of pipes for wastewater treatment plants, QUITE LITERALLY working IN **** pipes carrying all of it out to sea, etc)

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[Bonzoo]

The guys I knew years ago were from n'orleans( a litle east) and they got paid by depth as to pay scale. Some of them Cajuns were down a couple hundred feet,bright lights. O2 via hoses, for limited time limits, obviously.They made BANK and worked a little, The rest of the time they were making shrimp boats and gadgets.hand woven nets for that sort of thing. Hard dudes. Good people tho. Homa or Houma ? Can't recall the little coastal town. Catch gators, spear frogs, gators, deers,turtles. Those kinds of guys. TOUGH. Airboats. ATC( 3 wheel Hondas). Guns within reach.Great food.All had those Catahoula dogs around. Maybe some day soon I'll visit. The family was Jenkins boys or Jennings. Can't recall.Easy enough to find. They were badaszes and good craftsman. I'm still sure the families are at it. It's all they knew.

[BD1]

I would wager there is not one single underwater welder on this site.

I was doing a bellhole and the dam pump went out. I was almost a underwater welder , . I did get a wet a$$.

[John T]

I would wager there is not one single underwater welder on this site.

I know a few weldors underwater financially.

[kmar35]

I know a few weldors underwater financially.

Hahaha nice

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[psacustomcreations]

Underwater welding, been there, done that, got the tattoos to prove it.
this was with the military so a bit different than commercial diving. I have friends that got out of the military and are working commercially. If you are already a welder, stick to surface welding especially if you are already in a union. As mentioned before, it will take 6 months of school, you will make crappy wages the first couple of years, pay is very location dependent, you will not have a steady paycheck, etc.
One of my friends is in a union in NYC and has been working on pile wrapping the Tappanzee and other bridges. He is union but has not been working the last couple of months.