Underwater World.....

Date 05-12-2011 07:45

I seen the link for Diver's Academy International on the AWS home page. I've been interested in underwater work for some time now. I read up on some of the literature on their website. I have seen some threads on here about some schools, but no one has talked about this school located in New Jersey. From my understanding this is a course for all types of work, not just underwater welding. I submitted my information a couple days ago and am waiting on a package in the mail so I can dig into some information. The class last 5 months and you get actual wet time :grin:

Here is the breakdown of the hours...

Total Classroom Hours: 232
Total Practical Experience: 488
Total Program Hours: 720
Total Hours Per Week: 36
Total Number of Weeks: 20

Has anyone heard of this school? Below is a list of SOME of the schools graduates from this Alumni work as they say.

AquaTech Marine Inc., ME
Atlantis Diving Contractors Inc., Puerto Rico
BIDCO Marine Group, NY
Blackledge Diving, CA
Caldwell Marine International, LLC., NJ
Chet Morrison, LA
Commercial Diving & Marine Services Inc., MI
Crofton Diving Corporation, VA
Dominion Diving Limited, Canada
Eason Diving & Marine Contractors Inc., SC
Epic Divers & Marine, LA
HC Nutting Company, OH
Lake Erie Diving Inc., OH
Logan Diving, Inc., FL
Madcon Corp., LA
Magone Marine Service Inc., AK
Mainstream Commercial Divers Inc., KY
Marine Technologies, Inc., MD
Miami Divers, Inc., FL
Oceaneering International Inc., LA, VA, CA, Int’l
Pacific Diving Industries Inc., HI
Pro-Dive Inc., IL
Solomon Diving Inc., MI
Titan Maritime, LLC., FL
Torch Offshore Inc., TX
Underwater Construction Corporation, CT
US Underwater Services Inc., TX

I have no experience welding or diving so this would all be new to me. I will talk to the admins before proceeding as far as financial assistance etc, but wanted some opinions or info from actual experienced "wet" workers/inspectors or anyone else with info who might know something about this school or working/inspecting underwater. Another thing they list is graduates often start out as divers for inland jobs and they have job placemant assistance, hence the companies above. Offshore would start out as tenders respectively. My closest option would be Marine Technologies in Maryland without relocation which is about an hour from me and would be nice to be home every night :lol:

This is a really big discussion my wife and I are having. I'm soon to be 34 and we have 4 kids... 14 yrs. down to 2 yrs. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeremy

By Northweldor (***)

Date 05-12-2011 13:14

Jeremy:

First, do a search for underwater welding on this site, and you will be able to review the many times this topic has come up before. However, I think that learning to weld or some other useful underwater skill would likely be your first objective. Also, you might find that, at 34 yrs. old, unless you are in very good condition, you may already be "over the hill" for beginning training for this very physically demanding job.

By J Kidd

Date 05-16-2011 04:21

Thanks and yes I did search this many times before. Investigated alot of time but, I'm not sure what all this school (Divers Academy) offers as far as different fields to work in. I am in very good condition but I wanted to know from others as far as how old is old, you get my drift.

By Tyler1970 (***)

Date 05-12-2011 14:09

Hey I don't know where your from. But Houston Texas has a good one called ocean corporation. You get to dive alot. And not just welding. It's ut and mag along with it. It's a cool school.

By J Kidd

Date 05-16-2011 04:23

Thanks Tyler. I was looking more towards home and I'm in South Central Pennsylvania. About 45 mins. to an hour from Baltimore. That's why I asked about the school that is on the AWS home page. Its in New Jersey.

By makeithot (***)

Date 05-14-2011 04:45 Edited 05-14-2011 04:49

Wow is what most girls say. Your a hairy a22ed deep sea diver! Well thats the dream anyway, keep in mind that most diver spend their money on liquor & women squonder the rest. But once they discover your never home most don't hang for long. Having said that of course, if you can't get up in the morning and think of nothing but diving (putting on a sweaty stinky rubber suit) then diving may be for you. Buyer beware!! Not all schools offer certs that will get you where you want to be, do your home work. As far as welding is concerned if you do not know the skill before you go to dive school you will not learn enough there to make you useful in the field. Diving schools do serve their purpose and teach you the skills to get you in the water and hopefully keep you safe, but diving is just a means to get you to the job site if you have no trade once you get there ( ie welding ) you will spent your time running after carrots. If you do not dive already. I suggest that you go get a sport ticket ( ie PADI cert ) to see if it's your cup of tea before you spend the big bucks on dive school. If you can do some training in cold water this will put you ahead of lots of guys and if you can weld well the world's your oyster been around 4 times myself love'd every minute of it. I had a good women to back me up though most do not.

Some of the skills I'f learn along the way

Can dance prance, make romance.
Drink coors, hang out with whores.
push peter more sweeter more deeper
then any peter pusher pushes peter.
Jump from higher, dive down deeper, come up dryer.
There's no muff to tuff No sea to rough cause' I'm a

Hairy a@@ed deep sea diver.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 05-15-2011 04:18

You need to put that one in the thread where the guy was asking about poems. :lol:

By FixaLinc (****)

Date 05-16-2011 15:23

LOL yeah that's a good one :lol:

By J Kidd

Date 05-16-2011 04:29

Thanks alot makeithot. Fortunately for me I have a wonderful who supports me in whatever I do. As far as the never home scene, that's what worries me. I want to be home with the family. We even talked about relocation and she is willing if per say I couldn't get a job close to home now, i.e. Marine Technologies out of Baltimore. A PADI cert? This is why I ask questions. Thanks :lol:

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 05-15-2011 04:33 Edited 05-15-2011 04:40

I am not trying to be a smart a*s, but with no welding or diving experience, what attracts You to this?

Do You have good mechanical skills ? They make You more valuable to employers.

As already mentioned, You are fairly old to be beginning in this field. Before You invest in dive school, lern recreational diving and welding, and be damn sure You love both of them.

I met a former diver/welder/underwater mechanic who started as an auto mechanic who dove for fun. He went to dive school and worked several diver/welder/under water mechanic jobs and then worked for Ontario Hydro at a nuke power plant. This was not under water, but working in a radiation suit is a lot like working in a dry diving suit. I mention this as it is another rout You might consider at some point.

I am not a real diver, perhaps not even much of a welder, but I have done some underwater work, not even far under. Everything is harder under water, even if it isn't really cold water, and even if You have some visibility. DON'T DROP ANYTHING, You will never find it.

By J Kidd

Date 05-16-2011 04:38

No offense taken Dave. I have been interested in the underwater world for a very long time. Maybe I'm too late on this? As for the welding aspect, is that a requirement for all underwater professions? I don't want to be an underwater welder. I'm waiting on the packet from the school to see what all is available and go from there. From what I read on the Academy website there are alot of different jobs. And yes I do have good mechanical skills. I have worked around machines most of my life be it manual mills, CNC, small heavy equipment, etc... I appreciate any response and won't take offense to anyone. That's why I am asking questions :grin:

I think I even read something about nuclear on the site also.

Thanks Dave. I appreciate the response

By Len Andersen (***)

Date 05-16-2011 18:35

J / Ladies and Gentlemen:
You show up with a dive school diploma at 34 married with four children for underwater work my first thought is insurance at double or more than the 25 year old. My second thought is you injured or dead and the concern is out of business. I have an extensive underwater welding background how be it not current being a graduate of a marine diving school http://natpoly.edu Wilmington California and worked in the management of the company with world's largest diving contract with world largest oil producing company. As a career move, I would suggest giving it thought. Look in the newspaper or other help wanted places and count the number of fits for welders and/or welding technicians compared to marine divers. A hundred to one away from marine diving is a guess. You might spend time contacting marine diving concerns and see their response to you looking for the work. The work is seasonal. If you put ten thousand on the course, do the course you have a shot at New York area dock builder diving work. I am part of LU 1456. As foreman again you would not be my top pick for diving. Personally I did underwater welding, invented underwater technology ( sticks ) resulting in five patent, went through 20 -30 wet welders on one job and was deemed an expert in underwater welding by the IIW ( International Institute of Welding ) and had fun with it. I hope this is helpful.
Sincerely
Len Andersen www.lenandersen.com
212-839-6599, 4042 FAX / 914-237-7689 (H) / 914-536-7101 (Mobil)
www.lenandersen.com
PS- Leave locker room words for bars. We might have our wifes or children looking at this site to get us work!

By bIGwIRE Date 05-17-2011 21:38

Hey J Kidd,
I don't work under water, but I do Scuba dive on my off time. I have the padi open water basic and advanced and I took an ice/cave diving course.
As others have said, try for those certs first. They are pretty cheap and don't require too much of a commitment. That way you can see if you are even cut out for diving. I know quite a few guys who would love to dive, and look more than able to, but their ears just won't equalize at depth. I had trouble myself untill I got my tonsils out. Just saying sometimes its not an "in shape" thing, maybe your body just won't like the pressure. Better to find out on a weekend dive course than at an expensive school.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck to you.

By SlowStart Date 05-18-2011 02:07

J Kidd, as a former employee of Marine Technologies, PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THEM. They are the most half-assed organization I've ever dealt with. They hire a ton of divers right out of school, pay them next to nothing, they rarely dive, and are mostly used as labor. They will work you for a few days and sit you home for a few weeks. The final straw for me was when I worked 20 hours in 3 weeks.

I'm not saying diving isn't something cool to get into, but I'd hate to see someone spend that much on dive school, and never be able to pay it off. And with you having kids, etc you NEED to get the pay. The guys I worked with were all pretty easy going and good workers, but not one of them wanted to be there. One guy was planning on going in the navy, another guy forgot diving altogether and started remodeling houses. They hired a crane operator and laid him off as soon as the job was done.

I can't speak for other dive companies, but Marine Tech is NOT the way to go.