
When you hear the term commercial diving, what comes to your mind? Generally, it refers to the underwater work that involves inspection, testing, maintenance, repairs, and construction. They are also responsible for assessing the environmental water conditions and setting strict compliance to promote marine life.
There are two divisions for this kind of job namely inland and offshore diving. These two concepts vary in the degree of the workload and challenges that a diver encounter. To understand these duties further, let’s tackle them both, shall we?
What is inland diving?
The inland divers work in a wide range of routine tasks. In most cases, they regularly perform tank inspections and cleaning. They performed this duty every two to five years and they require to work in groups to finish the industrial underwater project. They are also responsible for doing dredging operations, bridge inspections, water intake maintenance, and more.
There is no need to live on a vessel to finish the workload. The inland divers have a better quality of life than the offshore divers. In contrast with the offshore divers, these experts work closely with engineering projects. They assist in building dams and bridges.
What is offshore diving?
As the name suggests, the offshore divers work mostly away from the mainland. They provide a vital role in the energy industry such as installing or repairing underwater pipelines, perform rig maintenance, vessel repair, salvage work, underwater ship, welding work, and other duties common to an inland diver.
To finish the duty, an offshore diver needs to spend overnight on the site on vessels or platforms for about four to six weeks. Typically, these experts usually work for gas and oil companies with offshore operations. Aside from exploration and maintain oil reserves, they also participate in building an underwater structure for gas and oil production.
What are the roles of the commercial divers?
Commercial divers offer services for underwater construction, environmental services, and deep-sea exploration. Usually, their duties depend mainly on the nature and industry of the company. Some are working under marine and aquatic sectors, gas and oil companies, underwater engineering jobs, cruise ship operators, and more. Generally, their scope of work is enumerated as follows:
- Underwater inspection
- Underwater welding, construction, rehabilitation, repairs, maintenance, and demolition
- Water industry projects
- Remote operation vehicle services
- Piling and Asset Rehabilitation
- Deep diving
- Ecological monitoring
- Habitat mapping and bathymetry
- Sediment analysis
- Installing underwater camera and video systems
- Invasive pest surveys, control, and maintenance
- Scientific diving
- Marine project management
- Site surveys
- Pipeline repairs and maintenance
- Removal of Marine Growth and Implement Biosecurity
- Water tank inspections and cleaning
You can hire a commercial diving Melbourne expert to help you with the underwater operations of the business. These individuals have certifications and underwent rigorous training to gain enough knowledge and experience. To determine if the institution and divers are legit and professional, you can check their accreditation from the Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme (ADAS).
If you’re interested to know the opportunities for commercial diving jobs, you can also apply for courses and training programs. Some people want to leave the 9 am to 5 pm office job and they look for work that provides the learning, adventure, and enjoyment as well. In the next context, we will discuss what are the prerequisites and considerations before studying commercial diving.
How to become a commercial diver?
In a diving industry, there are three types of divers namely scuba, surface supplied breathing apparatus, and closed bell. You can acquire certifications not only in ADAS but also in various institutions including IMCA, HSE, INPP, DCBD, ADCI, and more. Some certificates can be applied internationally, but some can only be used in your local region.
- Before you consider a commercial diver course, you need to consider these factors first:
- You must be 18 years old
- You must hold a certificate related to recreational diving
- You must be able to swim competently
- You need to have a first-aid certificate
- You need to be highly skilled in oxygen administration or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- You must be confident in exploring the deep and hostile environment

If you have these skillsets and the right mindset, you can consider commercial diving.
The Conclusion: Will you consider an inland or offshore diver?
Some industry-specific companies hire commercial divers to help them manage their underwater projects. You can employ an inland or offshore diver depending on your budget, nature of the industry, and scope of work services needed. Although these two experts have something in common however, they also have distinct skillsets and knowledge.
On the other hand, if you prefer to learn commercial diving, you just need to meet the requirements and other considerations first. Once you have all the prerequisites done, you need to acquire the certificate to become an official diver. After that, you can explore which job suits you better either as inland or offshore diver.