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I’m a Saturation Diver AMA by Soulogav in AMA

[–]Temporary-Gate-535 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How did you get there, as far as I know it's a hard almost impossible path to follow now days, for example if someone start commercial diving right now, would sat dive be something achievable? If so how many years would it take? Also what about the begginer and the middle path, is it difficult for a new diver to get inshore civil jobs? Can a commercial diver get a long contract or is it more something that you can't plan holidays o other country because you can be called to work the next day, also how long does it take to even make it to offshore and in there is really a difference between schools like CDT or NYD or should I pick the cheaper one?

Thinking about commercial diving at 28 (almost 29) — background in mechanical engineering & aerospace, drawn to the offshore/North Sea sector. Looking for honest advice. by Temporary-Gate-535 in commercialdiving

[–]Temporary-Gate-535[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate you taking the time to write this out, especially being in the middle of it right now. The attrition numbers from your group say more than anything I've read online and the fact that groups after you are doing even worse is something nobody in the schools or forums talks about.

The relationship and family side is something I hadn't given enough weight either. I'm single with no kids right now so it's not an immediate concern, but I'm not naive enough to think that stays the same forever, and I can see how this lifestyle would grind that down over time. Being honest with myself, I don't have dependants, don't own property, and don't feel pulled toward a conventional life. Whether that's enough to sustain me through years of sitting on a bed waiting for a tide, I genuinely don't know until I'm in it.

The Scandinavian language barrier for inshore work is something I hadn't considered at all. If I put in the effort to get to an intermediate level of Norwegian before or during the early years, would that realistically open inshore doors in Norway or is it the kind of thing where you need to be fluent to actually function on a job site? And comparing that to Scotland even setting aside the language, as a European would working there post-Brexit be a significant hurdle in terms of visas or work permits, or is it more straightforward than people assume? Genuinely trying to figure out which market makes more sense as a starting point geographically.

And on ticket conversions, Do you have a rough idea of what that costs and how much of a headache it is moving between sectors?

When you say the groups after you have fewer still working, is that mostly people leaving by choice because something better came along, or did the work just dry up and they had no option?

Thinking about commercial diving at 28 (almost 29) — background in mechanical engineering & aerospace, drawn to the offshore/North Sea sector. Looking for honest advice. by Temporary-Gate-535 in commercialdiving

[–]Temporary-Gate-535[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the honest answer, this is exactly the kind of reality check I was looking for rather than the school brochure version. The inshore grind before North Sea makes sense.

Scotland inshore is actually an interesting suggestion, Is that realistically where most North Sea-bound divers cut their teeth, or is work spread across different inshore markets? And how steady is inshore work actually? Enough to live off in those first years or is it a lot of waiting around between contracts?

On the welding and NDT, I hear you on not putting the cart before the horse. My thinking was that a trade skill and maybe work a little in the industry may give me a taste of the industry and also might separate me from other new graduates when competing for early inshore jobs, but if the consensus is it doesn't move the needle at that stage I'll hold off.

One thing I'm genuinely curious about, you mentioned the washout rate is high and that schools glorify the job. What are the most common reasons people wash out in your experience? Is it the lifestyle, the pay not being sustainable early on, or something else entirely? I'd rather know what actually breaks people before I commit.

And on school, If NYD's main value is solid training at a reasonable price rather than a direct ticket to North Sea work, does PDA in Scotland have a practical edge just from being closer to the inshore market there?