Dive Training Blogs
What offshore work opportunities are there in commercial diving or as an ROV pilot now?
As one of The Underwater Centre’s Student Advisors, a question I get asked a lot is what offshore work opportunities are there once students have completed their training as a commercial diver or an ROV pilot tech?
The drop in oil prices is obviously delaying investment plans at the moment, particularly in the North Sea; however there are opportunities in other fields outwith the oil and gas industry.
Offshore wind and the renewables sector
The renewables sector is expanding rapidly; 2015 saw the busiest year yet and there are many new offshore windfarm developments taking place right now, for example the Hornsea One Project from DONG Energy, with many others planned. A further 14 wind farms are to be commissioned off the coast of the UK before 2020. The government is aiming for a target of 25% of the UK’s energy to be provided by offshore wind by 2030. Take a look at the articles and offshore work opportunities available in Offshore Wind Energy Today.
Decommissioning and marine salvage
As decommissioning of older oil rigs and platforms in the North Sea continues, the marine salvage industry is going from strength to strength. Read more about current projects on the Decom North Sea website, including Norway’s announcement of the value of their decommissioning market, here.
A recent report from Douglas Westwood also predicts a decommissioning boom; with around 146 platforms being removed from the UKCS during 2019-2026, due to the age of the platforms; read the full article here.
Add to your CV and experience with more skills and tools training
If you are determined and focused to work as a commercial diver or ROV pilot technician you will discover there are more opportunities available to you than the media would lead you to believe.
Ensure the training you complete gives you valuable certificates and provides you with hands on experience in skills such as subsea tools; welding and burning, rigging and slinging, or bolt tensioning, for example. Similarly, as an ROV pilot, certificates such as High Voltage or Working at Height, as well as more specific training, such as Titan 4 Manipulator Training, will all help.
You will find that these additional skills are what employers are looking for.
Current student feedback
Speaking to some of our recent students on our diving and ROV courses gives an indication of the demand from these different industries too. Traditionally our student base was predominantly those attracted to certifications to qualify to seek offshore opportunities in oil and gas; this is changing as we see many discovering work in renewables, marine salvage or harbour developments.
These students are coming to The Underwater Centre to make the most of the new opportunities being presented to them:
- A group of closed bell students all working for a European company. The company are expanding their resources to ensure their staff have the skillset to be capable of decommissioning work in the North Sea. They are seeing demand and contracts for work in this area increasing.
- Some students on our commercial air diving courses are involved in harbour developments in Scottish waters, including at Lerwick Port and the Bantry Harbor Development Project.
- In the renewables sector, we had an interesting student working for a Dutch company which has grown exponentially to meet market demands. The student in question was training to further his skillset by attending our Fibre Optics training module so that he would be competent and confident to work as an ROV Superintendent.
So you can see that commercial divers and ROV pilot technicians don’t need to rely solely on the oil and gas industry.
Lorna MacPherson is one of The Underwater Centre’s Student Advisors. She and her colleagues are more than happy to answer any questions you may have about training just now. Get in touch with Lorna, Ingrid or Maggie if you have any questions about the opportunities available once you’ve completed your training; call +44 1397 703786 or email fortwilliam@theunderwatercentre.com.
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) has recently launched their new Professional Development Excellence Award in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), celebrating PADI Five Star Instructor Development Centers (IDC) that are championing creating more PADI Professionals, at all levels, during the previous calendar year.
“While becoming a PADI Five Star IDC Center is a prized accreditation amongst members, this exclusive rating comes with the responsibility of training the next generation of divers to become PADI Instructors,” explains Dave Murray, Managing Director for PADI EMEA.
“PADI’s commitment to a continuing education philosophy encourages divers to realise their dreams of a career as a PADI Pro, teaching others to do what they love – to scuba dive. This new recognition award distinguishes productive PADI Five Star IDC stores for the time and effort they dedicate to marketing and conducting the professional training needed to grow the scuba diving industry.”
PADI’s EMEA Professional Development Excellence Award recognises members for reaching specific milestones based on the number of PADI Pro certifications they issue annually. It also provides an extra layer of credentials in their “Pro Development Status” to potential Divemaster and IDC candidates, along with any other prospective Pro-level customers and prospective employees.
The first awards were distributed earlier this year, with 12 PADI Five Star IDC Centers receiving the Platinum Award. This means that they have issued a minimum of 100 PADI Professional certifications from Divemaster to IDC Staff Instructor, which include 30 Core Professional certifications and 70 Continuing Education Instructor level certifications.
The 2025 PADI EMEA Professional Development Excellence Award is already underway and renewed PADI EMEA Five Star IDC Dive Centers and Resorts are automatically eligible. Stores that reach the recognition levels during 2024 will receive their award in the first quarter of 2025.
For more information about the award and to see the full list of award recipients visit here.
About PADI
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the largest purpose-driven diving organization with a global network of 6,600 dive centers and resorts, 128,000 professional members, and more than 30 million certified divers to date. Committed to our blue planet, PADI makes the wonder of the underwater world accessible to all, empowering people around the world to experience, explore and take meaningful action, as Ocean TorchbearersTM, to protect the world beneath the surface. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive®, setting the standard for the highest quality dive training, underwater safety and conservation initiatives while evolving the sport of diving into a passionate lifestyle. For divers by divers, PADI is obsessed with transforming lives and, with its global foundation, PADI AWARETM, creating positive ocean change. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.SM www.padi.com
RAID’s Performance Diver program is part of the training agency’s unique ‘tune-up’ options for divers at all levels, from basic to technical. Its appeal to newer divers who did not get all they wanted from their open water course (perhaps with a non-RAID dive centre) has always been strong. But it’s a winning option for someone who has been inactive for a while as well.
The skills taught in this course have been designed by some of the most respected dive professionals in the industry. They have condensed years of in-water experience into a great program that’s fuelled by great ideas and solid knowledge. Something useful in all sorts of conditions and all sorts of gear configurations. In short, a range of skills you will use on every dive: buoyancy, trim, situational awareness, gear selection and management, contingency planning… having fun and staying safe.
You can find out more about RAID’s Performance Diver program here.
And with the agency’s renewed focus in 2024 on breath-hold programs, July is a good time to read about the benefits of RAID’s range of Freediving courses.
Freediving is such an exhilarating and beautiful sport that allows you to connect with the underwater world in a unique way.
The thrill of diving deep down, holding your breath, and exploring the depths with just a single breath is truly an unforgettable experience.
It requires focus, control, and a deep respect for the ocean. The sense of freedom and tranquility you can find while freediving is unlike any other.
Have you ever tried freediving or are you interested in learning more about it? You do not have to be a scuba diver to start… not at all!
And if you are already a diver, RAID can help you discover a whole new way to look at a familiar world.
You can find out more about RAID’s Freediving courses here.
To find out more about RAID and the agency’s diver training programs, visit diveraid.com.
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