Scuba Jobs – The Coolest Underwater Jobs Out There!

We all have a little crazy diving dream in us right? I know I do, I dream of having my own scuba diving show/documentary where I would show the world the best diving spots, all while being paid to host and travel. I know, a little far-fetched, but a girl can dream right?

Ever thought about making your passion into a career? Imagine throwing away the office life for getting paid to scuba dive all day. Well lucky you, because I have made a list of the coolest scuba diving jobs out there! And ordinary people like you and I can live and make money every day doing what we love! So let’s all dream big together and see what these lucky divers get paid to do!

Underwater Photographer

Who wouldn’t want to dive all day and take photos and videos? Imagine being paid by a big diving magazine like Sport Diver or The Undersea Journal to go to the best diving spots around the world and just take photos? What a dream! A lot of photographers freelance, but the lucky ones get hired as staff photographers for major publications. The Art Career Project states that “aspiring underwater photographers should consider earning a photography degree”. Other avenues include stock photography, selling ones pictures, or even working to take pictures of other divers on resorts or diving operations. 
 
Scientific Research – Underwater Archaeologists

Underwater archaeologists do exactly what their title suggests. Underwater archaeologists carry out research and investigate complex and often unpredictable environments. They study nautical archaeology, as well as historic and prehistoric ships (so cool). Most underwater archaeologists have a masters or doctorate degree in anthropology, and gain experience in a range of disciplines such as oceanography, history, geology and chemistry. These archaeologists generally find employment in academia, state and local governments, and private organizations. What diver wouldn’t want to investigate ship wrecks for a living?

Search & Recovery Diver

I’m sure we have all heard on the good old crime shows “send in the divers”. In Ontario, the team is called the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit (U.S.R.U) through the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). The main focus of the team is to safely carry out underwater search and recovery scenarios to obtain evidence of major crimes (weapons) and recover missing and drowned persons. The team can dive to a depth of 100 ft and use a Side Scan Sonar and/or a remote operated vehicle to get to deeper depths. It is certainly not a job for the faint of heart, but it is an important job nonetheless.

Commercial Diving 

When you think of commercial diving, most think of the massive helmets (still used today). Commercial divers are extremely skilled professionals that often work in very dangerous circumstances, and less than ideal visibility and environments. The different types of commercial diving include offshore (oil and gas industry), inland (inspection/construction of lakes, rivers & dams) and HAZMAT (nuclear power plants, oil spills & toxic salvage). We are lucky enough to live very close to the Seneca College King Campus that offers the Underwater Skills Program for commercial diving.

Diving Instructor/Divemaster Jobs around the World.
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Imagine diving every day, teaching others how to scuba dive and living in paradise. I can’t guarantee you will be rich, but you would be living the dream! As a divemaster/instructor, one’s possibilities are endless and can expand all over the world. We’re talking dive shops, resorts, cruise ships, and liveaboards. Just watching new divers swoon over their first breaths underwater and then being able to share the beauty of the ocean and its marine life with them, makes it all worth it.

Jobs you wouldn’t think of…

What about those unusual scuba jobs that nobody thinks of? Let’s start off with my person favourite, the underwater model. Someone has to model that new diving equipment you have been eyeing, right? Another favourite is the golf ball diver. Yup, that’s right! People are employed to dive for lost golf balls all around the world. And who do you think teaches astronauts about what space will be like? Scuba divers are employed by NASA to prepare them for what it’s like in a neutrally buoyant environment.

The Vegas show “O” (acrobats in water) by Cirque du Soleil, hires scuba divers to ensure the safety of the performers while also handing over regulators and escorting them to their next position. And while on the topic of Vegas, large hotels like Mandalay Bay and the Bellagio are known to hire divers to perform maintenance and help clean the very large fountains and marine exhibits. A few other interesting scuba jobs include aquarium cleaning, as well as being a Hollywood stunt diver. So there are a lot of options out there!

What’s your dream scuba job?

Dream Big & Happy Diving

Dana Lenahan