Do professional divers/marine biologists make a lot of money?

Question

can't find any pay guides online...i've lived around ocean my whole life and can't see myself doing any other type of work....i dont need to live the rich life...just a comfortable one

Answer 1

it depends on the assignment. friend of mine never really went broke though it got close sometimes. he eventually won a job with nasa in the weightless tank. the lifestyle seemed more important to him then the money though. he'd been all over the world. really miss that dude! cool mo!......had to cut his butt length hair though for the g-job....bummer....tj, e-mail me if u read this, bro!

Answer 2

I can't speak for marine biologists, but commercial divers can make a decent living. I see in the answer above mine, the person mentioned the NASA tank. Not really commercial diving per se. That job is contracted out to a firm called Oceaneering. Their qualification requirements are just an open water scuba cert, passing a minor military type physical and have the ability to get a security clearance. Nothing fancy. Pay is 20 25- bucks per hour, but it's not exactly a steady gig , since everytime I've checked Oceaneering's website, they're still hiring for it. Good pay rate but short hours is what I heard. A pal of mine worked there last year in between jobs and just for the helluvit.

Pay for commercial diving will depend on your certifications other than your dive ticket. Welding, construction and demolition certs especially. ROV is definitely nice to have, as is chamber operator or medic. The more you have, the more you're worth. Expect to start out, after getting your ticket, as a tender making between 15- 20 bucks an hour. After a year or so, you'll move up or choose another career. An average commercial diver working an "average" gig, will turn about 80 grand per year. Some much more, some much less.

You could even get into golf ball retrieval, if it's legal in your area (it's not in some places). There's actually a certification course for it. There are a few guys in the southern states that make 90 grand per year snagging balls out of water hazards, but you need to do a little haggling with the course owners over the ball proceeds and to make sure you're not poaching someone else's gold mine.

Dive charters also hire divers as guides. You'll need at least your Dive Master for it. The tips alone, depending on location, can be a sole source of comfortable income.

The list just goes on.

In a nut shell, you can make as little or as much as you want.