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Offshore
The term offshore refers to the fact that the work takes place on vessels and platforms in the open ocean or Offshore throughout the globe. The offshore industry is very challenging, diverse and exciting. The major part of this work is accomplished in support of the oil and gas industry, but also includes major salvage operations and subsea construction. Some of the busiest waters in the world can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, the North Sea, Southeast Asia and West Africa. The DCBC certification allows DIT grads to travel and work around the globe. Divers are tasked with maintenance, repair installation and removal of abandoned oil related structures and salvage operations. Skills employed to complete this work include rigging, underwater welding and burning, using hydraulic tools sets including guillotine and diamond wire saws. Many of these dives are done in conjunction with underwater robotics called Remotely Controlled Vehicles (ROVs).
Inland
Divers can be tasked with underwater construction, in-water inspections including the use of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) procedures, pier and pile installation and repair, ship’s husbandry, and dam and bridge work. Often working in remote locations, inland divers have to be able to improvise and use all their skills to complete a given job. Low visibility, high currents, and travel all are part of the inland diver’s world. The inland sector requires a “Can Do” attitude.
Hazmat
HAZMAT diving is highly technical, requires special equipment, and is all about maintaining control in highly hazardous environments such as nuclear and hydrodynamic plants, industrial plants, and chemical manufacturing areas, really anywhere that involves bio-hazards underwater. Divers are often tasked with the containment, clean up, and disposal of hazardous materials. HAZMAT requires an array of specialized diving equipment that seals the diver’s body completely from waterborne elements.
Salvage
Salvage diving presents several unique challenges. Divers salvage ships and their cargos, aircraft and other vehicles and structures that have fallen or sunk in the water. Sometimes the goal of a salvage job is to pull out tools or structures that are still valuable. Other times the goal of a salvage job is to remove objects or structures that could be environmentally intrusive. Two of the most important salvages from this century are the USS Hunley, a Civil War submarine that carried out the first successful underwater attack in Charleston, SC Harbor, and the re-floating of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Isoola del Giglio, Italy.
Saturation
Saturation (SAT) diving work is a small community of experienced divers who have a significant amount of SAT-specific training. SAT divers are pre-pressurized in specialized decompression chambers that double as living facilities equipped with bunks, dining areas, and bathrooms. SAT divers are lowered to the jobsite in a pressurized diving bell that then brings them back to their living chamber. Saturation diving is used primarily in the offshore sector, particularly in deeper waters, as in the case of the Russian Submarine Kursk. Most individuals become eligible for SAT consideration after working several years into their diving career.
