Commercial Diver
Energy & Utilities
Work below surface of water, using surface-supplied air or scuba equipment to inspect, repair, remove, or install equipment and structures. May use a variety of power and hand tools, such as drills, sledgehammers, torches, and welding equipment. May conduct tests or experiments, rig explosives, or photograph structures or marine life.
You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
- 2Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
- 3Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.
- 4Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.
- 5Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.
- 6Supervise or train other divers, including hobby divers.
- 7Inspect the condition of underwater steel or wood structures.
- 8Inspect and test docks, ships, buoyage systems, plant intakes or outflows, or underwater pipelines, cables, or sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.
- 9Repair ships, bridge foundations, or other structures below the water line, using caulk, bolts, and hand tools.
- 10Recover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects.
- 11Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, or related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.
- 12Take test samples or photographs to assess the condition of vessels or structures.
- 13Cut and weld steel, using underwater welding equipment, jigs, and supports.
- 14Install, inspect, clean, or repair piping or valves.
- 15Carry out non-destructive testing, such as tests for cracks on the legs of oil rigs at sea.
- 16Install pilings or footings for piers or bridges.
- 17Salvage wrecked ships or their cargo, using pneumatic power velocity and hydraulic tools and explosive charges, when necessary.
- 18Perform offshore oil or gas exploration or extraction duties, such as conducting underwater surveys or repairing and maintaining drilling rigs or platforms.
- 19Remove obstructions from strainers or marine railway or launching ways, using pneumatic or power hand tools.
- 20Set or guide placement of pilings or sandbags to provide support for structures, such as docks, bridges, cofferdams, or platforms.
- 21Perform activities related to underwater search and rescue, salvage, recovery, or cleanup operations.
- 22Drill holes in rock and rig explosives for underwater demolitions.
- 23Remove rubbish or pollution from the sea.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- Diver
- Tender
- Plongeur
- Divemaster
- Navy Diver
- Skin Diver
- Dive Tender
- Route Diver
- Scuba Diver
- Diver Tender
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
Typical entry
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
5
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Mechanical81%
Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)
- Building and Construction75%
Civil Engineering StudiesEngineering DrawingDesign & Technology (RBT)
- Physics71%
Physics
- Customer and Personal Service64%
- Mathematics63%
Additional MathematicsMathematics
- Public Safety and Security63%
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Leading or coordinating othersVery high
- Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
- Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
- Noisy environmentEvery day
- Time spent sittingA little
- Time spent standingMost of the time
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
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About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Commercial Divers
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org