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The use of SCUBA equipment in commercial diving operations
Are there any situations or work tasks that require the use of SCUBA equipment instead of the surface supplied air for commercial diving operations?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by George Patterson on
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we sometimes do revetment inspections along islands that can run to 3km long its shallow water and conditions are normally great scuba is definately the option
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Permalink Reply by Luke Martin on
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much agreed.. shallow water suff covering a large transect (Straight line distance).
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Permalink Reply by Fish_food on
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Lipa, we are not here to do or answer your homework assignments lol
Some jobs you can do on scuba but safetywise it's always good to have an alternative airsource. Our company policy says "officially" no but there are exeptions. It's no biggie to take out an umbillical and a bandmask or hat. Then again when we get called out to do a prop clearing job somewhere in a yachtharbour where we can't take the truck and can't be asked to take a mobile unit. We just put on the bailout and hat and in we go (sort of the same thing) Meanwhile hoping nobody sees us lol. Last time I went in on scuba was a 10min job. Drilling a few h***s in 2m depth at an indoor fishfarm. In the end it's the supervisors call if the job can be done on scuba or not. I'm not a big fan but if conditions are safe and everbody in the team is ok with it, why not.
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Permalink Reply by steve henshaw on
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i use my 18 in much the same way on a tin but with comms box and life line.
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All true Dale, like I said, I'm not a big fan (now) and I admit I did some pretty stupid things before on scuba. When I just started out in civils I did an inspection on a blocked bowthruster of a dredgeship, on scuba (no comms, no lifeline, 12l tank). When I realised I didn't fit thru the grill, I took my set off underwater and pushed it thru. Now that was fkn stupid!
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Permalink Reply by Lipa Davor on
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I will attend dive school by the end of this year....I wonder why some commercial diving schools take an entire month of training for the SCUBA part if is almost never used on site...I think it would be enough to have a recreational SCUBA ticket or have shorter training for this part. To me, it looks like a waste of time and money....
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Do some more research dude... Professional scuba cannot be compared with recreational scuba. Firefighters, policedivers, archaeologists, marine biologists, oceanographers and inspection engineers do this course in order to become professionals. This course teaches you various things like ropesignals, inwater comms, search patterns, USN tables, diving with the AGA mask, diving physics, safety etc It goes a lot further than your basic PADI cert. This course is mandatory because it prepares you for the next step and that is "Surface supplied". I'm still convinced commercial diver training is too short and too expensive. Some courses schools offer are indeed not really necessary to start out as a diver/tender but basic training is mandatory.
Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by A.. Parnell on
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SCUBA=SOME COME UP BARELY ALIVE
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Permalink Reply by Martin Morris on
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Anyone who does a job on SCUBA is cheapening the profession. I have not seen one job in almost 30 years that could not be done properly and safetly with the proper surface supplied gear. If you are too weak, lazy, or cheap to buy and use the proper gear then get out of the business. Every time you use SCUBA to do a job you are proving to the client just how stupid you are and that we do not deserve to be paid properly for our skills and equipment. Also you are setting a precident for the future that will contribute to someone getting killed. Really p***** me off that this subject is even on a "COMMERCIAL" divers website forum.
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Permalink Reply by Will on
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I am on the fence with this one, I mean I know what martin means and where you are coming from mate but again at the same time, there are jobs I have done where I though f***in hell this would have been done on scuba by now. Here is an example!
Last summer we had to reattach a cable to a pump in 8 ft of water for the water supply at a sawmill. It was like 28 degress out, so pretty hot!
Now they wanted to haul this thing out and realized that the cable was no longer disconnected and they went out in a boat and could see down to it that it had just come off its clip! So they called us and we went out there. Now our boss was a Hardcore anti scuba guy so it was a SS job. The road leading too the divesite was washed out so we could only bring the trucks and trailer within 700 ft of the site and had to haul everything else over there, it was over and bumpy some what muddy somewhat grassy feild then over 2 sets of train tracks and then through some bush. It took about 2 hours to haul the compressor, 2nd air source, hats, dive station etc... all that s***, the compressor and 2nd air source took almost an hour with much cussing and swearing. Then the Workers compensation board safety guys show up for the second time in 3 days and with new recruits so we had to walk them through all our gear and safety protocols and s*** like that F***!!! That took 2-3 hours as well, alright screw it we stoppd for a quick lunch and then got suited up. Total dive time...... 9 minutes..... and then another 2 hours undressing tearing everything down and hauling it back becuase this time the s*** was all up hill and the last bit before the trucks was about a 25 ft gravel bank we had to scamper up with all the s*** (trust me when I say it was the only way possible)
I just though wow this would have been a 30 minute job on scuba, we get paid for a full day regardless and we sure had to work one!
I think for someone to do a scuba comm job it has to be great vis, no lifting or hoisting where you would need comms. But to swim 200 ft of pipe and inspect it or something like that in 20 ft of water I think scuba is great, becuase although I love being in the hats I like the freedom you have on the scuba.
I think though someone who is doin a SCUBA job should be an avid scuba diver or have quite a bit of experience and be comfortable on it. Like Dale said you gotta be able to deal with the What If's!!!
I dont mind going in on scuba if its not overly dangerous and I have a straight shallow shot to the surface. However someone who has never done scuba or only a handfull of dives years back shouldnt go in on it even if they are an exeperienced hat dver. I think use the right dive technique for the job, I sure wish we had scuba that day!
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Right gear for the right job. Ok lets take this several steps forward. You are selling a diving service that gets paid for hrs of you being there. If you jump in there and do it in 10 mins the customer can feel jipped. If you do it in scuba the customer will think well what did I hire these pros for what appears like a quick and simple job. If you go in on scuba for what seems like a quick and simple job your still risking your and others life. Its hard to win but you need to keep safety first, preception of your profession at a high level so it equals you getting the pay you are getting. If customers like some scuba divers just think they can get away with doing the job cheaper you still lose and so does the rest of the industry.
I personally can tell you that when I interface with scuba divers weather at a dive club meeting,resort, or where ever I do not discuss commercial diving why ? because if somewhere in a conversation or preception these f heads just think they can get in on the commercial action and do it and or do it cheaper and that commercial dive job is gone with the wind pal. Gone like no more cause that f head will try and get it. Many many many a good man has died using scuba and has found out the hard way when it was way too late as he was pinned,sucked into, caught up on, or just ran out of air with no topside communication of a hose to get pulled out with that scuba is a very very limited piece of gear. The value of using a dive hat with communications, air hose, safety line can be the diffrence of life or death. Professionalism and safety still count and thats why they look to us professionals to do it and pay us accordingly. Its not a race to the bottom of the financial barrel to see who can do it deeper and cheaper. Dive safe and stay thirsty my friends.
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Dale, we had to hump it bro because like I said there were 2 sets of train tracks that we had to go over a couple trains ripped past in the time there so we couldnt even put up little ramps, and on the other side the little feild was sorta muddy and then we had to offroad into the brush a little bit so a little cart I dont think would have done it. We did though have a wheelbarrow that we moved umbillicals and hats in though!
Like I said im on the fence with this one, I mean the safety of SS is just a no argument situation, its just heaps safer. I mean I have never been offshore but I cant imagine scuba in that environment.
Im just saying that I have done a few inshore gigs where I thought scuba was just a bit more practical at the time.
I do agree though with Ace in the professionalism though, it just looks more pro when the diver is going in with a hat on and rocking coms, then with a everyday scuba rig on and then sending him a check for 7000 or something for the job. Yeah no question there.
And again Ace is right in the sense of "say you could do it cheaper on scuba" and save the client some money, but at the same time you would be nickle and dimeing the comm diving trade. So give them a good service, with good equpiment for a good price.
I just feel there are some cases when I step back and think what would be more practical, well sometimes.....
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