Daily Express - 28/7/2005 - Taking the plunge can be deeply rewarding
Interview by Andrea Watson
The offshore industry offers the opportunity to change career at a more mature age. Ian Chandler was 40 when he trained for the profession and has no regrets
What’s the main difference between commercial and leisure diving?
Basically, getting paid for underwater work, whether it’s maintenance, inspection or police work. Leisure diving does what it says on the tin. It’s just a bit of fun
When did you choose this profession?
Relatively recently. I started in 2000 when I had just turned 40. You don’t need to be that young to start. I was the oldest person in my training group at The Underwater Centre. I feel my age and experience has helped me progress. Before this, I worked in the steel industry for many years.
Did your background play a part?
No, I don’t think so. There are commercial divers from all sorts of countries and cultures. It’s a really mixed bag. Life rarely gets dull because you meet so many different characters, some stranger than others.
What is a typical day like?
It very much depends on what kind of work you are doing. Generally you work 24-hour shifts, running from 12 to 12 then someone else takes the night shift. You get up at 9.30am on the barge, have a good breakfast, then go on to deck to help the night shift divers prepare for handover.
We then have a ‘tool box’ meeting where we are briefed by the diver operators for the job ahead. This will include information on how long we will be underwater, potential hazards, the work we need to undertake, these kind of things.
After the briefing we put on our divesuits and are lowered in a wet bell (like a small cage) to 150 feet. We are breathing air pumped from the surface. Because of the depths involved we can work at the bottom for a maximum of 15 minutes only.
We are then slowly hauled to the surface and then sent to a decompression chamber to get rid of the nitrogen in our blood. After our dive we then take on the role of the surface crew, helping the other divers.
How much does fitness and age play a part?
The average age of a commercial diver in the North Sea is 47, so age isn’t that important. However, 50 is definitely the end of the line. Breathing mixed gasses or air at depth does put stresses on the body, especially if you have a weak heart.
Fitness is very important. The helmet weighs nearly 30lbs and it’s considered ‘super light’! Also, many of the jobs underwater are manual labour and anything done underwater takes more effort than on the surface.
What qualifications do you need?
No academic qualifications are required – quite a few people come from youth training schemes, but most re-train from other careers. To be employed as a commercial diver you obviously have to have commercial diving qualifications.
You start with your HSE part one commercial air diver course, and with this you can do a number of ‘tool skills, depending on what job you want to do. This can range from underwater inspection to welding. You also need to have a manual skill set to work underwater. The big money-making step is to become a closed bell mixed-gas diver. This enables you to dive to far greater depths – up to 300 metres – and work on bigger jobs. The £1,000-a-day earners are all mixed-gas divers.
Is it easy to find work?
At first it can be quite tricky. You have to build up a reputation and experience and have a fair amount of luck. You must also show a lot of commitment.
Many divers start with inshore work, working on fish farms or in ports. Once you have built up your experience and qualifications, you can approach a big employer and work offshore. This is where the big money can be made. It’s also down to your availability. You have to be ready to get up and go anywhere, no questions asked. Being close to an airport or train station helps. In the offshore industry it’s also down to the price of oil. The higher the price, the more work there is, therefore more opportunities for divers.
What are the pay and perks like?
The chance to travel the world and the time off. Most divers work six months on, six months off, so you have plenty of time to play golf or follow other pursuits. Most starters earn in the region of £100 s day.
Do you get travel?
Absolutely and to many countries. In the three I have been a qualified diver I have travelled to 10 countries including Egypt, Malaysia, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Many divers take a bit of time off after their job to take in the sights.
If you had your time again, what would be different?
I would have trained as a diver 20 years go. I love this career and only wish I hadn’t discovered it so late. The problem is so few people know about commercial diving because there is a lack of information available. My careers teacher certainly didn’t tell me about it back in the 1970s.
What is your most remarkable achievement?
I think it was my first mixed-gas dive down to 135 metres-it made me proud that I had achieved my dream. I thought to myself, ‘only’ a year or so ago I was sitting in a taxi and now I’m at 400 feet as a deep sea diver.’ It shows that change is up to the individual, and anyone with the right attitude can do it.
What is the worst job you have ever done?
Cleaning up sump at a steelworks – you are up to your waist in black sludge and dead rats, sucking it all up with a suction pump.
For information on training to become a commercial diver, see www.theunderwatercentre.c.uk
Interview by ANDREA WATSON