What is underwater Welding?

Underwater welding is a type of welding that literally takes place under water and involves such jobs as maintaining pipelines, repairing oil platforms, working on bridges and working on ships, to name a few. Arc welding is the most common form of welding used underwater. The job opportunities for people with these skills are numerous and if you have this training, finding a job will not be a problem.

Variety of training programs
Look for underwater welding schools with various training programs. This is because as a welder, you will be required to work in various conditions. For instance, you might get a contract to work in an underwater oil pipeline in the arctic and then immediately after get contracts in companies laying a fiber optic cable in the tropics.

These will be two different jobs that will require different skills. Gravitate towards a welding school that has different modules every semester.

Real life training
Under water welding is a job that requires extensive real life training. It is a job wrought with many risks. The only way to gain proficiency is spending as much time under water as you do in class. Your welding certification will be more attractive if boosted by a lot of training. When looking for a welding school, make sure that they are closely affiliated with companies that use welders in their day to day activities.

Well-equipped and adequate staff
A person looking into how to become a welder should look for a school that is very well equipped. Underwater welders use specialized equipment on a daily basis and it is important to get a school that offers sufficient training in using them.

There are a few professions where practical application is imperative. Under water welding is one of them. Find schools with more than enough scuba gear, underwater torches etc. In that same respect, look for a school that has enough highly skilled and experienced teachers.

Teachers that have worked in the field will be able to change the learning material according to what happens in real life.

Reputation
A person should look into getting his welding certification from a school with a very good reputation. There are underwater welding schools that have an unshakable reputation because of high quality teaching, a world renowned alumni, a variety of expertise and a student body that performs will in the course and in real life.

Going through such a school increases the chances of having a fruitful career in major companies around the globe. Finally, a person must also visit many underwater welding schools.

It is one thing to see a brochure but another thing entirely to visit the campus. A person should assess the quality of the equipment, the student body and everything else that is important when getting a welding certification.

 

Underwater Welding Schools List

Hydroweld, USA
Attn: Admin and Inquires Dept.
114 Dockside Circle
Weston, Florida 33327
United States
Tel: 954-385-5678
Website: www.hydroweld.com
E-mail: info@hydroweldusa.com
Contact person: Rebecca Peters

Hydroweld USA has a new training facility in Miami, Florida. There are Hydroweld facilities in the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Korea, China but the only that offer training at this time are the UK and the USA facilities. Training is either in Florida or Thailand.

The training courses last 10 days and train professional divers up to the standard to qualify for the following certifications:

Welder Performance Qualification to AWS D3.6-93 Specification for underwater welding to the class B welds.

Divers Institute of Technology
4315 11th Avenue NW
P.O. Box 70667
Seattle, WA 98107
United States
Tel: 206-783-5542
Toll free: 800-964-4234
Fax: 206783-2658
Website: www.diversinstitute.com/
You can be ready and qualified to work anywhere in the world in 7 months. The following certifications are able to be obtained after completing the 900 hour program:
Kirby Morgan Hat Operator Certification; National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI); API Rigger; Chevron USA API 2D (RP2D) (REV-6) Certification; Job Safety Analysis (JSA) certificate; NAUI Open Water SCUBA Certification; Hazardous Waste Materials (HazMat) 80-hour OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 and WAC 40-hour HAZWOPPER Certification; Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Unrestricted Surface Supplied Air Diver Certification, issued by the Divers Certification Board of Canada (DCBC); First Aid, CPR, Oxygen provider, A.E.D. and Blood Pathogens Certification; Association of Dive Contractors International (ADCI) Entry Level Tender/Diver Certification

Holland College, Georgetown Centre
117 Ken Street
Georgetown
Prince Edward Island
Canada
C0A 1L0
Tel: 902-652-2055
Toll free: 800-446-5265
Fax: 902-652-2424
Website: www.hollandcollege.com
Contact Person: Tawna MacLeod
This Canadian based college program is 9 months in duration, and awards a Certificate and Unrestricted Surface Supplied Diver. Must have an open water scuba diving certificate to gain admittance to this program.

Commercial Diving Academy (ACDE Accredited)
8137 Main Street
Jacksonville, FL 32208
United States
Tel: 904-766-7736
Fax: 904-766-7764
Toll Free: 888-974-2232
Website: www.commercialdivingacademy.com
Commercial Diving Academy in Jacksonville, Florida is the only United States school that offers an internationally recognized underwater welding training. They are associated with Specialty Welds Limited, UK. The underwater welding program is advanced training that is part of the Air/Mixed Gas Commercial Diver Program.
Upon completion of the program, graduates would be able to have the following Certifications:
AWS Entry Level Welder Certification Card, AWS Certificate of Completion-Certified AWS Entry Level Welder, Certificate of successful completion of Topside Welding for Commercial Divers and Certificate of successful completion of Underwater Welding from CDA; name added to nationally searchable AWS database,

National Polytechnic College of Engineering and Oceaneering
FKA College of Oceaneering
272 South Fries Ave
Wilmington, CA 90744
United States
Toll Free: 800-432-DIVE
Tel: 310-834-2501
Fax: 310-834-7132
Website: www.natpoly.edu

Upon completion of this 8 month long course, students will be able to get the following Certifications:

Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE) Card; Basic Life Support (BLS) /cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Card; Forklift and Crane Safety Operations Certificate; Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) Card; Diver Medic Technician (DMT) Card(only allowed for the diver medic technician students)

Seneca College
Attn: Underwater Skills Department
13990 Dufferin St., King City
Ontario, Canada
L7B 1B3
Tel: 416-491-5050 ext. 5022
Tel: 905-833-3333 ext. 5020
Fax: 905-833-1760
Website: www.senecac.on.ca/fulltime/UWS.html
This program is 35 weeks in duration and students are awarded an Ontario College Certificate and will be qualified to do many jobs in this underwater skills field of construction and salvage work.

Divers Academy International (ACDE Accredited)
Lakeside Business Park
1500 Liberty Place
Erial, NJ 08081
United States
Toll free: 800-238-3483
Tel: 856-404-6100
Website: www.diversacademy.com
This program is a 20 week program that provides the student with a fully accredited certification in the following:
DAN Oxygen Provider Card; HAZWOPER 40 hour Hazardous Site Worker Training; American Petroleum Institute RP2D Rigger Qualification; NDT Magnetic Particle and Die Penetrant Certification; Commercial Diving Program Diploma; Red Cross First Aid and CPR Cards; KMDSI Hat Inspector Certification; ANSI/ACDE 01-2009 Commercial Diver Certification Car

Santa Barbara City College (ACDE Accredited)
Atten: Marine Technological Program
721 Cliff Drive
Santa Barbara, California 93109
United States
Tollfree:800-965-0581 ext.2429/2427
Fax: 805-963-7222
Website: www.sbcc.edu/marinediving/website/
This 32 week, 2 semester program gives students full certifications from both the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Association of Diving Contractors (ADC) in commercial diving.

The Ocean Corporation (ACDE Accredited)
10840 Rockley Road
Houston, TX 77099
United States
Toll free: 800-321-0298
Tel: 281-530-0202
Fax: 713-530-9143
Website: www.oceancorp.com
In less than 8 months, students can get fully certified and will get indepth in–depth training skills for surface and underwater welding and cutting, and mixed gas and saturation diving.

International Diving Institute
1400 Pier Side Street,
Bldg 190, Suite C
North Charleston, SC 29405
Tel: 843-740-1124
Toll free: 1-888-SAT-DIVE
Website: http://www.internationaldivinginstitute.com/

The 640 hour program awards the students ADCI certification upon graduation. This certification is accepted internationally, so graduates will be able to gain employment anywhere in the world.