If you’re a certified diver looking to turn your passion into a career, you’re probably wondering: “What are the highest paying diving jobs?” Well, you’ve come to the right place.
After extensively researching commercial diver salaries, job roles, and income potential, I’ve uncovered some eye-opening info about the most lucrative diving jobs out there.
Let’s start with an overview of commercial diving careers and salaries before we dive into (pun intended) the highest paying roles.
The Typical Commercial Diver Salary Range
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual commercial diver salary in the U.S. is $49,600. But that’s just an average across all commercial diving jobs.
The income range for commercial divers is massive. PayScale reports salaries as low as $30k on the low end and over $90k on the high end. Why such a big gap?
Well, there are many different diving specialties and job types in the commercial diving industry. Each has its own salary and income potential based on factors like:
- Required skills and certifications
- Offshore vs. inland/inshore roles
- Job complexity and risk
- Work experience and seniority
- Company type (government, commercial, scientific, etc.)
The Most Common Commercial Diving Jobs
Before we get into the highest paid roles, let’s quickly go over some of the most common commercial diving jobs:
- Offshore Oil & Gas Diver: Inspecting, maintaining, and repairing offshore oil rigs and pipelines (median salary around $54k)
- Underwater Construction Diver: Building and repairing bridges, dams, harbors, etc. (median salary around $43k)
- Inland Industrial Diver: Inspecting and repairing equipment at power plants, dams, lakes (median salary around $45k)
- Marine Construction Diver: Working on projects like harbor construction and beach nourishment (median salary around $51k)
- Scientific Research Diver: Assisting scientists with oceanic research and exploration (median salary around $42k)
- Underwater Photographer/Videographer: Filming videos and taking photos underwater for companies and video productions (pay varies widely based on client work)
As you can see, some of the most common jobs are in the $40k-$50k median salary range. Not bad, but definitely not on the ultra high-end for divers.
That said, there’s a big difference in salary potential between entry-level roles and experienced/specialized positions.
So what are the highest paying commercial diving jobs out there?
(One quick note before we dive in (last one, I promise). Throughout this article, I’ll pepper in real-world examples, salary stats, and income breakdowns to bring everything to life. There’s nothing worse than a boring list of job titles and numbers.)
The 5 Highest Paying Diving Jobs
#1: Offshore Saturation Diver
Being an offshore saturation diver is hands down the highest paying diving job in the world. With salaries north of $90k-$200k per year and up to $1,000 a day, these underwater construction workers are the elite of the commercial diving world.
Why do they get paid so much? Well, it’s one of the most challenging and dangerous diving jobs out there.
Saturation divers work in special pressurized chambers and live in a highly-pressurized state for weeks or even months at a time. This compression and decompression process allows them to work at extreme depths on underwater oil rigs and pipelines.
For example, a recently retired saturation diver in the Gulf of Mexico made around $630,000 in a single year working 28 days per month. During one of his saturation stints, he worked consecutively for 3 months, living under pressurized conditions the whole time.
The job is physically and mentally grueling. Commercial divers working as saturation divers typically only have 10-20 year careers due to the extreme strain and danger involved.
2: Inland/Onshore Diver
Next up is inland commercial diving. This includes onshore roles like:
- Civil engineering work and construction in harbors/ports
- Dam and lock inspections
- Hydroelectric power plant maintenance
- Nuclear power plant inspections and repairs
- Underwater welding and burning for salvage teams or ship repair crews
As with offshore divers, inland commercial divers with specialized skills can pull in very high salaries.
For example, the lead diver on a major hydroelectric power plant overhaul project made $104k base salary with an average of $30k in overtime pay. On top of that were per diems, travel pay, and other compensation that brought his total annual income to $178,000.
According to a veteran inland/onshore commercial diver in his 50s, the key to making top dollar is avoiding working for huge commercial diving companies. He says those companies pay $28-$30 per hour before taxes. The real money comes from working for small subcontractors who get contracted for specialized civil engineering and infrastructure jobs.
#3: Submarine Pilot
Extremely rare, but one of the highest paid diving jobs in the world is working as a submarine pilot or “NavOp.” Submarine pilots transport crews and supplies to offshore oil rigs and underwater construction sites. Others work on submarines doing underwater filming and exploration.
According to research from Certification Board International, inc, salaries for submarine pilots start around $100k and can go up to $200k+ per year for experienced operators. Even better? Since they work offshore, their salaries are tax-free while at sea.
For example, a North Sea saturation diver who was contracted as a submarine pilot made between $130k-$250K per year salary depending on the length of his offshore hitch.
According to the diver: “I was paid something like $1,200 per day and $12,500 per month, tax-free. Sometimes I worked 6 weeks on, other times it was 5 months on-hire paid the whole time.”
#4: Military/Navy Diving Jobs
If working for the government interests you, some of the highest paying commercial diving jobs are in the military and navy.
For example, according to one commercial diver and military veteran, Master Diver pay grades in the U.S. Navy can climb into the high five-figures per year when accounting for bonuses and hazard pay. E-9 Master Divers in the U.S. Navy top out around $90,000 base salary alone.
However, adds the diver: “The true salary is much greater than the base pay when you include tax free hazardous duty incentive pay, sea pay, diving pay, submarine pay, imminent danger pay, etc.”
Other high-paid military diving roles that can lead to six-figure incomes include:
- Dive Instructors (Officers)
- Underwater Construction Teams
- Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Techs
- Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Divers
- Nuclear Diving Officers
#5: Freelance Commercial Diver
One final path to a high-paying commercial diving career? Go the freelance route.
Similar to freelance videographers, commercial divers can make extremely high per-project rates. This is especially true if they specialize in high-risk, technical jobs that most companies won’t touch with a permanent staff diver.
For example, according to one freelance commercial diving inspector, he makes around $1,000 per day on most contracted jobs. Some specialized projects pay $3,000-$5,000 per day.
In his own words: “I only go out on contract about 150-180 days per year. Some years I have made as much as $500,000. Other years just over $300k.”
The downside? No guaranteed stable income and no benefits. The inconsistent workload and lack of security isn’t for everyone.
But for freelancers willing to travel for projects, specialize in technical diving, and selectively take on the highest paying contracts, making $300k+ per year as a commercial diver is very doable.
Commercial Diving: A High Risk, High Reward Career After that deep dive into the salary stats and income potential for the highest paying diving jobs, one thing is clear:
Working as a commercial diver — especially in one of the more elite, high-risk specialties — can lead to an extremely lucrative career.
That said, with that potential for high pay comes high risk and demanding working conditions.
Offshore oil rig work, saturation diving, submarine piloting, and other technical diving roles aren’t for the faint of heart.
If you’re up for the challenge, getting the proper commercial diving certifications, specializations, and experience can set you up for a very rewarding (and high paying) career under the sea.