Underwater welding is performed while the welder is submerged, often at elevated barometric pressures. This introduces a variety of challenges that require specialized skills and training that are taught at CDA Technical Institute (formerly Commercial Diving Academy). Because of the adverse conditions and inherent dangers associated with underwater welding (also known as wet welding) divers must be trained to an exceptionally rigorous standard with highly specialized instruction.
Wet Welding
Welding underwater can be acheived by two methods: wet welding & dry welding. Wet welding entails the diver to perform the weld directly in the water. It involves using a specially designed welding rod, and employs a similar process used in ordinary welding. Here are advantages to wet welding:
- Cheap and fast
- high tensile strength
- ease of access to weld spot
- no habitat
- no construction
Dry Welding / Hyperbaric Welding
Another method of welding underwater is hyperbaric welding or dry welding. Hyperbaric welding is the process by which a chamber is sealed around the structure that is to be welded. It is then filled with a gas (typically mixture of helium and oxygen, or argon), which then forces the water outside of the hyperbaric sphere. This allows for a dry environment in which to perform the weld. Here are some advantages to dry welding:
- welder / diver safety
- higher weld quality
- surface monitoring
- non-destructive testing
Underwater Welding AWS Certification
At CDA, students may earn an underwater welding certification, under AWS standards D3.6. The underwater welding qualification meets a strict standard and is only achieved by the most dedicated students. It requires successful completion of the practical portion of both the Top-side and the Underwater Welding course and recognizes Underwater Welding Qualifications for Class C fillet weld to AWS D3.6M.
Comprehensive Training
Our commercial diver training goes beyond underwater welding and our graduates are proficient in many other useful skills from underwater salvage, pipeline construction and repair, rigging, the operations of underwater tools (jack-hammers, hydraulic drills and chainsaws). These skills and certifications go beyond the required training and are a part of The CDA Advantage. They make graduates from CDA Technical Institute Air/Mixed Gas Commercial Diver Program a top choice for Diving Companies. Click here for more information on CDA’s curriculum and comprehensive commercial diving program.
Individuals interested in a career in underwater welding should know that this specific task represents only 5 to 10% of the duties a commercial diver will be expected to perform and is not a stand-alone career. This is why CDA is committed to providing comprehensive training in all aspects of commercial diving. It is worth noting that CDA is the only school that is owned and operated by an active commercial diver and underwater welder! Founder Captain Ray Black has been an underwater welder since 1989 and has worked worldwide.
CDA prides itself on having a team of instructors with years of diving experience, international training and a combined military service of almost 200 years. CDA Technical Institute is the only fully accredited dive school in the United States of America, owned and operated by an active Commercial Diver and Underwater Welder. Capt. Black’s diving resume includes underwater welding throughout the world; in the deep seas off the coast of Singapore and Malaysia, Peru, Brazil, South Africa, Aberdeen Scotland (North Sea), and Israel (see video for footage of this dive).
Reference:
https://www.commercialdivingacademy.com/underwater-welding.cms
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