An underwater welding salary is generally much higher than the salary of an average welder. In general, welders work in almost every industry. It is hot and sweaty work, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of them make between $12 and $16 an hour. The highest paid people in this industry make over $23 per hour. People who are willing to work underwater, on the other hand, make anywhere from $80,000 to $200,000 a year. At a forty hour a week job, these wages are the equivalent of $40 to $100 per hour.
Wet Underwater Welding Versus Dry Underwater Welding
People who want to earn an underwater welding salary must learn how to weld and dive. Then, they have to do one of two types of welding. They either do wet underwater welding or dry or hyperbaric welding. Wet welders use a type of welding process that uses waterproof electrodes. Typically, the only work on low carbon equivalent steels. Many other materials cannot rely on this type of welding as they can be cracked in the process. The types of welding that wet welders use are as follows:
- Shielded metal arc welding
- Flux-colored arc welding
- Friction welding
Hyperbaric welding can also be done to earn an underwater welding salary. In this type of welding, workers weld in a pressure chamber that is filled with a gas mixture. The chamber is sealed around the worker and the structure that needs welding. Most types of welding can be used in this type of environment. However, the most common type that is used is Gas Tungsten Arc Welding. Most people who work in the field of hyperbaric welding will remain in their pressurized tank for up to a month. It takes so long to depressurize that it only makes sense to stay in their pressured state. However, they are lifted in and out of the water in the tank.
Risks That Must Be Endured to Earn an Underwater Welding Salary
One of the most common risks that underwater welders face is that of electric shock. The companies that employ these workers try to minimize this risk. They minimize it by insulating the equipment and making sure that it has been efficiently adapted to an underwater environment.
The other risks are ones associated with diving in general. For instance, they risk getting decompression sicknesses. After long periods of time in the water, they also may suffer from cognitive or musculosketal effects that may become long term. Some divers have claimed that they have even tasted metal in their mouths while pressurize. Many experts believe that this taste was dental fillings breaking down in their mouths.
People who enjoy welding and are not afraid of a risky intense job may enjoy underwater welding. It can be a high pressure environment both literally and figuratively. However, the relatively high underwater welding salary makes this job worth it for most of the people who are interested in pursuing work in this field.