Help a diver out guys

Member Joined: Feb 02, 2011

Gents,

The short story is, back in 08 i was pulled into a large propeller of a ship by my umbilical. I am suffering now physically, and as it was a big ass propeller, mentally too!

So i am done as a diver, tried to carry on, but its not working out.
I am now weighing up my options to continue offshore and the way i see it, i have the following.
LST
ROV.
Thats it! I am not wanting to be a diver supervisor. I have 13 years as a diver, but i cant see myself doing this.

So, if i was to do my ROV course, would the fact i have no electronics, hydraulics, background be an issue?

1) what would be my obstacles in terms of qualifications.?
2) Is the industry currently robust enough, for one more?
3) Where is the best course, not the cheapest, but one where i might actually learn something?

Member Joined: Jun 28, 2007

DO NOT WASTE ANY MONEY ON A ROV COURSE!!!!!!!!

If I was you, I'd stick with something in the diving industry for now. Go the LST route and use the money that you would've spent on the stupid ROV course to do either a hydraulic our electronic course (better yet if you can do both).

Once you have the hydraulic and or electronic cert's, then you can start knocking on the doors of ROV companies. Industry is rather slow at the moment, so hopefully by the time you are done with the courses it has picked up again.

The only time anybody should do the ROV course is either when it is paid by the company you work for or if the ROV school will only ask for payment once you have secured a regular job as a ROV Pilot. And even then it should be payable in installments.

As you know the diving game and probably have long established diving industry contacts already I'd say take the LST route.

Member Joined: Feb 02, 2011

LST would certainly be a viable option.
Though i was looking at ROV in terms of being a little more future proof.

Its getting deeper, and diving has its limits.
Just thinking, that while the industry may be quiet-ish now, it will out last and perform the diving in the not to distant future.

I agree about the course, same as the diving one, including the sat course, but while it might be a joke, it is requested from what i see these days.

Member Joined: Dec 17, 2003 Location: Thailand

t20569,

There's also data recording / party chief side of the industry (they are now making more than ROV people!!!)

Member Joined: Feb 09, 2010

Hope you don’t mind me been straight but polite with you?

There’s not many foke on here that would encourage a none tech diver to get in to ROV. Generally they don’t have the best rep (But there are exceptions.) It’s preferred to have a technical guy you can train operationally rather than the other way round. After all you wouldn’t want to be in sat with a dive tech with no technical experience.
If I was in your shoes, do you have any inspection tickets? I ask with a view to moving towards a 3.4u position. Your experience would serve you well. And I would rather use any money for courses on that rather than ROV courses which are regarded as a bit of a laughing stock if you have no tech background.
3.4U is not very technical apart from the IT side of things or strenuous and subsea experience is worth its weight in gold especially the old fields that get inspected every year which where designed for diver installation ect. A good 3.4U can be on well over the £400 day rate with the guys I’ve worked with from various agencies.

Hope this is some food for thought. And the best of luck my friend.

Member Joined: Dec 17, 2003 Location: Thailand

TTL,

Good advice follow up on mine (above). It really should be considered...

Member Joined: Feb 09, 2010

Cheers scotbeve.
Here are so many doing it now and good at it too. Just seems an obvious move to me.

Member Joined: Dec 17, 2003 Location: Thailand

Financially as well... other benefits: no oil in the ears and nose / skin, grease under fingernails, headaches from shyte monitors (well... sometimes 3.2's, 3.3's, and 3.4's get them), and breathing down the necks from some dino reps.!!!

ROVworld Webteam Joined: Dec 26, 2003 Location: Scotland

Quote:

I agree about the course, same as the diving one, including the sat course, but while it might be a joke, it is requested from what i see these days.

Requested where? Adverts for jobs either ask for EXPERIENCED personnel or Trainees. ROV courses do not make you experienced.

Also, remember that the diving industry is much more well regulated and qualifications much more stringent. There is no such thing with ROV, IMCA "Guidelines" are purely that, a guideline.

Note that IMCA do NOT certify anyone, so beware of anyone who says they certify you as an IMCA ROV Pilot etc.

ROVworld Admin Joined: Dec 12, 2003 Location: Portugal

TTLchip wrote:

If I was in your shoes, do you have any inspection tickets? I ask with a view to moving towards a 3.4u position. Your experience would serve you well. And I would rather use any money for courses on that rather than ROV courses which are regarded as a bit of a laughing stock if you have no tech background.
3.4U is not very technical apart from the IT side of things or strenuous and subsea experience is worth its weight in gold especially the old fields that get inspected every year which where designed for diver installation ect.

I agree with TTLchip...the 3.4u inspection road would be a good way forward. When you take the course, the certificate actually means something, down side is you have to do a renewal exam every 5 years.

So, if you are happy to work with PC's all day then it's not a bad number. Most of the jobs the data is collected via an inspection package, COABIS, AIM, VisualSoft, or one of the company home grown versions...there is the occasional 'writing by hand' job when the client has no inspection software specified.

Or if that is no appealing then go for the LST option.

Hope this helps...

I think the ROV schools would have you think that a course is required, but that's understandable, it's also not a legal requirement as in say HSE certs for divers. The trouble is there is no evidence that anyone having completed an ROV course is any more use, or desirable to an employer, than someone that hasn't.

I'm an ex sat diver but had a good few years if mechanical apprenticeship and on the job experience behind me before switching over to ROV's.

No-one with neither Mech or Elec training/experience should be looking at taking an ROV course or trying to get into ROV's for no other reason than the job requirements do not match their experience. IN the broader concept this isn't new to ROV's.. it's a long standing land/sea based requirement for all types of technical vocations.

I suggest you'd be better looking at using your contacts in the diving game to get into LST and then on to LSS. With CSWIP you still need to be pretty computer savvy to get by as a CSWIP 3.4 inspection person. CSWIP is not everyone's cup of tea either.. but with LST for sure you already know the in's and outs of that side of things and would settle in far more readily that ROV.

BTW.. the industry is a long way off replacing divers with ROV's. In the late 80's I remember hearing that one... here we are in 2011 still locking plenty of divers out of the bell!

Member Joined: May 22, 2006 Location: scotland UK

Further to the above comments, ROV work is not just sitting on your ass flying a vehicle about. A good majority of the work is carried out on the back deck or the hangar doing very physical tasks. This may be a further challenge to someone with physical limitations. Just a thought...

Member Joined: Jul 09, 2005 Location: The World

Inspection cert is a good one, the ROV course one is no good, as the majority of the guys of the courses do not get jobs in the industry. Another path to give serious thought to is down the HSE path, having been hands on diver, gives you a good start in the diving HSE world.

I agree that of the two courses, CSWIP 3.4u or ROV course, the CSWIP course will most likely be of more value.