March 09, 2023

What is it like to be a Saturation Diver?

What is it like to be a Saturation Diver?
Saturation diving is one of the most advanced areas to work in for commercial divers. An incredibly demanding job requiring plenty of specialised training, the job of a saturation diver is also very well paid. So here is a run through of what it’s like to be a saturation diver.

Unlike offshore/inland commercial diving, saturation diving operations can last weeks and require the divers to remain at the pressure of the underwater environment. This means the diver will live in a pressurized chamber so they do not have to decompress after every shift.

Saturation divers will work in teams, usually consisting of two to three divers, and will work shifts of six to eight hours before swapping out teams. Their work usually consists of underwater engineering including welding and structure inspections, but can also involve ocean floor exploring.

To become a saturation diver, you must first be a certified professional commercial diver. You will also need years of professional diving experience, as well as experience working in mixed-gas diving.

The divers will live in the pressurized chamber when they aren’t working. When it gets to their shift, they will move into a diving bell which will transport them down to the depths that they will be working at. This system keeps them pressurized at the same pressure as the environment they are working in.

Once they have finished their operation, usually lasting around 28 days in total, they will go through a decompression process. This stage can vary in length because of the depths they have been working at. In one case, the decompression stage lasted 9 days due to working at depths of 210 meters.

SMP manufacture and distribute commercial diving and saturation diving equipment. We are able to deliver small systems all the way up to complete saturation diving projects, manufacturing decompression chambers and saturation diving bells inhouse. We are authorised distributors for all of the major brands in the commercial diving industry including Kirby Morgan, C-Tecnics, Stanley hydraulic tools, and more.

Want to know more about the saturation diving solutions we offer, get in touch with our sales team on +44 (0)1772 687775 or email us at [email protected].