Underwater Welding is an integral component of any Commercial Diver Program and is taught at a multitude of educational facilities across the United States. An article about the best underwater welding schools sound fascinating, right? From California to Florida, and in many states in between, Underwater Welding Schools offer comprehensive curriculums that are rigorously intense and feature short-term education modules that are fast-paced and packed with a range of thrilling real-world diving experiences.
In today’s modern times, commercial diving is a highly competitive industry, with employers at the most highly sought-after companies looking for divers who are intensely adept and possess a plethora of competitive skills appropriate for a range of underwater situations.
Employers within the underwater construction industry are seeking workers who aren’t limited to diving within familiar environments such as in quarries, pools, or tanks but rather workers who are well acclimated with deep sea commercial diving, nondestructive testing, underwater welding, cutting, burning, operating ROVs, and more.
Absolutely perfect for those looking to switch professions or those with a love for the water, underwater welding is ideal for people who work well with their hands, desire an in-demand profession, and eschew the typical nine-to-five workday.
Fortunately, the vast array of underwater welding schools in the United States offer a range of credentials and degrees at an assortment of price points. For the budget conscious student looking for a world-class diving education, Santa Barbara City College offers credentialing in addition to an AS degree for those looking for a more comprehensive education option. Fantastically priced, many divers-in-training flock to Santa Barbara City College to obtain their driver’s education at a price that is distinctly cheaper than many of their counterparts.
In contrast, students looking for a premier diving education can opt to attend a school such as CDA Technical Institute. Nationally recognized as the leading diving school in the United States, CDS Technical Institute is the only accredited commercial diving school in the Southeastern United States, in addition to holding the distinction as producing the most skilled and employable divers onto the underwater welding market.
Our informative primer on the best underwater welding schools in the United States savers schools by region and conveniently charts their locations, pricing, and relevant certifications for your perusal.
| Read on below to get started on taking the next step in your underwater welding endeavors! |
Top Underwater Welding Schools by Region
West Coast
| School Name | State |
| Santa Barbara City College | California |
| National University Polytechnic Institute | California |
| Divers Institute of Technology | Washington |
Mid-West
| School Name | State |
| The Ocean Corporation | Texas |
| Minnesota Commercial Diver Training Center | Minnesota |
| South Central Louisiana Technical College | Louisiana |
| Commercial Divers International | Arizona |
East Coast
| School Name | State |
| International Diving Institute | South Carolina |
| Hydroweld USA | Florida |
| Divers Academy International | New Jersey |
| CDA Technical Institute | Florida |
List of Top Underwater Welding Schools
Santa Barbara City College
Widely considered to be the most value-driven underwater welding curriculum within the state of California, Santa Barbara City College Marine Diving Technology program is fast-paced, consisting of two semesters of technician-training education.
Students desiring increased hiring and earning power and a more solid educational background can elect for an Associate in Science degree requiring just two additional semesters of schooling.
Located in incomparably beautiful Santa Barbara, California, SBCC Marine Technology Program consists of an unparalleled combination of value, affordability, and geographic beauty while providing a top-rated commercial underwater welding education that is widely respected throughout the industry.
| Cost | $46 per unit – $3107 total cost |
| Program Length | 32 weeks |
| Program Location | Santa Barbara, California |
| Certification/Degree | Commercial Diving Certification |
| Special Considerations | Most affordable program available in California |
| Accreditation | Meets ANS & ACDE-01-2009 Commercial Diver Training Minimum Standard via OSHA
Accredited by the Divers Certification Board of Canada (DCBC)
Accredited by the International Dive Schools Association (IDSA) |
| Website | http://www.sbcc.edu |
| Phone Number | (805) 965-0581 ext 2426 |
National University Polytechnic Institute
National University Polytechnic Institute’s Commercial Diving Program has long been reputed to be amongst the best available in the nation. With a wide range of classes, certifications, and learning environments available, students can opt for an interest-driven curriculum that is packed full of training opportunities in the most realistic of diving environments.
National University Polytechnic Institute’s state of the art diving program features high-tech equipment, a modern facility, and the latest technology along with a broad selection of exciting off-site diving environments to afford students a multifaceted educational experience that simply cannot be elsewhere.
Located in beautiful San Diego, California, students will enjoy a cutting-edge educational module while residing in one of the most enviably gorgeous cities within the state of California to ultimately obtain a certificate that is widely recognized throughout the commercial diving industry as one of the best.
| Cost | $15,136 total cost |
| Program Length | Eight months |
| Program Location | San Diego, California |
| Certification/Degree | Commercial Diving Certificate plus a diverse array of other available certificates |
| Special Considerations | Highly diverse educational concentration offerings to reflect individual interest and need |
| Accreditation | Accredited by the Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE)
Accredited by the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) |
| Website | [email protected] |
| Phone Number | 1-(800) 432-3483 |
CDA Technical Institute
CDA Technical Institute is internationally recognized as the premier driving school within the United States.
Formerly referred to as Commercial Diving Academy, CDA Technical Institute commands the position as the singularly accredited commercial diving school in the Southeast region of the country.
Experts within the diving industry regularly cite CDA’s comprehensive and incomparably rigorous twenty-week program as the driving force behind producing the best, most adept, and most well-informed divers able to take on the most intense of professional projects.
| Cost | $23,500 total cost |
| Program Length | Twenty weeks |
| Program Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Certification/Degree | Underwater Welding AWS Certification |
| Special Considerations | Considered to be the premier driving school in the United States.
Offers more globally recognized certifications than any other comparable diving training program |
| Accreditation | Many national and international accreditations |
| Website | https://www.commercialdivingacademy.com |
| Phone Number | 1-904-766-7736 |
Commercial Divers International
Commercial Divers International’s all-new ultramodern program combines industry-recognized expertise along with a veteran military presence to provide a world-class diving education complete with training in physiology, diving medicine, welding, and more.
Striving to provide the kind of experience, training, and education that job site owners and operators desire from their employees, Commercial Divers International uniquely tailors their curriculum to prepare students to be among the most hireable, highly skilled employees ready to take on a variety of real-world jobs and situations.
CDI’s comprehensive commercial diver training program spans just twenty-eight weeks and is packed full of open water training and controlled environment experiences to arm students with expert knowledge and a diversified diving background
With a unique focus on skill development and multi-environment training, CDI strives to produce students with experiences ranging from construction, offshore drilling, commercial fishing, underwater welding, and many more career paths.
| Cost | $17,500 |
| Program Length | Seven months |
| Program Location | Goodyear, Arizona |
| Certification/Degree | Underwater Welding Course Certificate – (AWS D 3.6M-Class C Standard) |
| Special Considerations | Arizona’s only underwater welding and surface-supplied training institution – Founded by industry experts |
| Accreditation | American National Standards Institute (ANSI) |
| Website | https://divecdi.com |
| Phone Number | (623) 882-3483 |
Commercial Diving Technologies
Offering the highest level of international commercial diving certification, Commercial Diving Technologies enjoys DCBC accreditation and concurrent recognition by the International Marine Contractors Association. DCBC certification enables graduates to pursue employment opportunities across the globe, including the United States.
With the international recognition afforded to DCBC certificate holders, they are thus able to enjoy limitless underwater welding employment opportunities, with an added bonus of being certified to maximum on-air diving depths of one hundred and sixty-five feet.
Located in sunny Hudson, Florida, Commercial Diving Technologies provides a world-class diving education with a curriculum developed by expert instructors with over a combined hundred years in diving and underwater experience.
| Cost | $17,000 |
| Program Length | Twenty weeks |
| Program Location | Hudson, Florida |
| Certification/Degree | NDCBC un-restricted Surface Supplied Diver Certification |
| Special Considerations | Curriculum developed by an assemblage of professionals with over a combined century in commercial diving experience |
| Accreditation | Accredited by the Diver Certification Board of Canada |
| Website | http://cdtdiving.com |
| Phone Number | 1-(352) 209 1234 |
Divers Academy International
At Divers Academy International, they urge their students to “aim high and dive deep.” Operating for over four decades, DAI is a leading provider of commercial diving education, offering a diverse multidisciplinary curriculum including but not limited to offshore diving, inland training, underwater welding, remotely operated underwater vehicle training and non-destructive (NDT) training.
Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, in addition to multiple national diving and technical organizations, Divers Academy International continues to be a top choice for students looking for a comprehensive, multifaceted diving education that prepares them for a multitude of job and professional opportunities.
| Cost | $23,400 |
| Program Length | Twenty weeks |
| Program Location | Erial, New Jersey |
| Certification/Degree | ANSI/ACDE and DCBC diving certifications
Commercial Deep-Sea Diving and Underwater Welding certificate |
| Special Considerations | Full-immersion training approach and methodology stands apart from other schools by providing immensely valuable on-the-job experience to make students instantly hireable |
| Accreditation | Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) |
| Website | https://www.diversacademy.edu |
| Phone Number | 1-800-238-DIVE |
Diver’s School of Technology
Veteran owned and operated, Divers Institute of Technology (DIT) enjoys the status as being among the first dive schools in the United States to offer internationally-recognized certification.
Training students from across the world since 1968, DIT has been heralded as a “World Class” organization by Underwater Magazine. With their widely-respected status as pioneers and experts within the diving field, DIT has been able to establish an unprecedented job placement rate of over 88%.
Much of ITs renowned education is due to the immense military veteran presence in their program. Just over half of DITs instructor base are former military with a significant depth and breadth of expert diving experience and training.
DIT students enjoy a multi-discipline training full of exciting opportunities such as open-water welding, burning, and rigging, in addition to diving to depths as far as 165 feet.
| Cost | $25,900 |
| Program Length | Seven months |
| Program Location | Seattle, Washington |
| Certification/Degree | Various Commercial Diving certifications available |
| Special Considerations | Among the oldest dive schools in the United States offering international certification |
| Accreditation | Internationally accredited |
| Website | www.diversinstitute.edu |
| Phone Number | 1-800-634-8377 |
National University Polytechnic Institute
Hydroweld educational offerings are highly specialized, with a focus on underwater welding training. Available only to divers who already possess diving certification and experience, Hydroweld is a short-term program offering additional education for those students seeking underwater welding-specific credentials.
With an overarching goal to provide students with underwater welding experience that meets the standards imposed by AWS, Hydroweld ‘s divers will be exposed to a multitude of underwater environments throughout their welding training, including dives into a 36,000-gallon water tank and a range of hyperbaric welding chambers.
International students can contact any of the Hydroweld offices located throughout the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, China, and the Netherlands.
| Cost | $4,995 |
| Program Length | Eight to Nine Days |
| Program Location | Weston, Florida |
| Certification/Degree | Wet and Dry Welding Certification |
| Special Considerations | Requires prior diving certifications |
| Accreditation | Varies throughout the globe |
| Website | http://hydroweld.com |
| Phone Number | 1-(305) 573 8222 |
International Diving Institute
International Diving Institute is the only school with a concurrent Lloyds Register and AWS WPQ D3.6:2010 Class B certification. The program offers an additional option to receive advanced underwater welding training, in addition to offering a vast selection of courses including but not limited to the history of diving, physics, safety and inspection, and medical applications.
Training takes place at the Old Charleston Naval Base in South Carolina – a locale abundant with rich sights such as vintage ships and majestically tall cranes, along with plenty of naval history. With training taking place side by side with commercial divers and within a “Wet Tank” triplex and assortment of mobile dive stations, students will receive a distinctly realistic diving experience with plenty of training modules offering the most highly sought-after certifications in a multitude of underwater industries.
| Cost | $17,000 |
| Program Length | Sixteen weeks |
| Program Location | Charleston, South Carolina |
| Certification/Degree | Commercial Diving Certification
Optional Advanced Underwater Welding Certification |
| Special Considerations | The only school with a concurrent Lloyds Register and AWS WPQ D3.6:2010 Class B certification |
| Accreditation | Diver Certification Board of Canada |
| Website | http://www.idicharleston.edu |
| Phone Number | 1-(843)-740-1124 |
South Central Louisiana Technical College
Located in the beautiful South Eastern United States, South Central Louisiana Technical College offers a highly affordable option for students looking for a quality commercial dive training program featuring a broad curriculum, reputable certification, and plenty of real-world professional experience.
At South Central Louisiana Technical College’s campus, instructors focus on providing top-quality education to their students to make them highly employable within the diving industry. By teaching in a variety of exciting, highly realistic underwater environments, students are able to obtain a wealth of relevant expertise, readying them to join the ranks of the best national companies.
Before applying, students are required to procure a SCUBA certification as a necessary prerequisite for the challenging hands-on training that awaits them and to augment their individual skillsets.
With its relatively bargain pricing, South Central Louisiana Technical College’s Underwater Diving Program is an essential component to any diving repertoire and can add a high degree of marketability to any professional portfolio and/or resume.
For divers who already possess their SCUBA certification, adding on the underwater welding component can result in a near-instant boost in hireability with far-reaching implications in terms of becoming vastly more attractive to underwater construction companies across the globe.
| Cost | $1,576.60 |
| Program Length | Twenty-two weeks |
| Program Location | Morgan City, Louisiana |
| Certification/Degree | Certificate of Technical Studies |
| Special Considerations | Incoming students must already possess a SCUBA certification |
| Accreditation | Accredited by the Council on Occupational Education |
| Website | http://www.scl.edu |
| Phone Number | 1-(985) 380-2957 |
The Ocean Corporation
In business since 1969, The Ocean Corporation has tasked itself with providing a world-class diving education for its students via rigorously intense training modules that create expert divers that are immediately hireable by the most sought-after companies in the Commercial Diving and Nondestructive Testing industries.
Since its inception in the late sixties, The Ocean Corporation has distinguished itself as an organization with unmatched expertise and trailblazing experience.
Among its innovations is its founding of the National Association of Diver Medical Technicians, pioneering the early use of surface welding as a standard for dive training missions, and becoming the only commercial diving school within the United States to become a fully accredited member of International Diving Schools Association.
First of its kind among many of their diving school counterparts, The Ocean Corporation is the esteemed recipient of a wealth of accolades, awards, and industry-wide recognition.
For a world-class education that is highly-recognizable by every major diving and marine company on the globe, The Ocean Corporation is truly one of a kind in its pioneering and innovative approach to ensuring students become highly-esteemed divers who are capable of expertly handling an assortment of subsea environments with ease and skill.
| Cost | $20,800 |
| Program Length | Houston, Texas |
| Program Location | Twenty-two weeks |
| Certification/Degree | NDT and UDT certifications |
| Special Considerations | In-depth job placement assistance program with sought-after national companies |
| Accreditation | Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
Approved by the Texas Workforce Commission
|
| Website | www.oceancorp.com |
| Phone Number | 1-(800) 321-0298 |
With educational options priced at just over one thousand to well over twenty thousand dollars, the market for commercial underwater welding is booming with viable choices for aspiring student divers.
A multitude of geographic locales features diving schools in nearly every corner of the United States. From California to Florida and in many states in between, diving school applicants can choose to further their education in the region of their preference, with many schools offering a vast array of price points perfect for every budget and individual need.
Specialized schools are also available for students looking to diversify their professional background in distinct areas. Today’s divers must be veritable jack-of-all trades types of employees well-versed in not only commercial underwater diving but also in underwater and inland construction, research, and repair knowledge.
Specialty curriculum exists in areas such as nondestructive testing, remotely operated vehicle operation, inland training, and opportunities for learning medical applications, safety and more to provide students the ability to custom tailor their educational portfolio to meet the needs of a bustling underwater welding market with ultra-competitive employee needs.
Highly informative websites such as weldinghelmetpros.com can help guide aspiring divers through the sometimes confusing process of jump-starting their underwater welding careers. Considerations such as prerequisites, prospective pay, and obtaining post-educational employment with sought-after employers are topics that are widely discussed on our site.
We pride ourselves on providing a multitude of in-depth information geared towards making the process of obtaining your underwater welding credentials an easy, painless process so that you are able to “dive” into your education and find gainful employment with reputable companies in a quick and efficient manner.
We also cover additional topics of interest including but not limited to apprenticeships, online education, admissions costs to schools, and relevant certification tests and preparation.
From start to finish, we endeavor to be your go-to site for all things welding and guide you through the process to becoming a highly paid underwater welder with a distinctly competitive resume desirable to the best companies in the industry. Use our find a school feature if you still can’t find one.