Saturation Diver Experience from the Female Perspective
Female Saturation Diver
Read about what it's like to be a female saturation diver.
Steven P. Hughes
I was 24 and living in Vieques, Puerto Rico, when I overheard Navy divers in a bar talking about $100,000-a-year incomes. I had no idea what commercial diving was, but I went ahead and signed up for a course with Ocean Corporation.
On day one, the school owner gave a speech: “You are going to be cold, wet and tired, traveling hours to get to work. Some of you will last five minutes. Some will be lifers.” I thought, What the hell have I gotten myself into?
But I stayed, finding my way to become a saturation diver. That’s where the money is. The deepest site I’ve clocked in at was 450 feet, which means living for 30 days in a sat chamber at roughly 430 feet.
I lasted 14 years in this business because there was nothing I wouldn’t knock myself out to get done. I’m 5-foot-3 and 125 pounds, so, yeah, there are tricks involved. We breathe a helium-oxygen mix, so most of the time, everyone sounds like Mickey Mouse on the radio. I learned to talk slowly and deeply — I call it putting on my “man voice.” I’ve tied air-filled milk jugs to impact wrenches to of set the weight. I also learned that you tie a rope to that same wrench because, guess what happens if you let go?
As for living at depth, no, I can’t tell you most of those stories on the record. One prank I can share: I let the air out of a supervisor’s car tires at the docks after he filled my toolbox with minnows on a job. But that was in good fun. For the most part, you keep your cool. Because, man, did it feel good to work alongside these guys, earning their respect. Never in a million years did I think I would be a lifer, and I’m still here.
Interested in more?
Read more here on commercial diving and Ocean Corporation training.
Check out these tips on How to Dive at Night Safely.
See if your fave destination made the list: 10 Best Scuba Diving Destinations for Beginners.
Steven P. HughesRead about what it's like to be a female saturation diver.
I was 24 and living in Vieques, Puerto Rico, when I overheard Navy divers in a bar talking about $100,000-a-year incomes. I had no idea what commercial diving was, but I went ahead and signed up for a course with Ocean Corporation.
On day one, the school owner gave a speech: “You are going to be cold, wet and tired, traveling hours to get to work. Some of you will last five minutes. Some will be lifers.” I thought, What the hell have I gotten myself into?
But I stayed, finding my way to become a saturation diver. That’s where the money is. The deepest site I’ve clocked in at was 450 feet, which means living for 30 days in a sat chamber at roughly 430 feet.
I lasted 14 years in this business because there was nothing I wouldn’t knock myself out to get done. I’m 5-foot-3 and 125 pounds, so, yeah, there are tricks involved. We breathe a helium-oxygen mix, so most of the time, everyone sounds like Mickey Mouse on the radio. I learned to talk slowly and deeply — I call it putting on my “man voice.” I’ve tied air-filled milk jugs to impact wrenches to of set the weight. I also learned that you tie a rope to that same wrench because, guess what happens if you let go?
As for living at depth, no, I can’t tell you most of those stories on the record. One prank I can share: I let the air out of a supervisor’s car tires at the docks after he filled my toolbox with minnows on a job. But that was in good fun. For the most part, you keep your cool. Because, man, did it feel good to work alongside these guys, earning their respect. Never in a million years did I think I would be a lifer, and I’m still here.
Interested in more?
Read more here on commercial diving and Ocean Corporation training.
Check out these tips on How to Dive at Night Safely.
See if your fave destination made the list: 10 Best Scuba Diving Destinations for Beginners.
