Commercial Diving Tools: Part One

You’re interested in becoming a commercial diver. You’ve already read up on the basic equipment you’ll be using like helmets, wetsuits, gloves, and boots, but what about the bigger, heavier equipment like power tools? It might surprise you to learn that there are underwater versions for many of the power tools you might already be familiar with. Commercial divers perform a wide range of functions in their many differing career paths and so utilize a wide range of tools along the way. Join us in part one of our Commercial Diving Tools Series where we’ll introduce you to the drills, wrenches, grinders, and even chain saws that commercial divers rely on every day. Let’s dive in!

Much like standard tools have different types of power sources (hand, pneumatic, corded, and battery), underwater tools have their own types of power variations. Hydraulics tools rely on fluid power, are bulky and the most powerful, Pneumatic tools use gas, like compressed air, to operate and tend to be less powerful, and with recent advances in technology, you can now in some cases choose battery-powered equipment which is lightweight and convenient but also the least powerful of the three options.  

Just like their above water analogs, these tools are a staple on the job site. Underwater impact drivers use the rotational force of standard drills and add bursts of impacts like a hammer drill to install or remove any shank-styled fasteners in underwater environments. These tools are used across the board but can be more frequently seen in salvage, repair, and offshore commercial diving.

Angle grinders utilize high torque and high speed to rotate a small disc to cut, grind, polish, sharpen, and clean a wide variety of metals and stones. They can also be outfitted to clean, buff, and polish unkempt structures or remove unwanted debris from marine vessels. These tools are also frequently used for jobs like cutting chains, trimming various pipeline fittings, and more. Although salvage, rescue, offshore and inland divers may use these tools more frequently, most fields of commercial diving utilize these tools fairly frequently in some capacity or another.

These tools apply short bursts of powerful twisting and pushing motions. Whether it be a lug nut put on too tightly or a rusted-on, stripped-out bolt, impact wrenches help bring additional, reliable force and grip to the most important or problematic of hex-shaped fasteners. Like impact drivers, underwater impact wrenches are used across most fields of commercial diving.

Some saws only cut when moving in one direction. These conveniently lightweight saws cut anytime their blades are in motion making them extremely efficient. They can be adjusted to angle anywhere from 45 to 90 degrees and the depth of cut can also be adjusted. This versatility gives it a clear advantage when precise cuts need to be made in small spaces. Blades are interchangeable and allow commercial divers to cut many natural and man-made materials found in a wide range of underwater environments. When made for use in commercial diving, these tools are typically hydraulic and play a critical role in repair, salvage, and infrastructure work.

Commercial divers use this powerful motor-driven spinning chain of saw blades to cut through the hardest of underwater mediums. Dense wood, concrete, brick, and steel are a few of the many materials that require the use of one of the most powerful pieces of personal underwater equipment. The use of underwater chainsaws comes in a variety of underwater environments with variable degrees of visibility. While these tools are the most eye-catching and alluring for many prospective commercial divers, it’s important to understand that it is imperative to utilize proper safety and handling when required to use these for long periods in potentially low visibility environments. Inland, salvage, and offshore commercial divers use these most frequently, while rescue and public safety may use them in their own capacities as well.

When faced daily with exciting, new, and challenging tasks in such a fast-growing career field, it’s important that commercial divers are well educated, practiced, and safe when using these many different types of underwater power tools. At Professional Diver Training Center, we train commercial divers for the real world, with real tools, and real scenarios prepared by veterans of the military and commercial diving industries. Take the dive, and start your journey into commercial diving today.        

Want to see more tools of the trade? Part 2 of the Commercial Diving Tools Series is coming soon!