The most dangerous job on Earth? Inside the world of underwater welders

Imagine underwater diving and you might picture tropical paradises and idyllic encounters with wild, vibrant marine life. But hidden hundreds of feet deep beneath the shimmering surface lies another realm of the diver—one far removed from serene swims along sun-kissed reefs—the gritty world of the underwater welder.

“We keep the world running above water, doing the hard work below it,” says deep-sea diver and veteran underwater welder Joseph Purvis. “I was really proud to be a part of that thrilling world for six very challenging years.” 

While the dangers of underwater welding have captured the eyes of the media for years, a recent an online trend has emerged, where kids prank their loved ones by pretending to have accepted a job as an underwater welder—with the potential of working in such a high-risk and specialized field adding a humorous element of surprise and disbelief.

But underwater welding certainly lives up to its dangerous reputation, due to several complex and hazardous factors. 

How does it work?

Divers enter the ocean equipped with specialized gear, designed to withstand the challenging deep-sea environment. Clad in thick wetsuits or drysuits, they leap off of a boat, wearing helmets with built-in communication systems to stay connected with their team above the surface. There are various methods of descent depending on the depth and duration of their task. 

“For an oil platform, the first diver will literally climb down the platform underwater,” says Purvis,  “and establish what’s called a downline—a half inch rope that goes all the way up to the boat.”

The divers then wrap their fingers around the line and freefall to the bottom.

“Even some of the best sport divers can get completely lost underwater,” continues Purvis. “If you turn the wrong way and forget which way you turn, you can lose sight of which way is left or right or up or down.” 

The divers’ oxygen source differs from a scuba tank, and is more like an umbilical cord of sorts. The hose supplies breathing gas from the surface to the control point of the diver, much like an astronaut walking the moon, tethered to a spaceship. They descend with electrodes and torches in hand, specifically designed for inspections and repairs beneath the waves. 

And simply working underwater presents a myriad of challenges that demand expertise. As with any dive, the increase in water pressure, if not managed properly, can result in serious physiological issues like nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness.

Visibility compounds the challenges faced by underwater welders, as they often find themselves working in clouded, murky waters with limited sunlight. This diminished clarity makes it challenging to identify potential hazards or obstacles—some divers will even keep their eyes closed while welding to remain calm, allowing the repair to come solely from feel. 

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“If it’s murky, you’re just wasting energy trying to see,” says Purvis. “A lot of the time, it’s totally black down there, and the work is all based on feel anyway.”

Electrocution is also a threat underwater because electricity can send electrical currents racing through nearby water.  And welding at extremely high temperatures (10,000 degrees Fahrenheit and above) causes hydrogen and oxygen water molecules to separate. If the proportion of hydrogen to oxygen reaches a certain level, both minor and major explosions can occur. 

To mitigate these risks, underwater welders rely on extensive training, specialized equipment, constant communication with people above the surface, and adapted welding tools. 

But, fear is part of the process, says Purvis, who often wet welded for ten hours at a time, and lost part of his pinky during an underwater welding dive.

“Being scared is natural, and if any diver says that they haven’t been scared, they’re lying,” he says. “You have to fight the currents while working, and most divers are missing a finger or two from a piece smashing their hand.” 

An evolving profession

Underwater welding may always be a job that has to be done by humans, instead of machines. According to experts, the work is simply too complex.

“It’s a craft,” says Kevin Peters, an underwater welder and director of environmental services at Subsea Global Solutions. “You really have to be tuned into it and the skill and practice, in the same way a painter or musician needs to put in their 10,000 hours.” 

Each job also varies from one to the next.

“Most of the underwater welding work is for repairs, and in most cases with a robot it would need to be a semi-automatic process,” says award-winning welding engineer, Uwe Aschemeier. “The fixes in welding aren’t linear or a constant—you really need humans to assess and craft the repair.” 

The profession is used by a number of sectors, from oil companies constructing offshore rigs to shipbuilders making underwater repairs. This method has emerged as a superior alternative to dry docking boats—bringing them completely out of the water–saving time and resources while ensuring efficient repairs. Particularly crucial in the oil and gas industries, underwater welding maintains the infrastructure of large ships, nuclear reactors, pipelines, and offshore oil rigs.

To limit the threat of global climate change, energy companies are being pushed to phase out fossil fuels. Without underwater rigs and oil bargers, however, welders have found work in the renewable energy sector.

After working in welding, Purvis transitioned to working with solar panels, and batteries.

“I have three children and I wanted them to see me transfer over to the renewables industry,” he says, “to not only take from the earth and our planet’s available resources, but to use natural resources to make energy.”