How to Make Money Diving: Freelance & Side Work (2026)

By DiverHire Team

You can make money diving by teaching, cleaning boat hulls and changing zincs, finding lost items, shooting underwater photos or video and, once you hold a commercial ticket, taking inshore commercial work. The catch is the law. In the US, Ontario and the UK, most diving for pay is regulated as work, and a recreational card on its own is often not enough, so check what your certificate allows where you dive before you take money for a dive. Then start small: one service, one area, and prices based on real rate cards rather than guesses.

This guide replaces our 2025 article on starting a scuba diving business. We kept its outline and removed the figures we could not source. If hull cleaning is the business you have in mind, our step-by-step guide to starting a hull-cleaning business goes further than this page.

Can you make money diving with only a scuba certification?

It depends on where you are and what the work is. Here is what the regulators' own pages say.

• United States. OSHA's commercial diving standard applies to "every place of employment" in US waters where diving is performed, "in connection with all types of work and employments". It exempts only four kinds of diving: diving solely for instruction on open-circuit compressed-air scuba within no-decompression limits; search, rescue or public-safety diving by or under the control of a government agency; human-subjects research under 45 CFR part 46 or equivalent rules; and scientific diving under a diving safety manual and a diving control board (OSHA 1910.401). Hull cleaning and recovery for pay are not on that list. PADI notes that for hull cleaning "many job postings for this type of work only require a scuba certification" (PADI blog, 2025). That is a hiring requirement, not a legal exemption: the employer still has to meet the standard.
• Ontario. O. Reg. 629/94 applies to all diving operations except federally regulated ones, recreational diving (including recreational diver training), snorkel-only diving and dives by unpaid volunteers in an unforeseen emergency. To work commercially, "Recreational divers who wish to work as commercial divers must first undergo the assessment and training procedures laid out by the DCBC" (Ontario.ca, 2022).
• United Kingdom. HSE says diving under yachts and small vessels to clean hulls "falls under the Diving at Work Regulations" and the inland/inshore code of practice: you notify HSE as a dive contractor, have an adequate team size, and the divers and supervisor need the appropriate diving qualification. With a suitable recreational qualification you can "instruct or guide under the recreational ACOP" (the Regulations still apply to an instructor or guide at work), and depending on the level, do some shellfish, scientific, archaeological or media diving. A diving medical is normally valid for 12 months (HSE diving FAQs, 2026).

So with a recreational instructor rating, teaching is the clearest paid route in all three places. Most other paid work needs a commercial qualification, has to be run to commercial rules, or both, depending on where you are. Our hiring guide for clients sets out the same rules from the client's side, and our planning and pricing guide has a section on whether paid diving counts as commercial diving.

Ways to make money diving, and what each pays

The client prices are what established businesses charge, not what a new diver takes home. They have to cover gear, travel, insurance and the hours you don't bill.

Hull cleaning and zinc changes

You can do this as an employee of a cleaning company or on your own. One Florida company asks applicants for a diver certification, their own wetsuit, hood, boots and mask, and the ability to spend 4 to 5 hours in the water per shift (Underwater Solutions).

If you work for yourself, check local rules first. In Marina del Rey, everyone who cleans hulls in the water needs a BMP (best management practices) certificate and a Commercial Service ID. The ID costs USD 10, needs your diver certification card and is renewed every 2 years (LA County). In San Diego Bay, every hull-cleaning business needs a Port permit, with a USD 250 fee (Port of San Diego). Expect clients to ask two questions: how often to clean (cleaning schedule guide) and when to change zincs (zinc guide). Know both answers. Our hull cleaning service page shows what clients expect the job to include.

Finding lost items

Phones, keys and rings go off docks every summer. Published rates include USD 165 an hour per person plus a USD 50 trip charge and an agreed finder's fee (a percentage of the item's value) at DS Diving in Jacksonville (DS Diving), and USD 200 an hour for general diving, lost items included, at PNW Diving Services in Washington's San Juan Islands (PNW Diving Services). The rules above apply to recovery work as much as to hull cleaning. Our lost-item guide is written for the people who call you, and the salvage and recovery page covers bigger jobs.

Teaching and guiding

Instruction within the limits above is exempt from OSHA's standard, and Ontario's regulation excludes recreational diver training. In the UK, an instructor at work is still under the Diving at Work Regulations but follows the recreational code of practice. The pay is modest. Job Bank puts Ontario scuba diving instructors at CAD 17.60 to 31.00 an hour, with a median of 18.50 (Job Bank, 2023–24). DAN World's dive accident cover includes diving as a scuba instructor, divemaster or underwater photographer, but "Commercial diving is not covered" (DAN World FAQ).

Underwater photography and video

Some photographers publish their prices. One pool studio in Long Beach, California, charges USD 790 for a 45-minute session and USD 2,790 for four hours, image credits included and raw files not (Brett Stanley). In the UK, media diving on a recreational qualification depends on your level and is normally only in a pool or tank; work for the recreational diving press falls under the recreational code, other media work under the media code (HSE). Clear stills and video also add value to ordinary jobs, as PNW Diving Services' video inspections show. See the underwater photography page.

Inspections and marina work

Video inspections are a small product you can sell, under the same rules as other paid diving. PNW Diving Services charges USD 250 for a mooring or vessel inspection with video and USD 250 an hour for dock, float and piling inspections. DS Diving charges USD 35 per pile inspected. Structural inspections are a different matter: under the US National Bridge Inspection Standards, an underwater bridge inspection diver must complete FHWA-approved training and score at least 70 percent on its end-of-course assessment (23 CFR 650.309). In Ontario, O. Reg. 629/94 sets duties for "employers, employees, contractors and owners", so the owner who hires you has legal duties too (Ontario.ca). See the underwater inspection page.

Commercial diving

With a commercial ticket, US commercial divers earned a median USD 35.09 an hour in May 2025 (BLS), and Ontario underwater workers CAD 21.00 to 42.79 in 2023–24 (Job Bank). Training costs real money: Divers Institute of Technology in Seattle lists 28 weeks and USD 29,000 tuition, or USD 48,800 total cost of attendance with living costs (DIT). Our guide to the highest-paying diving work compares specialties.

Setting up as a freelance diver

Register and keep records

Register the business the way your city, state, province or country requires, and keep records from the first job: a log of each dive (site, depth, time, conditions), what you did, photos, the invoice and receipts. Records help with tax, with insurance, and with the next client, who will want to see your work.

Insurance

Your recreational dive insurance may not cover paid work. DAN World's dive accident plan, for example, covers diving as an instructor, divemaster or underwater photographer but not commercial diving, and it is accident cover for you. Before your first paid job, ask an insurer in writing whether a policy covers both you in the water and your liability when working on someone else's boat or dock. Ask each marina what it requires from outside contractors before you work there.

Permits and notices

Look for local rules like Marina del Rey's and San Diego's before you advertise hull cleaning. In the UK, if you are the dive contractor, you must notify HSE (not needed when diving under the recreational code). In Ontario, diving outside the exemptions falls under O. Reg. 629/94, with CSA Z275.4 competency rules and the DCBC route for recreational divers who want commercial work.

Equipment

We dropped the old guide's unsourced USD 15,000 to 50,000 startup budget. Buy for the work you have booked, not the work you hope for. Hull cleaning needs scrubbing tools, a breathing setup you can run for hours, and a way to carry zincs and tools. Recovery needs a light, a search line and ideally an underwater metal detector. Photography needs a housing and lights. For hull-cleaning kit and its real prices, see the hull-cleaning business guide.

Safety

Write a short emergency plan for each site: who is on the surface, where the nearest help is, how you get a diver out. Keep a maintenance log for your gear. Under a boat, the main hazards include the propeller, the intakes and electricity in the water at marinas. West of England P&I, writing about ships, says to verify by lock-out/tag-out that no propellers, thrusters or suctions are running in the dive area (West P&I, 2023). The Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association's diver protocol recommends, at minimum, unplugging and tagging the boat you dive on (not just switching it off at the pedestal), unplugging the boats next to it, and leaving the water at the slightest tingle (ESDPA, 2018). The hull-cleaning business guide covers these risks in detail.

How to price your diving work

Start from what established operators publish, then adjust for your area.

• Per foot, with a minimum, for hull cleaning. Bottom Time Dive in SW Florida charges USD 3.00 to 4.00 per foot per clean for most sail and power boats (USD 6.00 for tritoons) on a monthly plan, with a USD 100 minimum (Bottom Time Dive, 2026). DS Diving in Jacksonville charges USD 5 per foot under 50 ft.
• By the hour for one-off or neglected hulls. Bottom Time Dive bills heavy growth at USD 150 per person per hour. Danny's Diving in Victoria, BC, prices by time and says hulls left 6 months or more can take 2 to 3 times as long (Danny's Diving, April 2026).
• Per item for parts work. USD 20 per anode at both Bottom Time Dive (plus the part at list price) and DS Diving (plus a USD 50 trip charge). For inboard props, Bottom Time Dive charges USD 13 to 17 per inch of propeller diameter per operation, and removing and refitting the same prop counts as two operations.
• Hourly plus a trip charge for searches. DS Diving adds USD 50 per trip to its hourly rate.
• Per inspection, with a video. PNW Diving Services' USD 250 includes the video.

Then consider what the old guide got right: distance, difficulty and season all change the price. Put your travel and minimum charge in writing, and don't set your price only by undercutting the diver next door. What clients see when they compare prices is in our hull cleaning cost guide. For deposits, cancellations, work agreements and what is billable beyond bottom time, see the divers' part of our planning and pricing guide.

Growing beyond a side job

• Hiring divers changes your legal position. In the US, OSHA's standard applies to "every place of employment", so once you employ divers for work outside its four exemptions, the standard applies to your operation. In Ontario, O. Reg. 629/94 sets out duties for employers.
• Sell schedules, not single visits. In a Port of San Diego survey of 32 in-water hull cleaners, 78% said they clean boats on a set schedule (Port of San Diego survey).
• Add services that fit the same visit: zincs, prop work, video inspections, and in-season work for marinas.
• Plan for the off-season. Where boats come out for winter, hull work stops. Fill it with gear servicing, marketing, training or travel to warmer water.
• Use simple tools: a calendar or scheduling app, digital invoices, and a client list with each boat's length, slip and last cleaning date.

Mistakes to avoid

• Taking work your ticket or insurance doesn't cover. An accident on uninsured work can cost far more than the job paid.
• Underpricing. Check published rate cards before you quote.
• Skipping gear maintenance. It leads to lost days and to accidents.
• No money set aside for slow months. Weather and winter will cost you working days.
• No photos or records. Without them you have nothing to show the next client.

The old guide's tips from unnamed "industry professionals" are gone because we can't attribute them, but the advice holds up: start local, put safety ahead of profit, build relationships, document everything, and buy equipment that lasts.

Your next five steps

1. Read the rules for where you will dive (OSHA, O. Reg. 629/94, HSE, or your own regulator).
2. Pick one service and one area.
3. Price from published rate cards, with a minimum and a trip charge.
4. Sort out insurance and any local permits.
5. Tell marinas and past clients you are working, and put your profile online. Our guide to getting diving and hull-cleaning clients covers the marketing.

Finding work through DiverHire

DiverHire is a new marketplace in public beta with only a few jobs and divers on it so far, so use it alongside your own marketing, not instead of it. You can create a free diver profile with your certificates, services and service area, then bid on jobs clients post at diverhire.com/jobs. There is no fee on jobs: you and the client agree the price and payment directly, and DiverHire neither employs you nor does the work. Clients tag jobs as casual or commercial; you decide whether you can take one, sign a waiver when you bid, and check that your qualifications and insurance cover the work.

Sources

• OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.401 Scope and application — covers every place of employment where diving is done; exactly four exemptions: solely instructional open-circuit compressed-air scuba within no-decompression limits, government public-safety diving, 45 CFR 46 human-subjects research, scientific diving under a safety manual and control board (current text)
• Government of Ontario: Working divers and commercial diving operations — O. Reg. 629/94 covers all diving operations except federal, recreational (incl. training), snorkel-only and unpaid emergency volunteers; CSA Z275.4 competency; DCBC route for recreational divers who want commercial work; owner duties when hiring divers to inspect or repair (updated July 2022)
• HSE: Diving FAQs — hull cleaning under yachts falls under the Diving at Work Regulations (notify HSE, adequate team, qualified divers and supervisor); instructors at work follow the recreational ACOP; media diving on recreational qualifications normally only in a pool or tank; medical normally valid 12 months (updated February 2026)
• PADI: How to make money scuba diving as a side job — six side jobs; many hull-cleaning postings only require a scuba certification (updated September 2025)
• Job Bank: Scuba diving instructor in Ontario, wages — CAD 17.60 / 18.50 / 31.00 per hour low / median / high (2023–24, updated November 2025)
• Job Bank: Underwater worker in Ontario, wages — CAD 21.00 / 30.00 / 42.79 per hour low / median / high (2023–24, updated November 2025)
• BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Commercial Divers — median USD 35.09 per hour for employees (May 2025)
• Bottom Time Dive: Rates — SW Florida: USD 3.00–4.00/ft per clean on a monthly plan (tritoons 6.00), USD 100 minimum, USD 150 per person-hour for one-off cleans and heavy growth, USD 20 per anode plus MSRP, USD 13–17 per inch per prop operation (2026)
• DS Diving: Pricing — Jacksonville FL: hull USD 5/ft under 50 ft; search and recovery USD 165/h per person plus USD 50 trip and agreed finder's fee; anode USD 20 plus USD 50 trip; pile inspection USD 35 (2026)
• PNW Diving Services: Services and rates — San Juan Islands and Bellingham area, Washington: general diving incl. lost items USD 200/h; mooring or vessel video inspection USD 250; dock, float and piling inspection USD 250/h (viewed 2026)
• Danny's Diving: Boat hull cleaning cost in BC — hourly-based pricing; hulls left 6+ months take 2–3 times as long (April 2026)
• Underwater Solutions: Careers — diver certification, own wetsuit, hood, boots and mask, 4–5 h in water per shift (2026)
• LA County Beaches & Harbors: Hull cleaning — BMP certificate and USD 10 Commercial Service ID (diver card, renewed every 2 years) for all Marina del Rey hull cleaners (ordinance 2018)
• Port of San Diego: Copper Reduction Program — permit for every hull-cleaning business, USD 250 fee (2026)
• Port of San Diego: In-water hull cleaning survey, hull cleaners — 32 respondents; 78% clean on a set schedule (undated)
• DAN World: Dive insurance FAQ — commercial diving not covered; instructor, divemaster and underwater photographer diving covered (viewed 2026)
• Brett Stanley Underwater Photography: Prices — USD 790 (45 min) to USD 2,790 (4 h); raw files not included (2026)
• eCFR: 23 CFR 650.309 Qualifications of personnel — National Bridge Inspection Standards: underwater bridge inspection divers need FHWA-approved training and 70 percent on the end-of-course assessment (current text, 2026)
• Divers Institute of Technology: Cost — 28 weeks, USD 29,000 tuition, USD 48,800 total cost of attendance (viewed 2026)
• ESDPA: Protocol for diving on boats at docks using electrical power — unplug and tag the boat, unplug adjacent boats, leave the water at any tingle (September 2018)
• West of England P&I: Underwater hull cleaning risks and precautions — entanglement in propellers and thrusters, intake suction, lock-out/tag-out before diving (April 2023, written for ships)

Last updated: September 2026. Prices and rules change; confirm with local providers.