Underwater debris removal and cleanup divers
Underwater cleanup means removing what should not be on the bottom: tires, bikes, shopping carts, construction scrap, lost fishing gear and rope, old mooring tackle, and general junk under docks and in swim areas. It also covers clearing lines and crab-pot rope from propellers and intakes, and, in some lakes, removing invasive weeds such as Eurasian watermilfoil, for example by diver-assisted suction harvesting (DASH), a service one Seattle-area company lists alongside line and debris removal (Seattle Diving Services).
A good job starts with a survey dive to see what is there, then a plan for lifting heavy items safely, with lift bags or a crane rather than muscle, and for getting everything ashore and disposed of properly. You should get before-and-after video or photos and a list of what came out.
Paid cleanup is work diving, and depending on where you are it may fall under commercial diving rules. For volunteer cleanups, PADI's Dive Against Debris Diver Specialty trains recreational divers to run cleanups and report what they collect to a global marine-debris database (PADI). Ask whether your job needs a permit or the landowner's consent, especially for weed removal.
DiverHire is a new marketplace in public beta. Post the cleanup free with the area, depth and what you expect is down there, compare bids, and pay the diver directly.
Who needs this
- Waterfront homeowners and cottage owners: clearing junk and hazards from a swim area or under a dock.
- Marinas and yacht clubs: debris under docks and slips, lost mooring gear, and lines around props.
- Lake associations: weed removal and bottom clean-ups before the season.
- Municipalities and park operators: beaches, launch ramps and harbours.
- Contractors: clearing construction debris from the water after a project.
- Community and conservation groups: organised cleanups that need experienced divers.
Tell the diver what you think is down there, how deep it is, and whether anything is heavy, sharp or possibly hazardous; that decides the team size and lifting gear. For lost valuables rather than junk, see lost a ring, phone or keys in a lake. In Ontario, when you hire a diver or diving contractor for a job, you have many of the same responsibilities as constructors and employers engaged in a diving operation (Ontario Ministry of Labour).
Typical pricing
Cleanup is usually priced by the hour per diver, plus a trip charge and extra equipment; ask how disposal is charged. Large jobs may be quoted per day for a team, or as a fixed price after a survey dive.
- Northern Washington: general diving services, including fishing line or crab-pot line wrapped around a prop, USD 200/h (PNW Diving Services, viewed September 2026).
- Jacksonville, Florida: search and recovery USD 165 per diver-hour plus a USD 50 trip charge; extra equipment USD 35 per item (DS Diving, 2026).
We did not find a published price for weed removal or DASH that we could verify, so ask for a quote per area or per day.
Quotes vary with depth, visibility, access, travel and team size, and with how much material comes out and what it costs to dispose of.
Guides
- Lost ring, phone or keys in a lake: what to do in the first hour
- How to Hire a Diver: A Checklist for Boat Owners and Marinas
- Commercial diving in Toronto and the Great Lakes: a local guide
Required / preferred certifications
- PADI Dive Against Debris Diver Specialty (volunteer cleanups)
- PADI Search and Recovery course
- PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent (casual jobs only)
- ADCI Entry-level tender/diver (commercial jobs)
- DCBC Unrestricted Surface Supplied Diver
- HSE SCUBA Diving (diving at work in Great Britain)
Other diving services
- Underwater inspection
- Underwater welding
- Underwater photography
- Salvage operations
- Boat & hull cleaning
- Marine research support
- Marine surveying
Commercial diving by city
- Aberdeen, UK
- Anchorage, USA
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Baltimore, USA
- Boston, USA
- Brisbane, Australia
- Charleston, USA
- Chicago, USA
- Cleveland, USA
- Corpus Christi, USA
- Detroit, USA
- Dubai, UAE
- Duluth, USA
- Fort Lauderdale, USA
- Galveston, USA
- Halifax, Canada
- Hamburg, Germany
- Honolulu, USA
- Houston, USA
- Jacksonville, USA
- Jersey City, USA
- Key West, USA
- London, UK
- Long Beach, USA
- Melbourne, Australia
- Miami, USA
- Milwaukee, USA
- Mississauga, Canada
- Mobile, USA
- Montreal, Canada
- New Orleans, USA
- New York, USA
- Norfolk, USA
- Oakland, USA
- Perth, Australia
- Philadelphia, USA
- Portland, USA
- Portland, USA
- Rotterdam, Netherlands
- San Diego, USA
- San Francisco, USA
- Savannah, USA
- Seattle, USA
- Singapore, Singapore
- St. John's, Canada
- Sydney, Australia
- Tampa, USA
- Toronto, Canada
- Vancouver, Canada
- Victoria, Canada
Need a underwater cleanup diver?
Post a job for free and compare bids from divers who serve your area.