Senca Diver Welder

As the technology in underwater welding electrodes races forward, so do the horizons of those performing this specialized underwater work. The jobs of yesterday which were considered “temporary” or “shaky” can now be replaced with a quality that is more comparable to a surface weld. These welds are subject to the specifications set forth in the A.W.S. D3.6 Underwater Welding Specs. Welds meeting the A.W.S. D3.6 document can be accomplished by ticket welders certified by the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB).The C.W.B. is the governing welding certification body for Canada, with worldwide acceptance and recognition. Increasingly, the requirements of the A.W. S. and the C.W.B. are specified by the engineers before a job goes out for tender.

The Seneca College Underwater Skills Program has offered wet welding instruction in it’s curriculum since the program’s inception in 1974. Wet underwater welding has always been fostered at Seneca, but in the mid 90's, at the demand of the industry, a large amount of time and money was invested in research into wet welding procedures. After several years of wet welding experimentation and destructive testing, it was found that certified welds could be made in accordance with the D 3.6 spec. In 1998 welding procedures were developed at Seneca, and an additional five day course in underwater welding was developed. This gave the industry an outlet where divers already working in the field, whether originally trained at Seneca or not, could come to hone their wet welding skills and test for their underwater tickets. Currently all position, Class B plate, fillet welding tickets are performed. Seneca hopes to be able to offer class A certification in the near future. The fact that the testing is witnessed by the Canadian Welding Bureau, lends a very high degree of validity and credibility to the process. The five day training program is run completely from the diving barge located on Lake Seneca. This allows the divers to practice their skills under actual field conditions.

Whenever possible, Seneca offers the welding courses and re-certification twice per year, most commonly in December and March. These dates are flexible as the college takes into account how busy the industry during the season.

To view color pictures and receive more information on the underwater welding certification system in Canada, visit the Seneca College Underwater Skills web site at: www.senecac.on.ca/uws