Commercial diving is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, with plenty of risks underwater. In Türkiye, it is a growing business with megaprojects by the government and private sector flourishing.
Divers are required to have extra skills, from welding to painting, while working underwater and in recent years, the job got more recognition when it was included as a course offered by several universities under the name of “underwater technologies.”
Although a dangerous profession, divers say with proper safety measures and equipment, it is not much different from working on the land.
Hakan Aykanat says he was introduced to the profession through a neighbor, a commercial diver. It piqued his curiosity and Aykanat decided to apply for the job. After a training process, Aykanat found himself working on diverse projects in Türkiye and abroad.
He said he worked on everything, from salvaging sunken vessels to marine construction and repairs. In Türkiye, he worked on the 1915 Çanakkale bridge, which connects the Dardanelles, Galata and Unkapanı bridges of Istanbul, on various tasks from repairing to painting. He also responds to emergency work requiring his expertise, like repairs on dams or giant production pools in factories. After years of work in other companies, Aykanat started his own company with fellow diver Amil Turgay.
“We work everywhere and sometimes, you have to work in muddy, dirty waters with zero visibility. Over time, you acquire new senses and you can fix things underwater without seeing anything,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday. “We are working in places with high current, in places people think there is no suitable environment to work. But it is about loving your job. People start their day in their warm homes and we start working in the cold waters but I love this job,” he said.
“You have to be fit, like an athlete. You work regular shifts but the time you spend underwater varies. Sometimes, you can make 20-minute dives and sometimes, you have to spend three hours there. You have to concentrate on your job all the time. You can’t admire the view there,” he said.
Aykanat acknowledges the danger but says it is “safe at the same time.” “Commercial diving is very different than diving for pleasure. It requires entirely different training and you have to be the best. You have to do more than simply diving. So, it requires more safety, more equipment, like steel shoes to protect your feet. When you dive for pleasure, you expect to see beautiful fish down there. If you are a commercial diver, it is only mud, stain, oil, fuel and sewage.” “We take every measure down there. I dive with three air supplies and have a supervisor on the surface,” he said.
He says working with a good crew and good equipment is always an advantage. “You have to be fully prepared. In the construction and repair business on land, you can always go to the nearest hardware store if you miss something. You can’t do it underwater,” he said.
Amil Turgay started the profession while watching divers in Istanbul in 1979. “They were working on salvaging a vessel off Kadıköy. I was unemployed and worked as an assistant. I was impressed and thought it was a cool job. So, I decided to pursue a career,” he said. Since then, he worked everywhere, from Istanbul to Artvin in the northeast, from sunken ships to dams. He took part in salvaging 40 vessels. He also traveled across the world, to 22 countries, where he took commercial diving jobs. “I am 57 years old now but I keep working.”
Turgay hails the university education for divers currently offered by five universities. “In other countries, commercial divers undergo six-month courses, without any previous experience. The universities offer better education but it seems they are better in theoretical classes, rather than training in the field. If we can improve it, Türkiye can be a country ‘exporting’ commercial divers,” he said.
