
One hundred and sixty-five feet under
Each year, from May to June, a team of UWS students and faculty perform their end-of-year deep dive operation at 50 metres (165 feet) below the surface of Lake Huron.
One hundred and sixty-five feet underAccess to Seneca's campuses is limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a stay-at-home order in effect for Toronto and Peel Region. Seneca's on-campus activities for winter 2021 will continue as scheduled.
Information about critical dates and program delivery for the Summer 2021 term is now available.
Dive into a career in commercial diving that supports a busy and high-demand industry. If you’re new to the trade, Seneca offers a comprehensive, 34-week Underwater Skills (UWS) certificate program that prepares you to work globally in every sector of the diving industry. This program is the only one in Canada that provides you with certification from the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB), along with diver medic training under the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). If you’re an existing industry professional, Seneca also offers additional courses to improve your commercial diving skills.
This rigorous and fast-paced program has been preparing commercial divers for a variety of industry careers for more than 45 years. That’s why contractors continue to contact Seneca looking for skilled graduates to work in offshore construction, salvage, inspection, offshore oil and gas exploration, and production. In this 34-week program, students dive to a maximum of 50 metres (165 feet), led by Seneca’s Unrestricted Surface Supplied Supervisors, who have more than 100 years of combined commercial diving experience.
After completing the program, graduates will receive an internationally recognized certificate as an Unrestricted Surface Supplied Diver from the Diver Certification Board of Canada (DCBC), along with the following certifications:
Located north of Toronto, and close to commercial diving employers within Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe, King Campus’ facilities accommodate all skill levels required for international commercial diving standards. Additional training locations in Georgian Bay, near Wiarton – combined with a varied local climate – will help you prepare for a career with dynamic diving environments.
Check out this 360-degree view of our 40-foot deep dive tank where you will train before transitioning to deeper dives in Lake Seneca and Georgian Bay.
Follow along with Andrew Younghusband of Discovery Channel’s Tougher Than It Looks as he trains to become a commercial diver at Seneca alongside lead instructor Aaron Griffin.
Witness how a team from Seneca’s Underwater Skills program trained and prepared Parks Canada marine archeologists to work in the icy waters of the Arctic in order to explore the HMS Erebus.
Go behind the scenes in the Seneca dive lab at King Campus where a team from the Daily Planet conducts an underwater experiment.
Dive into our photo gallery to see what it’s like to study commercial diving.
A number of additional courses related to commercial diving are available, including:
This four-day course is held annually during the October reading week. It provides you with a Transport Canada Certification in Small Vessel Operator Proficiency and Marine Emergency Duties, which is mandatory for workers operating from vessels. This course is currently not available.
This five-day course is for IMCA-certified divers who are looking to renew their two-year certificates.
This 10-day course provides training in a range of advanced first aid and basic paramedical techniques.
This course provides you with an Underwater Welding Certification - UWW 101 KA, according to CWB and AWS D3.6 underwater welding standards. Currently, Seneca is the only institution in Canada offering this certification.
UWS program admission inquiries
Underwater Welding course inquiries
IMCA Diver Medic course inquiries