Getting Paid to Dive

[matt151617]

Anyone ever get this, using your equipment and skills for odd jobs? My work offered me a little extra money to clean crap up from the bottom of a swimming pool, and repair a couple spots where the material is chipping. Someone else wanted me to help tie down a dock and offered cash. Should I do this, is it worth it? How much is reasonable?

[PlatypusMan]

Originally Posted by matt151617

Anyone ever get this, using your equipment and skills for odd jobs? My work offered me a little extra money to clean crap up from the bottom of a swimming pool, and repair a couple spots where the material is chipping. Someone else wanted me to help tie down a dock and offered cash. Should I do this, is it worth it? How much is reasonable?

Ask yourself: if something happens to me while doing this job, who picks up the tab for my hospitalization? Lost wages and time?

Just something to think about.

PPM

[CompuDude]

It's tempting, but the moment you take a dollar for that work, it's commercial diving and all sorts of crazy rules and insurance conditions kick in.

Up to you if it's worth the risk.

[Rileybri]

I made $65 the other night to reconnect a mourning ball to its chain and pad I have also un-fowled a prop on my friends sail boat. thats about as far as I am willing to take it!

[matt151617]

DAN should cover it, since it's a dive-related injury? And if I was doing it on the job, would that be covered under workers comp, if it wasn't my normal job? (I'm a lifeguard there)

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by matt151617

DAN should cover it, since it's a dive-related injury? And if I was doing it on the job, would that be covered under workers comp, if it wasn't my normal job? (I'm a lifeguard there)

DAN will NOT cover it if it is a commercial activity. You aren't buying a commercial policy with that $70. They only cover recreational diving.

From their policy:

Covered Dive means a recreational dive or diving while a scuba instructor, dive master, underwater
photographer, or while performing research under the auspices and following the diving safety guidelines
of the American Academy of Underwater Scientists (AAUS). A dive begins upon entry into the water
and ends upon exit from the water. A Covered Dive must begin while Coverage is in force.

[ian]

You have to have a worker's comp insurance account before you can get a claim paid out. If you were working for me as a surveyor and got injured while preforming a commercial diving activity, you could not make a claim against my worker's comp insurance any more than you could if you were injured coaching a Little League Team.

As far as tying down the dock...what happens next year after a bolt corrodes and a nice boat gets damaged? Do you have enough insurance to cover the loss?

It sounds quite harmless. Earn a few bucks for a simple job...no biggie...right? Wrong. There are plenty of things that can go wrong. Most of those things that can go wrong are not things you normally think about because you are an amateur...not a professional with training, knowledge and experience.

[mm2002]

Getting around the liabilities is simple. Only accept cash, and NEVER tell them your real name!

[DonnyGreen]

Does DAN not cover tech dives?

[Sasha_K]

I havent done anything myself, but I heard of people rescuing snowmobiles here in Canadian great lakes, which dropped throgh ice for a nice reward.