Hello Todd,
If you want to get a C-Card, Contact the Louisana Technical College,
Young Memorial Institute. In Morgan City LA (We call it Moron City.)
at (504) 380-2436. The instructors name is Roger Thacker.
Or you can write to them at:
LTC (Young Memorial)
P.O. Drawer 2148
Morgan City LA 70381
The course is about 3 months long. It costs about $220.00 for the
whole course. But if you include the following, it gets higher,
                Books:                           $100.00
                Note Books:                       $20.00
                Comercial Divers Physical:       $300.00
                Scuba Certification:             $500.00-1,500.00
                Living expenses: To Include:
                Hotel Room:
                Transportation to and from school:
                Eating:
                Occational Party:                $3,000.00
 If you save and don't go crazy, you should do okay. Of course some
 of the diving companies are always hiring students to work in the
 shop after class too. I think it's $5.00 an hour for students and
 Tenders in the shop. CAL-DIVE always hires students. They also work
 them like slaves. Which guarrenties that once the students graduate,
 they will not work at CAL-DIVE (I should know that's where I started)
 After you graduate you can get to work for numerous diving companies.
 Either "Inland" or become a "Gulf Diver" as a "Tender" (apprentice
 diver), where you will be treated like you don't have a brain.
 You will end up cleaning all the diving gear, and taking care of the
 divers. When you become good at that the divers will take care of you.
 (Especially if the other tenders don't have a brain! "A good tender
 is worth his weight in GOLD") But most importantly, during this time
 period you are constantly learning and buying your own dive gear.
 I.E., commercial grade wet suit, bail out, Miller weight belt,
 and most important the dive hat. Whether it be a Super Lite 17,
 Super Lite 27 (Which I have) or a Miller 400.
 After a little bit of time and you haven't quit, or beat the crap
 out of anyone, or had the crap beaten out of you. (Just kidding)
 The divers will start throwing you in the water to do all the dives
 that they don't want to do. (Cleaning Casines for anode placement,
 recovering tools that the diver lost,(Which does seem to happen quite a bit)
 wheel jobs on great big wheels, and occationally hand jetting.
 After all this, and your still around. You'll make "Break out Driver".
 Which means you'll make diver for about 3 jobs. If you screw them up,
 you'll be back down to tender. If not you'll become what is called
 a Class III Diver. Which you will stay for about 5 years, them Class II,
 then 5 more years Class I.
 I have only been diving for about 2 years, so I am still a Class III.
 If you make it, I can tell you of a real fun job, but real hard at
 the same time. Very rarely will be on a job and not learn something
 new. But more importantly you'll be diving deeper, and longer than
 any of your diving friends had ever dreamed of diving. All that and
 a pay check too.
 Speaking pay checks.
 Tenders start at:  $7.00 to $7.50 an hour (all days are 12 hour days)
 So that equals to 8 hours straight time 4 hours over time.
 Break outs are $9.00 an hour.
 Class III's start at $11.00 an hour.
 Depth pay works out like this:
              0-50 ft.              (It's free)
              50-100  ft   $.85 per ft  
              100-150 ft. $1.70 per ft
              150-200 ft. $2.55 per ft
              200-250 ft. $3.40 per ft
 After that you're talking Bell Bounce and Saturation diving which is
 a flat rate of between $550-650.00 a day.
 So there you are. If you are still interested in getting your C-Card.
 (I have never heard of it called that before. But new terms for new people.)
 Write to Roger and he can explain the good side and the bad side of
 commericial diving to you. I don't want to just tell you all the fun stuff.
 I will let him have the opportunity to try and talk you out of it and
 let make up your own mind.
On 04 Apr 97  07:58:32 Todd Jaspers wrote to Scott Owens...
 -> Sharks like to do one thing, and one thing only. That's eat what
 -> ever they can fit in there mouths. Be it a cresent wrench, or the
 -> arm that it is attatched to.
 -> What they can't fit, they can chop up with there teeth until it fits. .
 TJ> ahahahahaa.... hehe.... i like that.. what they cant fit, they 
 TJ> chop up until it fits.. ehhe.. oh well, yeah i would have to 
 TJ> agree with you, im still trying to get my C-Card but i have been 
 TJ> doing a little scuba diving with my uncle and aunt just for 
 TJ> practice, and i dont think iu would ever even consider doing a 
 TJ> shark dive.
 TJ> -!- InterEcho 1.19
 TJ> ! Origin: Law Enforcement Computer Network - (954) 430-7300 (1:369/20)
Regards,
-=Scott=-
... The irony of life is that no one gets out alive...
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