OCCUPATION: UNDERWATER BOAT MAINTENANCE WORKER

Name: Jeff Barnett Company: Dolphin Divers, Dana Point Thumbs up: “Choosing your own hours and working a limited amount is advantageous. Doing this very nasty job has advantages. You make a decent living. The flexibility of the hours is great. You aren’t strapped to an eight-hour desk job. I can go surfing in the mornings and then go to work.” Thumbs down: “The health problems associated with being in the water--everything from ear infections to respiratory problems--breaks down your immune system while you work so hard in such a cold environment. I usually do 12 boats a day. That pushes my immune system a little bit. I get tired and a little cranky sometimes too. It’s a hard-core, nasty job.” Next step: “I’m always looking on the horizon. There’s a lot of completely different things I can do, but nothing has come along that can pay me as well as this job does. . . . This is one thing the recession really hasn’t touched.” Advice: “You have got to be extremely self-motivated. I’d like the owners to clean their boats once to realize what they’re paying for. A lot of guys try it once and are literally exhausted.” Salary range: Diving maintenance workers earn between $8 and $50 an hour. Education and training requirements: Underwater maintenance workers must have certification cards for scuba diving and be able to scrape the bottoms of boats with care. Size of work force: Very small. Job description: Most underwater boat cleaners coordinate monthly cleaning schedules, fill out the work orders with work to be done, and detail the condition of everything below the water line, including the paint on the hull. Major employers: Boat owners and underwater-maintenance companies. Advancement opportunities: Limited. Most diving maintenance workers are self-employed. For more information: Call the Professional Assn. of Diving Instructors at (714) 540-7234. Dock or harbor masters may also provide some information. Researched by MIMI KO / For The Times