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INProfessional Diving (Industrial) Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Diving (Industrial) Award actually pays — the right inshore classification, Saturday and Sunday overtime, diving allowances, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Professional Diving (Industrial) Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per inshore classification (clause 27.1), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 — weekly and hourly are both published in the award itself, not derived.
- Casuals get a 25% loading that forms part of their all-purpose rate (clause 10.2) — it applies across ordinary hours, allowances and leave, not just the base rate.
- There is no ordinary Saturday or Sunday rate: Saturday attracts overtime rates from the first hour (150% for 2 hours, then 200%) and Sunday is 200% all day — the award’s distinctive rule that catches employers used to a flat weekend penalty.
- Overtime beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours on a weekday follows the same Monday–Saturday table: 150% for the first 2 hours, 200% after.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including the diving allowance where it’s all-purpose — but not to overtime.
- The diving allowance is paid per metre or per foot of actual depth, on top of the classification rate, every day a dive is made — it’s easy to under-cost a job by leaving it out of the wage estimate.
Who the award covers
- Employers providing underwater services to industry — professional industrial diving
- Inshore divers (ADS parts 1–3) working coastal or inland waters under State/Territory law
- Offshore divers (ADS parts 3–4) on Commonwealth petroleum diving operations
- Diving supervisors, hyperbaric welders, divers and divers’ attendants
- Life support technicians and ADS/OMB operators on offshore diving operations
The Professional Diving Industry (Recreational) Award covers dive masters and instructors running recreational diving and charter operations — that’s a separate award, not this one.
Which level is your team member?
The Industrial Diving Award classifies inshore divers on a short, experience-based ladder — attendant, diver, hyperbaric welder, supervisor — set out in Schedule A. Diving supervisor is the only level with a service gate: an employee must have worked as a diver for at least 6 months before being designated one.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diver's Attendant | $29.09 | $1105.50 | Diver's attendant — tending lines, hoses and communications | Adequate knowledge of underwater work, diving signals and communications, and decompression procedures. Attends to a diver — dressing, undressing, handling hoses/lifelines — but does not perform underwater work. |
| Diver | $35.38 | $1344.50 | Diver — inshore underwater services | Trained and certified under AS 2815 Parts 1–3, competent with SCUBA and/or surface-supplied breathing apparatus, dive physiology, underwater communications, compressed-air systems, underwater tools and compression chambers, plus first aid. |
| Hyperbaric Welder | $37.01 | $1406.50 | Hyperbaric welder — underwater welding | A trained and certified diver who is also a qualified welder, appointed by the employer to perform hyperbaric welding. |
| Diving Supervisor | $47.70 | $1812.50 | Diving supervisor | An experienced diver appointed in writing to supervise diving operations, instruct other divers and be responsible for safe diving practice, plus on-site supervisory duties. Must have worked as a diver for at least 6 months first. |
- This calculator prices the inshore stream (clause 27) — coastal and inland waters under State/Territory law. Offshore diving (clause 32, Commonwealth petroleum operations) is a separate, higher-paid stream with its own aggregate weekly wage — see the FAQ.
- Offshore classifications go further than inshore: diving superintendent, life support technician, ADS/OMB operators and a systems maintenance technician all sit above diver’s attendant, each on a weekly rate plus an aggregate factor of 108% to 117% built into the total wage.
- A hyperbaric welder must be a trained, certified diver first — the welding qualification sits on top of the diving one, not instead of it.
- Diving supervisor has a genuine time-in-role test: 6 months as a diver before appointment, in writing, by the employer.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Professional Diving (Industrial) Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Professional Diving (Industrial) Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Professional Diving (Industrial) Award requires:
From the award’s inshore-divers breaks clause (clause 26) — a shorter work window than most awards, reflecting the physical demands of dive work. Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Professional Diving (Industrial) Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000108) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
The inshore classification minimums are the adult rates from clause 27.1, current at 1 July 2026 (PR799388, PR799543). Both weekly and hourly are published in the award itself. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
What about offshore diving rates?
Offshore divers (Commonwealth petroleum operations, clause 32) are paid a fixed weekly total made up of a minimum weekly rate plus an aggregate weekly factor of 108% to 117%, depending on classification — for example a Diving Supervisor (Offshore) totals $2,982.74 a week. That’s a different pay structure to the inshore hourly rates this calculator prices, so it isn’t modelled here directly — budget offshore work off the award’s clause 32.1 table.
Why is Saturday paid at overtime rates instead of a penalty?
This award simply doesn’t have an ordinary-hours weekend penalty rate — Saturday and Sunday work is overtime from the first hour under clause 30.2. It’s a common trap for employers used to retail or hospitality-style weekend loadings.
Does super apply to the diving allowance?
The diving allowance is all-purpose under this award, so it counts toward ordinary-time earnings and attracts the 12% super guarantee. True overtime payments are excluded — the calculator applies exactly that split.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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