Former Navy member Josh Bryant says his love of the water and background in the armed forces led him to enroll in Santa Barbara City College's Commercial Diving Program.
"There's really no room for error. You have to trust each other in your life and you have to be 110% once you go in the water because visibility is an issue, so you must give 110% every time," Bryant said.
He’s one of 13 students working toward a degree or certification in commercial diving.
"Diving is the closest thing to being an astronaut," said Dave Calvert, professor of Marine Diving Technology.
He says commercial diving is an experience like none other.
"You get to see things that people don't get to see, you know. You get to do things people don't get to do and there's a small group of individuals who get to do this," Calvert said.
Program director Emma Horanic says the skills learned in her classes offer a wide range of employment opportunities.
"You can come through this program and not even go into diving and still utilize the skills that you learn here," Horanic said.
SBCC’s Commercial Diving Associates Degree Program is the only one of its kind in the U.S.
"Everyone does the same first year of diving and then you can choose to go on to another two semesters to do your GE, some drafting classes, your EMT certification, that kind of stuff to get your associate's degree," Horanic explained.
She says many of her students have jobs lined up even before they graduate.
"And all of the wind farm work coming up, those are going to need divers, those are going to need inspection, and I think we can really kind of create a workforce here that will then have more local jobs," Horanic said.
The program has students enrolled from around the world and they all share a common goal.
"When we graduate we're not going to be coworkers... we're like a brotherhood," Bryant said.
