Professional diving is diving for payment.

This type of diving is carried out using the full range of diving equipment and techniques from basic SCUBA to technical diving and surface supplied diving.

As divers often have to dive in difficult and dangerous conditions in the presence of dangerous equipment, many countries highly regulate professional diving to maintain safety standards. Professional divers need a higher level of training, medical fitness, safety and rescue equipment and safety cover than is typical in recreational diving.

Types of professional diving are generally identified by the purpose of the organisation using the divers. Examples are:

• Commercial diving - generally underwater salvage and civil engineering
• Diver training - instructing for reward
• Media diving - generally journalism and movies
• Military diving - covert infiltration and underwater engineering
• Naval diving - ship maintenance and repair, mine clearance
• Police diving - collecting evidence from underwater
• Scientific diving - carrying out underwater research

See also Diving activities