Found out a surface-supplied diver's air bill runs about $8 a minute on a big job in the Gulf

William Wright · 2026-10-26T20:35:04.243847+00:00

I was helping sort invoices after a 3 week job out of Fourchon and the compressor fuel and air tech line hit just over $8 per minute of bottom time. That was on a 180 foot dive with two guys in the water. I always figured air was cheap, just a hose and a pump, but the fuel burn on that big diesel rack adds up fast when you're running it all day. Our supervisor said the same setup cost about half that back in 2019. Made me think twice about how we bid jobs. Does your shop pass the air cost through to the client or just eat it in the day rate?

Vivisector

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Found out a surface-supplied diver's air bill runs about $8 a minute on a big job in the Gulf | Commercial Divers - Vivisector