Dive Pay (Diving Duty HDIP & MDSIP)

Validated May 2026

Dive pay covers two related but distinct entitlements: Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay (HDIP) for performing diving duty, and Master Diver Skill Incentive Pay (MDSIP) for qualified master divers. Rates depend on your branch, grade (officer vs. enlisted), and diver classification — and run from $110 to $340 per month.

You must have primary duty orders. The entitlement gate is competent orders assigning diving as your primary duty (DoD FMR Vol. 7A, Ch. 11, §2.1). Members who dive only to maintain proficiency in a non-diving billet do not qualify.

2026 Rates by Branch

Army Enlisted

Army Officers

Navy Enlisted

Navy Officers

Marine Corps

Air Force

Eligibility

• Primary duty orders required. You must be assigned to a diving billet by competent orders where diving is a primary — not collateral — duty (§2.1).
• You must hold the required NEC, MOS, or rating qualification for your diver category.
• Entitlement begins on the date of your first qualifying dive if under instruction; all other categories begin on the date of assignment to the diving duty category.

Pay Limits

What This Means for Your Pay

Dive pay is only for primary-duty divers — not collateral divers. HDIP requires competent orders directing you to perform diving as a primary duty. A member who dives occasionally or only to maintain proficiency while in a non-diving billet does not qualify under §2.1. Once originally assigned to primary diving duty, §2.2.3.2 does allow pay to continue during proficiency dives.

Partial months default to prorated pay. If you don't perform qualifying dive duty for the full calendar month, your payment is prorated. The only exception is if your Service Secretary has obtained ASD(M&RA) approval to designate that duty for a full-month rate regardless of duration. (§2.5)

At most 3 HDIP types simultaneously — dive pay counts as one. Even performing four or more hazardous duties in a month, HDIP payments are capped at 3 concurrent types. Dive duty HDIP uses one of those three slots, leaving room for at most 2 additional HDIP payments (e.g., parachute duty + demolition) in the same month. (§2.7.1)

Hospital pay continues up to 6 months — even for non-dive injuries. If you're hospitalized due to a diving accident, dive pay continues for up to 6 months. The same 6-month continuation applies if you're hospitalized for a non-dive injury or illness, as long as it's not the result of your own misconduct. (DoD FMR Vol. 7A, Ch. 11)

MDSIP and HDIP don't stack for the same skill. 37 U.S.C. § 353 (MDSIP) and § 351 (HDIP) cannot both pay for the same period of service in the same career field. If you qualify for Master Diver MDSIP, you receive that instead of dive duty HDIP for your dive specialty — not in addition to it. You can still receive HDIP for a different hazardous duty type in the same month. (§3.4.2.2)

Lapsed qualifications end pay the same day — with no backpay. Pay stops on the date your diving qualifications lapse. Requalifying later does not recover the gap period — no retroactive payments are made. This is distinct from hospitalization, which extends pay. A missed recurrency dive or failed physical exam ends entitlement immediately. (§2.7.2)

Common Mistakes

Treating dive pay as a collateral-duty entitlement. HDIP for diving requires primary duty orders. Members who dive only to maintain proficiency in a non-diving billet do not qualify under §2.1. This is the most common entitlement confusion for divers in multi-mission units.

Claiming MDSIP and HDIP for the same dive specialty. 37 U.S.C. § 353 and § 351 cannot both pay for the same period of service in the same career field. A qualified Master Diver must elect one — stacking both is a prohibited dual payment under §3.4.2.2.

Not prorating for partial months. Many members assume the full monthly rate is always paid. The default is proration. Getting the full monthly rate requires an explicit Service Secretary designation approved by ASD(M&RA). (§2.5)

Confusing the $240 HDIP ceiling with MDSIP rates. The $240/month ceiling in §2.5.1 is the statutory cap for HDIP diving duty pay. MDSIP is a separate entitlement — $340/month for enlisted Master Divers — under a different statute (37 U.S.C. § 353). They are not interchangeable.

Assuming unlimited HDIP types can stack. The cap is 3 simultaneous HDIP types per §2.7.1. Dive pay is one of the three — leaving room for at most 2 additional hazardous duty pays in the same month.

Expecting retroactive pay after qualifications are restored. §2.7.2 explicitly bars retroactive payments for any gap period when diving qualifications have lapsed. Pay resumes going forward only upon requalification.

Citation

Authority: 37 U.S.C. § 351 (HDIP – Diving Duty); 37 U.S.C. § 353 (MDSIP)

Regulation: DoD FMR Volume 7A, Chapter 11 — Special Pay: Diving Duty

Source: DFAS Dive Pay Tables

Rates verified against DFAS on 2026-05-19