Translation guide
A person who dives, especially as a job or sport.
professional diver
recreational diver
A person who works underwater, such as in construction, salvage, or pearl diving.
Standard term for a professional diver, often used in legal or occupational contexts.
He works as a diver.
Common loanword for a diver, used broadly for both professional and recreational contexts.
Traditional female free-diver, especially for shellfish and pearls. Culturally specific.
Male counterpart to 海女, but less common. Refers to a male free-diver.
A person who dives for fun or sport, such as scuba diving or cliff diving.
The most common term for a recreational scuba diver or sports diver.
Divers gather at the sea on weekends.
A more formal or technical term for a person who dives, used in manuals or official contexts.
Specifically a scuba diver. Used when the type of diving needs to be clear.
An animal or bird that dives into water, such as a diving duck or a whale.
潜水士 is a formal, often legally defined term for professional divers, while ダイバー is a casual loanword used for both professional and recreational divers. In everyday conversation, ダイバー is more common.
For sports like soccer (diving as simulation), do not use ダイバー. Instead, use terms like シミュレーション (simulation) or 飛び込み (diving).
He is a deep-sea diver.
Formal/professional context
I want to become a certified diver.
Recreational context
プロのダイバーになるには訓練が必要です。
You need training to become a professional diver.
Ama divers dive into the sea to collect shellfish.
There are also male divers in that village.
Divers must pay attention to safety.
She is an experienced scuba diver.
I saw a grebe, a type of diving bird.