[SwellJoe]

Depends on your definition of "well-compensated". For people in tech, it seems pretty low. $1400/day is what's mentioned in the article, and I can't imagine they work a regular schedule, as there would necessarily be more downtime. Contractors in tech, and several other fields, can make similar money (factoring in that few fields would require as much downtime) without putting their lives at risk and without going into near total isolation for weeks at a time.

So...it's a pretty good living, but it's not a good life unless you just really love diving. But, even then, I can't imagine this is the fun kind of diving. Then again, as with most high dollar specialist industries, someone ambitious could probably work in it for a few years and then start a company and become management/sales/support for a team of lower ranking folks who do the hard work of actually diving. That's common in a lot of jobs that are hard on your body, like construction.