Advice on aiming my life towards diving

[Marc van der Veen]

Fellow divers, I need your help! I'm missing diving since the day I got back from Borneo last year. Fed up being an office monkey I've decided to throw my life around while I still can and go diving, period. Diving doesn't come cheap and I've got a lot to learn as well as an AOW diver.
The next logical step seems to be to get EFR and Rescue Diver and then go for DM. I'm planning to do a DMT internship somewhere and hope to stay there to work as a DM or travel onward to another location to work as a DM and I'll see where it'll take me.

There is a vast amount of information to find everywhere (a bit too much perhaps) but I'd like to hear your personal experiences as well on a few questions I have. Since I've just started out this search everything,tips etc. is welcome!

Since I've been diving in Asia (Thailand+Malaysia) last year I know I like it there but I'm still open to everything else, something new is always appreciated by me.

- How realistic it this plan of mine? I'm going to go through with it anyway but I'd like to know where I stand or I can plan/handle things differently.
- I'm planning to go in august/september 2012. Leaving from The Netherlands to ...? The big question is where do I'm going to my DMT.
- I don't have a time schedule at all so lots of time to do it (preferably as well to get the most out it, dive more + learn more).
- Own materials? Got my own mask but needing some fins, dive computer, wet suit and/or rash guard, am I missing something? Tips on those?

Since I'll be staying somewhere for a extended period of time the location is preferred to:
- have a large variety of marine life. I love big stuff but I can appreciate some macro stuff as well.
- be warm. So a tropical environment it is, definitely, i hate the cold.
- have a dive center with some great knowledgeable instructors
- be not too expensive, of course, but since I really don't mind basic accommodation this shouldn't be a very big problem. No rose petals on the bed for me please, diving is key.
- atmospheric/lively. Not looking for a party location but can appreciate some liveliness since I'll be staying there for a while. I've been to Semporna (Sabah) last year and that place was really really boring, and ugly as well imho.

I hope you guys can help me or steer me in the right direction! Everything is appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Marc

 

[DevonDiver]

Learn languages.

You either want to dive or party. Decide which.

Take a hammock - ends the worry about rose petals on your bed.

Prepare your mind for hard work, long hours and aching muscles... or just accept you're seeking a glorified holiday with a card at the end.

 

[Marc van der Veen]

Good point on the languages. My English is great, speak Dutch as well of course, some basic German and learning Spanish at the moment.

Diving - definitely. Really don't mind hard work and long hours etc. so I'm really not seeking a glorified holiday with a card at the end. I'm exploring so who knows where this will take me, you could be right at the end that this is nothing for me but at the moment I'm convinced I'm going to love it.

I'd like to emphasize the word 'preferably' by the way. By no means I meant I'd have to have all that I named, most importantly are the 3 top things, good instructors+warm+diverse marine life. (warm should be easy though)

Marc

 

[waterpirate]

No in advance the only pot of gold you will find is the one you make for yourself. Diving as a lifestyle prior to allready makeing a pot full of money will leave you rich with life experiances, new challenges, and a well rounded diver.

Travel light, travel frequently, and sea the world underwater. 70% of the planet and all
Eric

 

[Marc van der Veen]

Perhaps misunderstood but not looking for any money Eric, just enough to keep the diving life sustainable. Of course I've got some saved up to get me started.

And perhaps I'm asking it all wrong (and long? ) and I should be asking: If I want to aim my life towards diving, how would I go about it?

 

[supergaijin]

Dutch/German languages are very handy to have.

What I would say is to do the DM course in Netherlands- the training you will have to do in those conditions will beat the pants off anything you can find in SE Asia. After a solid DM course, your next concern is to find work.

Working straight after DM internship is actually pretty difficult to find nowadays- if you are 22, blonde and look good in a bikini you definitely have an advantage in SE Asia for work as a DM but you will be doing it illegally in many countries. The only countries where i have been 100% legal was NZ and Maldives.

If you are serious about doing diving as a career, take the training in a different area than 99% of the other DMs who tend to drop out after 6 months of livin' the dream in a bucket of Chang.

 

[Marc van der Veen]

Thanks, I'm no 22yr old blonde and don't think bikini's would look very appealing either so rule that one out

Agreed on training here in NL, would be building a better skillset for myself so a good reason to make me a better diver. But work-related, would it really help getting work afterwards?

I'm pretty serious about it, since I want to make some changes in my life and this is going to be the first big step towards living a life for myself instead of being just-another-office-monkey.

I tend to choose for a more remote location, I really need a break from my life here (and not about the weather, that's just a bonus). Aniother reason of course is the more diverse marine life and clear waters but in the long run that doesn't matter if I go there later to work. I thought that perhaps if I did my DMT there there would be a chance of hanging around and working there as a DM but seeing your response on difficulty finding work I guess that chance if pretty low, right?

 

[DivemasterDennis]

As a predicate to setting off to live the life of a dive professional in a tropical paradise, its good if you are either a recent lottery winner, a trust fund beneficiary, or are otherwise independently wealthy, or at least comfortable. There is work to be had for competent divemasters, but the pay is modest. Instructors do better, and boat captains better still. The top of the food chain is where you find boat owners, resort owners and dive shop owners. That being said, if you can survive on modest income and bare bones accommodations, go for it.
DivemasterDennis

 

[supergaijin]

I can only say from my experience in SE Asia that getting work as a DM after training is difficult- not impossible but difficult. More and more countries around the world are reserving the DM jobs for locals only, so they only employ foreigners if they are instructors.

My suggestion would be to do the DM in the Netherlands, get as much experience there as you can; not just underwater, any dropkick can do that- get experience in the workshop, on the boat, on the computer, on the phone etc. You can find good quality equipment on ebay for a decent price... if you know what you're looking for. If you do the DM locally, your instructor may be able to point you to some other things besides what's available in the shop at full retail.

Then think about going to a tropical place like SE Asia and do the OWSI. If you show yourself to be a cut above the rest, you can then get work in the area and get a few certs under your belt. Understand that many of the places that are willing to employ freshly minted OWSIs are looking for people that will conform to their course structures which often means teaching at a pace you're not prepared for. But it is an introduction to 'the industry'.

From there start to look elsewhere in the world- many places around the world are always looking for German/Dutch speakers- I regularly see advertisements in the Maldives on the PADI Employment board for example as it's very popular with Europeans. When you go further afield, you need more and more all-round ability to cope with the isolation factor.

Languages are key to finding work, but there are many things that help in getting work such as the ability to repair equipment, generators, boat handling skills... you need to stand out as someone who can do things besides getting people in and out of the water. This is IMO more rewarding than repeating skills in a pool all day. I think you have a better chance of getting this training in a local DC as opposed to overseas where sometimes you are just another DMT.

Always remember that the easiest part of the day is underwater- you may work a 12hr day but spend maybe 3 hrs actually underwater- the rest is communicating, teaching, assisting, up-selling, repairing gear etc.

If I had to decide between 2 equal candidates for a job- one with their DM done in a cold-water country and the other who specialised in the tropics only, I'd pick the cold-water diver every time, so yes it can and does make a difference.

Finally, have a look at Dumaguete in the Philippines- there is a good variety of diving, it's a tropical paradise, there are some quality instructors there to learn from, it's not too expensive to live, there is a life away from just diving etc, it's a little bit off the 'main' tourist trail, people are nice, there's a university nearby so some good bars with live music. If I wasn't committed to my DC here in the Maldives, I'd probably be there.

Good luck

 

[requin02]

German and dutch speaking dm/instructors would have no trouble finding work around the Mediteranean for sure.

Viele spass,

R.