Going Pro

[RJP]

RJP::Why not get a job for your wife, send the kids to gramma's for 6 months and try your hand at it. You'll find out pretty quickly if it's for you.

You're asking the wrong guy...

Mrs RJP already works. How else could I afford all this cool gear and dive travel?

 

[emttim]

You're asking the wrong guy...

Mrs RJP already works. How else could I afford all this cool gear and dive travel?

Actually, this brings up a good point...whatabout the OP's girl getting a job that can support both of them so he doesn't have to bring home the bacon in the first place? It'd take away a lot of the stress.

 

[BarryNL]

The good news is, you can dive all you want for free. Of course the main reason that's good news is that on what an instructor makes you wouldn't be able to afford to go diving if you couldn't dive for free.

Plus, of course, all those free dives will be spent watching students and once-a-year vacation divers instead of the pretty fishes.

 

[BarryNL]

Thanks guys for your suggestions. I think a wiser way to go for it would be to teach on weekends. Atleast that may pay for my scuba diving...

Good luck. Most weekend instructors are lucky if they can cover their PADI membership and insurance fees. My Divemaster work doesn't even cover the costs of my petrol.

 

[SmileMon]

Here in Israel I know of a few instructors that don't have a dive shop but will still sell gear if asked, they cut on their expenses by paying the bare minimum and keeping their gear in other dive shops/garage.

They can sustain themselves, but I don't know of any "rich" instructors, those who choose this profession do it for the fun and satisfaction, not for the money. if your kids dental is important, keep your day job

IMHO Do it for fun, this way it stays fun and not work, besides, don't forget insurance/membership fees are high enough. I probably won't have my membership renewed this year unless I'll do some babysitting dives.

I've heard good rumors about commercial divers making some money but constantly in bad health, I have no clue how true these rumors are, ask around, but I doubt you'll have much fun for a long time as a commercial diver unless you're a salvage diver or some other glorified job description.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

So basically you are saying that its not a wise move?

A wise move for one is not necessarily a wise move for another. Unless you are a troll, just trying to stir up an entertaining thread, filling out an honest complete profile will give the serious answerers a chance to speak more directly to your situation.

Where do you live? Where do you see yourself living as an instructor? How old are you and your dependents? What is your current level of fitness and health? Do you have any experience teaching, especially teaching adventure activities? A PADI instructor can have students anywhere from ages 8 to 80, fitness levels from nearly invalid to pro athlete and IQ's from 50 to +150. It's not like teaching Jr. High math.

Annual membership and insurance is ~$1,000 and personal gear costs rise as dives per year increase, although you can write those costs off your taxes usually. Then there are costs for student gear and supplies, as well as possible training location and transportation costs. An independent instructor would also have to pay the family health insurance out of pocket! Working for an existing dive operator can eliminate/cover nearly all of those costs, but dive shop pay over $100/day is hard to find (annual $25K gross).

There may be pro's in resort areas making annual $31-$50K gross ($125-$200/day, 5 days/week, 50 weeks/year), but those jobs are; very hard to get, not for every instructor/guide and not in areas with reasonable cost of living.

I know of no "professional" instructors who do nothing but teach, guide or work in a shop and make what they see as an adequate living to support themselves and a family.

Unless you have a significant retirement check, a significant other with significant income or significant independent wealth, I concur with Thal. Even a single professional instructor making an adequate living is an endangered species.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Now you are joking cause I have dive shops in my area they do not look so miserable. There is almost 200 percent profit on an equip from mask to BCDs and I know few guys who run their own shop. Its not too bad. Probably you made all the bad choices in your career. My instructor, who is 48, is diving since he was 18 and still teahing it with lot of passion after 30 years and making decent money.

Keystone pricing is a standard retail term meaning 100% markup. The manufacturer sells to a distributer, who marks the item up 100% and sells it to the retail store, who marks it up 100% to sell it to the end user. With the growth in internet sales, brick and mortar retail locations are hard pressed to make sales with the ancient Keystone pricing.

You sound more and more like a troll.

 

[Thalassamania]

Let’s run some simple numbers.

Your goals are rather modest, you want to net $50.000 before taxes and have $20,000 to cover benefits; you want to work 44 weeks per year.

To teach diving you need a pool. If you can get one for $50/hr you’re lucky. Ten hours per week for 44 weeks is $22,000 (maybe you should build your own pool – but that’s another topic).

To teach diving you need a classroom. If you can get one for $20/hr you’re lucky. Ten hours per week for 44 weeks is $8,800 (maybe you should build your own classroom – but that’s another topic).

To teach diving you need tank fills. If you can get them for $5/each you’re lucky. 44 week long courses each with eight students, each using six tanks, costs you $10,560 (maybe you should get your own compressor – but that’s another topic).

To teach diving you need gear. If your courses are 8 students you will need at least 16 sets, if not more. Each set is about $2,000 … so servicing the debt (there’s no depreciation on the gear I assume you sell it off at the end of the year for what you paid for it) is going to be about $3,000.

Dues, insurance, Con-Ed seminars, advertsing, dive shows, etc, will be about $3,000 per year.

You’ll spend $7,000 in automotive costs

Your costs are $54,360. You need to make $70,000 more to make it worthwhile, so that a required gross of $124,360.

I’m not saying that you can … but if you had 8 students per week and taught 44 classes (that’s 352 students), you’d have to charge a bit above $350.00 plus certs and materials to meet your goals.

BTW: The “magic number” for a dive shop to stay alive is often said to be 300 new students per year.

If you disagree with my numbers, or your expectations are different, or your projections are different, that's fine ... in fact that's great ... plug in your own values and share your conclusions.

 

[String]

I have decided to make a career change to scuba diving. Right now I am working on my AOW and hopefully reach OWSI level by the end of this year. I am aiming to eventually reach the Course Director level in years to come.

Ambitious and possibly running before you can walk.

Though I have made the decision, however, I have some dependents too. So, I want to know how much money an OWSI normally make. I realize that it varies from place to place but I would appreciate a general idea. Also, how difficult it is to break in as an instructor?

If you're REALLY lucky you might manage to earn enough money to break even.

I have a degree in civil engineering with a masters in environmental engineering. Can I make a use of that somehow?

Highly unlikely.

 

[fisherdvm]

BTW: The “magic number” for a dive shop to stay alive is often said to be 300 new students per year.

Wow, if that's the case, the dive shops around here must be in abhor poverty. Sad, sad, sad. There are so many dive shops, and so few students.