Considering a career in diving

Hi,

I'm a PADI certified open water diver considering a career in recreational diving. Can anyone offer advice on job prospects once you're a certified instructor, asst. instructor or dive master? Is it really terribly difficult to find work? Some websites that discuss careers in diving would be very helpful if anyone has links.

Thanks!
Aubrey

aujax once bubbled...
Hi,

I'm a PADI certified open water diver considering a career in recreational diving. Can anyone offer advice on job prospects once you're a certified instructor, asst. instructor or dive master? Is it really terribly difficult to find work? Some websites that discuss careers in diving would be very helpful if anyone has links.

Thanks!
Aubrey

Click to expand...

Finding work isn't hard but getting paid adequately is.

I sometimes joke that DM's are paid in air and in some places it's *almost* true. I work for a club and get paid in air and free "stuff" from the store where the club is based and for me that's ok because diving is just a hobby and I get paid well for my day-job. In my case it's just enough to cover the costs of my hobby. I suspect on the whole DM's probably make a little more than minimum wage but almost nobody I know is really making a full time career out of it. The margins are just too small. On the other hand, if you "freelance" wherever the work is and don't mind never being home and living with just the basics etc then there's lots of work out there but there's a really big lifestyle decision to be made if you go that route. I always thought that would be fun for a few years.

R..

Pro Dive in Ft Lauderdale, Florida USA seems like a good place. YOu may find some interesting info there. They offer some useful courses.


www.prodiveusa.com

Become a commercial diver. In the UK, there're getting rid of all the Rescue Service Divers and just contracting the jobs out, so you could train to do that. Or you could work as a safety diver on film sets.

yes but you dont need to be a commercial diver for those positions, I think the requirement is BSAC Dive leader or above, SaR course of some kind, available immediatly after call out, and be within the vacinity of the area you are serving (the thames in my case)

commercial diving is an expensive endeavour, about 18K to become a Closed Bell Saturation diver over here, wages are good, if you can find the work, I've heard it's pretty scarce, but cant confirm that myself

In the receational world, if you are seeking a fulltime career, much will depend on where you are willing to go.

As an instructor or assistant instructor, alot will depend on the demand of people seeking training. In many places the dive shop owner is the instructor. However, in resort areas or areas were there is alot of local diving, an instructor may be an employee who teaches and works in the LDS or DMs on the boat.

As a divemaster, you would have to live in a place with alot of diving going on year round such as the Florida Keys. Divemasters I know in Miami generally make $50 per half day boat trip, plus tips.

Commercial Diving as previousally mentioned is a different world about as far from the recreational environment as can be. Speaking from experience, diving is only the means to get to where the task is to be performed (welding, burning, inspection, construction, etc).

Hi Aubrey,

I can understand the feeling you are going throught right now. As soon as I completed my OW course I wanted to be a instructor and a year later now I am. My experience in looking for Dive employment is that you need to work in the tropics where there are lots of oppurtunitys. Like yourself I am from a region where diving isnt exactly the biggest industry (British Columbia Canada), and finding steady work here is tough. After months of debate I have decided to leave dive instruction as a part time endeavour and go back to school. However I highly reccomend becoming a instructor for many reasons. One is the feeling of satisfaction instructors get from introducing non-divers to the underwater world. Go for it because youll never regret it.

aujax:

Hi,

I'm a PADI certified open water diver considering a career in recreational diving. Can anyone offer advice on job prospects once you're a certified instructor, asst. instructor or dive master? Is it really terribly difficult to find work? Some websites that discuss careers in diving would be very helpful if anyone has links.

Thanks!
Aubrey

Click to expand...