Languages in scuba diving.

Language for a divemaster to learn


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UserNameBella

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As an afterthought to a reply I got from the going pro section, where I was told- hey learn a new language, be a great dive master. Solid advice!

Well diving the tropics is winding down for me. I have the time.

So.....

What languages do you hear as you travel on dive boats? I always hear English everywhere I go but since I have that down pat it is a given. Are there other languages that you can recommend that maybe the divers don't speak but the crew will (Vietnamese, Spanish ect.)

Other than English divers (including American, Canadian etc.) what other countries have a lot of divers that can afford to travel, thereby making learning some of their language a great idea?

I have only visited central and south america and the caribbean, but I would like to get a better picture of the diving world, not just my little sliver of it.

Let me know your experiences.

Thanks!

Bella
 
Japanese is very common on Hawaii. I've been on dive boats with groups of Japanese divers. Some were fluent in English, others the DM had trouble communicating with. They seemed to have pretty "upscale" dive gear so often that translates into being affluent. Some larger resorts have full-time Japanese speakers on staff also.
 
Depends on who the person is and where they are travelling.

The diving world is like the rest of the world - there's lots of people speaking lots of languages.

If I were going to learn any language today... it would be Mandarin.

---------- Post added March 29th, 2015 at 08:08 PM ----------

PS - not sure why you'd list "Mandarin or Cantonese" together. It's be like listing "Italian or German" as a single option. Mandarin is the world's most common language with nearly 1 billion native speakers; 15% of the world's population. I think Cantonese is like #25 or so... and far less than 1% of the world's population. It's right around the same as Polish or Turkish.
 
Q1: What language should I learn so I can communicate with the crew?
A1: It depends on where.

Q2: What language should I learn so I can communicate with customers?
A2: It depends on where.
< For the same location it will often be a different language than Q1. >

So: Where do you want to go?
 
Depends on who the person is and where they are travelling.

The diving world is like the rest of the world - there's lots of people speaking lots of languages.

If I were going to learn any language today... it would be Mandarin.

---------- Post added March 29th, 2015 at 08:08 PM ----------

PS - not sure why you'd list "Mandarin or Cantonese" together. It's be like listing "Italian or German" as a single option. Mandarin is the world's most common language with nearly 1 billion native speakers; 15% of the world's population. I think Cantonese is like #25 or so... and far less than 1% of the world's population. It's right around the same as Polish or Turkish.

I stuck them together in case someone didn't know the difference and instead of taking two spots for them or having to write Chinese, which most people of Chinese descent don't like as they are two distinct different languages. It's more like putting Portuguese and Spanish together I think. Given the choice I would learn Mandarin, but in the hopes of not offending anyone or naming a language that does not exist ie Chinese I just wrote it as such. Anyone learning Mandarin should learn a few words of Cantonese anyways I think. But writing Chinese is like writing Mexican as a language. It isn't one. And I'm not that silly that I think it is.

---------- Post added March 29th, 2015 at 08:24 PM ----------

Q1: What language should I learn so I can communicate with the crew?
A1: It depends on where.

Q2: What language should I learn so I can communicate with customers?
A2: It depends on where.
< For the same location it will often be a different language than Q1. >

So: Where do you want to go?

Anywhere where the diving is good. What is your language experience in your travels. I can learn any language really. No hemisphere is out of bounds for me, I just haven't left my current one except to go south. I just need to know what others see as being useful. It seems everyone knows a little English. What countries have a lot of divers or dive operations? What do they speak?
 
I stuck them together in case someone didn't know the difference and instead of taking two spots for them or having to write Chinese, which most people of Chinese descent don't like as they are two distinct different languages. It's more like putting Portuguese and Spanish together I think. Given the choice I would learn Mandarin, but in the hopes of not offending anyone or naming a language that does not exist ie Chinese I just wrote it as such. Anyone learning Mandarin should learn a few words of Cantonese anyways I think. But writing Chinese is like writing Mexican as a language. It isn't one. And I'm not that silly that I think it is.

My Chinese mother-in-law says there is only one Cantonese phrase a Mandarin speaker needs to know:

&#25265;&#27465;. &#25105;&#19981;&#20250;&#35828;&#31908;&#35821;.

:D
 
My Chinese mother-in-law says there is only one Cantonese phrase a Mandarin speaker needs to know:

&#25265;&#27465;. &#25105;&#19981;&#20250;&#35828;&#31908;&#35821;.

:D

If I dive in Asia I'm going to pre write that on all dive slates....muahahaha. :D
 
Dive Boats South East Asia - Russian, Japanese, Korean, French
 
A few people have mentioned Chinese and I would agree - it's becoming a huge market, especially in SE Asia (last year PADI held their first ever Chinese only Course Director Training Course in Beijing), and fluent Chinese speaking instructors are going to be earning a lot of money in the coming years - there's not many out there yet.

Working in Egypt the most sought after were Russian, Italian and German; I learned enough German to give briefings and conduct DSDs but not to teach a full Open Water course; I learned some basic Arabic mostly to be polite and respectful to the locals and the boat crews, but 9 times out of 10 it was easier to communicate in their English rather than my Arabic!

Cheers
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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