How old is too old to start a career in diving?

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Hmm. I would say 18 is too old if you are looking for a “career.”
 
I am late to the conversation, and haven't read the whole thread.

It is pretty well known, that you are unlikely to become a millionaire as a diving instructor......unless you start with two million.

However, one noticeable thing in the uk, there are a fair number of ex-services people who have taken 'second' careers in the diving industry. Age is not the barrier. They do have the benefit of a military pension to look forward too, or even to live on.
I have had friends who've worked as instructors and guides on liveaboards. I also know a few that have been professional instructors. A lot of the facilities I use, I am a repeat customer, so know the owners well.
Working at the front line of the diving industry, is generally one of long hours, with few days off, especially if the diving is seasonal. That said, I would say that those know that have spent a few years working in the dive industry do it because they enjoy it, and the related lifestyle.

I know a few friends that worked the live aboard circuit. They are back in mainstream employment, but they certainly don't regret the period they had, breathing sea air, in the sun, travelling the world, meeting new people, with the bonus of excellent diving.

I think the biggest barrier is fear, of what might, or might not happen, of change, and of risk.
I am not really in a position, to talk, having been more or less in the same carrier for a very long time. But if the opportunity presents itself, its better to follow your dream, even if it turns out only for a short period, than look back regretting you never took the opportunity that presented when it presented.

Gareth
 
Hi divers,

I thought I'd get a conversation started about age and the diving industry. I'm 32 and heading overseas to finally achieve my dream of becoming a dive instructor. A couple of questions

Do you think this is too old to start a successful career in diving?
What do you think the advantages/disadvantages are of joining the diving industry after your 20s?
Do you also think it's possible to have both worlds - work as a dive instructor or somewhere else in the dive industry and still raise a family if the opportunity came along with the right person?
Do you think the diving industry is an ageing one and there for there are more older instructors about?

I've been wanting to achieve this dream for so many years and my main concern is I should have started many years ago in the industry and I'll be disadvantaged by my age. I've been diving since 2012 in place such as Belize, Mexico, Jordan, Thailand, Komodo, Bunaken...the list goes on! I plan on becoming MSDT certified in Thailand at this stage.

Thank you,
Lisa
 
Hi Mr. Gareth,
i can't answer your question, but all what i want to say is, i had started Scuba Diving licence at 2008, then i got advanced licence at 2016 then master Diver licence at 2020 (within Covid 19 pandemic)
by the way I'm 47 years old and I have same your goal, i don't know if i can achieve it or not. but i will keep taking new higher courses when i have a chance without hesitate, either I become a certified instructor or I will keep trying.
 
I became an instructor at 20.
A top level one at 24 (CMAS 3 stars and director of the diving school of my town).
At 25 I bacame a pro, being hired (together with my wife, who is also an instructor) by Club Vacanze, one of the best Italian tour operators, running a dozen of resorts in Italy, Crete, Seychelles, Maldives, Trinidad, Kenya, Tanzania...
In years 1985-1989 we worked in these fabolous luxury resorts, entirely expensed of lodging, food, drinks, clothes and diving equipment.
The wage, indeed, was truly low, less than 500 USD/month.
However it was a nice life, and for 5 years we enjoyed it immensely. Then we made our first son, and we changed life completely. I was 30. My wife wanted to stay at home and play the housewife, growing our children, and I had to make a normal job for feeding all of us.
In my opinion a single income as scuba instructor cannot be enough for sustaing a whole family.
We had friends that continued this work also making babies, but their life has not been easy.
And it was in 1990-1995, when the diving industry was booming...
I fear that in the next 2-3 years we will have a deep crisis.
I am sorry, it is not the good time for starting a career related to tourism.
However there are other ways to fulfill your passion.
I managed to progressively steer my normal job towards diving.
I was a researcher at the University, and after some hard years I became professor. As such I am free to do my research on the topics I want, so I started a number of projects in underwater acoustics. This did allow me to convert myself to a marine scientist, which is another nice job. Paid much better than an instructor, with much less responsability and almost total freedom. The only constraint is how much money you get for your projects...
I am almost 62 now, and I have at least other 8 years of pleasant research work to do before retirement...
So I warmly suggest you to evaluate other possibilities than teaching scuba diving. I do not see an easy way to make a succesfull career (in economical terms) in this field just now... And even if also your wife is an instructor, this can be fine only until you make sons...
 
If you don’t have children, I say “go for it”.

I think 32 is still pretty young but I recognize you may have a slightly different outlook on time if starting a family is on your mind.

Work hard at a nice resort or on a liveaboard (or both) and if you find you don’t make enough money to advance towards your bigger life goals, then tap into the network of people you’ve dived with to make the next leap back into a more profitable employment role.
 
You’re not too old to start a career in diving. Hard to say how many opportunities are in the future of diving. Seems technical diving was sort of the cutting edge.

There’s an old joke about the difference between a dive instructor and a large pizza. The pizza can feed a family of four.
 
Old thread, is the OP even still around?

Crap...you’re right. She’s only posted three times and that was two years ago.
 
I realize this is a necro-thread, and the OP is long gone, but since the conversation has resumed, I'll toss my 2 cents in.......
The answer to the question,"how old is too old to start a career in diving", it really depends on two main factors: the individual's health/fitness, and their financial situation.
First, being a divemaster/instructor, can really take a lot out of you. I did it from around age 30, into my 40's, and even though I was a health-fitness buff / gym-rat/ bicycle racer, a 1-2-week stretch of non-stop dive work could really deplete my batteries. I can't recall how many times I'd do a tank or two off the beach with students, then have to take the afternoon 2-tank boat trip out, then be pulling up to the pier late that day, ready to hit the showers and a rum & coke, and see the boss standing there waiting for us, with some tacos and beers, and a big ****-eating grin, saying, "hey bro, uh, you up for taking the night dive out :D?" The tropical sun, and all the energy-sucking water exposure, can seriously
drain the energy out of you. There's also the increased risk of everything from injuries to DCS, as we get older.
Also, there's the financial consideration. As mentioned above, scuba instruction isn't generally isn't a real money-making endeavor. It wasn't uncommon to have a 2 week stretch where I had virtually no work, and that was in a very busy, high-profile dive area like Cozumel. As I was told by a prospective employer in Cancun years ago, "Diving's not about the money, it's about the lifestyle".
Obviously, there are exceptions, and I found a few myself here and there, but the reality is, for the bulk of the professional/recreational dive world, it IS more about the lifestyle than making the big bucks. I walked or rode a bicycle everywhere, and always lived in humble little one-room studio apartments, which suited my needs perfectly, but I've never have made it paying rent in a nice condo on the water.
Now, if you're retired and financially secure, and fit enough to handle the physical demands, there are definitely worse ways to spend your time and effort. I'd say go for it.
I'm thinking a big obstacle though, is finding someone to hire you.
We used to see folks get their DM or Instructor rating all the time, and come down and hit all the dive shops looking for work, and come up empty. There are usually lots of local DM and instructors already available, and shops aren't likely to need, or take a chance, on some random old guy that wandered in off the street.
FWIW, that's my experienced-based opinion on it.
 
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