New diver seriously considering pro.

[tdtaylor]

I agree with Dennis.

I chose the professional route, started a company, built it up, am selling it and am just over 50 and will retire in two months, and will never have to work again. I have throughly thrown myself into diving in the last few years as my daughters have left the nest, and have personally started the DiveCon training. But I am over 50, and can't see myself progressing past DiveCon. I love to teach, giving me great satisfaction, and some day may pursue Instructor for personal satisfaction, but at this point in my life I don't have the fortitude or will power (or youthful body) to start over. Of course, I would teach with my current LDS, which is a class operation (and have been asked if I'm interested in purchasing an Ownership position).

So like Dennis, in spite of all you have read, consider going for it, if only for a few years. I have a good buddy who learned with me (he is 25) and has a passion for diving. After many conversations, he went for it, and is down South in the tropics. If for only a couple of years. Then he will fall back on the profession he went to college for. He will have great memories, will look back fondly for his entire life, but something hasn't rung true.

With all of this said, I do have problems with an industry that will not pay its professionals a decent, livable wage. My buddy is definitely not receiving this. My field, Architecture, has been in that predicament for years, but is finally starting to make improvements, although the recent recession is put a big hit on that. Many a architectural graduate worked for a big name firm for free after a Masters degree for "experience" (Never at my firm!). Can't post my true thoughts about that. This is not right, and I have worked to change it. I don't know the dive industry well enough, but there must be a way to improve the situation. OR else I am just naive....IMHO.

Let the flaming start...

 

[DukeAMO]

Eh, it's just simple economics. Fair or not, there are plenty of DMs and DMCs who are willing to work for almost free, so the shops will continue to pay them almost nothing. This allows the shops to charge less for their services, making them more competitive with other shops. I don't think it will ever change.

I know a lot of people in the arts (dance, photography, etc.), and they have the same problem there. For example, my friend's a photographer and it costs her about $300 to do a photography session for a family, when you consider the cost of the equipment and how long it lasts. She has to charge that just to break even. Then there are photographers out there with $100 Groupons, who are actually losing money, and she has to compete with that. It keeps the prices low enough that most photographers need to have a "day job" too.

 

[Colliam7]

Anyways, my question is this. Is it possible to get into diving on some sort of an apprentice deal? Seeing as I am only able to dive during the summer, I have very little experience (Total of 32 dives, however I feel very comfortable diving, and have tried some difficult conditions like strong current/heavy surf), so obviously I would need some more experience, but I'm thinking I could get the experience while learning as a part of an apprenticeship/internship?

And, what would YOU offer as value, in exchange for the opportunity for an internship / apprenticeship? Please understand, I am not being critical, only realistic. It will be tough to find something with your background. Why would someone offer that opportunity to you, even at no cost, when there are DMs clamoring for the same deal, and have the DM credential to offer as value in exchange for the opportunity? Better to have a professional credential (Instructor, NOT just DM), which offers the dive op something in exchange. If you don't have that, expect to pay for the privilege of an internship / apprenticeship.

There would of course be a financial issue as well. If I were to live in a Caribbean/central American country, I could live of my savings for a while, however covering both rent and living expenses would be difficult. Do dive shops offer any hospitality / salary for rent for people doing internships? or do you just have to figure that out yourself?

The best way to find out is to ask - not most of us on SB, but the resorts / dive ops - in Central / Latin America, in Southeast Asia, etc. In your position, you need: a) a roof over your head, b) food to sustain you, and c) money for incidentals such as i) clothing (minimal) and ii) dive gear repair / replacement. Can you support yourself for 2 years? better to go to one of the Instructor mills in one of these geographic locations, fork out the money to do: i) DM, and ii) IDC, then see what you can work out.

I am not trying to discourage you. The best time to do what you are wondering about is NOW. Do it before you have financial obligations. Do it while you are young, unattached, low maintenance (in terms of personal expenses). Find a resort where you can earn your Instructor credential, and where you MIGHT be able to hire on (probably at less than minimum wage) as a dive 'worker'.

How do people, who are not from dive-popular regions, get into professional diving? How do they financially handle it? How do they get around the need-experience-to-work/need-work-to-gain-experience problem?

By relocating to a dive-popular region and paying for the privilege of being an indentured servant. Simple as that. Or, relocating to a dive-popular region, with a paying job of some type, and supporting themselves while they earn the credential.

You don't have to do the work forever. Do it for 2-3 years, then go home to a better paying job, but as an Instructor with a WHOLE LOT of real world experience.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Colliam makes a great point. I've placed a lot people over the years as a VRC and later placed numerous interns while teaching at a university. I never did it on the basis of anything other than how this person could boost the companies bottom line. Any other motive just isn't going to go the distance, and you need a marketable skill - it could be great soft skills, personality, ability to teach, sell, work on regs, etc, but there has to be something you offer over a host of other potential candidates.

 

[diverrex]

Not to be harsh on the OP but I wonder why any dive center should take the chance on a diver with only 32 dives? How do you even know you would be a good DM? More importantly on what basis would the dive center know? There is no easy way. You need to dive more. If it's boring diving where you so what do it. Then you may need to move where there is good diving and get any type of job you can get and figure out how to go diving. You may need the non diving job to pay rent and food and then nights and weekends you apprentice at the dive center for no pay but in return you may get to dive some. Where I live in SoCal the DM's on local boats get no pay just tips and maybe one free short dive during the trip, but there are still lots of DM's willing to do it.

Dive more, get your instructor cert, learn to work on regs, compressors, boat engines etc. Then you become more marketable.

 

[halocline]

I am currently finishing my masters degree in economics, and I am considering diving professionally afterwards.

I think in short, my question is this. How do people, who are not from dive-popular regions, get into professional diving? How do they financially handle it? How do they get around the need-experience-to-work/need-work-to-gain-experience problem?

Unfortunately, you have done things a little backwards. You should not have spent your college years majoring in something difficult that requires real work; you should have used higher ed for what it was designed to do- provide a convenient background for incessant partying and juvenile behavior! Then you might have been ready to face the world as an adult instead of trying to live the dream....but I digress.

If you move to a place like Roatan or Utila, you can bond with lots of other people thinking (if considering a career in diving can really be called 'thinking') just like you. You can pay about $1000 to take a divemaster internship, live cheap on the island and have a blast. After, if you still are interested, you could go for the instructor course and exam, I think that's about $1500 or so, then maybe you could find a job teaching for a few hundred a week. So, you might re-coup your investment in a year or two, if you can scrounge for food and live under a tree.

Eventually the careers in diving (meaning actually making enough money to live reasonably) typically are connected with either dive gear sales or tourism. At that point its much more about being a business person than a diver. If I were going into it, I would definitely stay on the tourism side.

So head off to one of the DM internships in Central America or SE Asia, and have a great time for a relatively small amount of money. Who knows, maybe you'll meet a nice girl with a very rich father.....problem solved!

 

[g1138]

Best case scenario. Get your MA, look for a job at an aquarium in the Marketing division. Then join the volunteer dive roster.

 

[o2dependant]

I was kind of in your position when I was 24.

I did a five year plan that would get me to the top of phase 1 in my careerpath. This was to be in a position that I would have enough experience,contacts, acquaintances and a reputation that would give me the flexibility totake the foot off the gas, and have a financial plan in place to secure myfuture. I got to where I wanted to be by 30 and spent a further 2 years tieingup loose ends and saving the cash to take a year out.

This is what I'm doing now.

Talking to many dive business owners, instructors and Dive masters has given mean opportunity to map out the how's when and where's of my next phase. What Ihave learned is that putting aside all the hard work you have put into gettinga degree would not be a move I would make. This industry offers a mediocrelifestyle at best at Instructor level. I've talked with dozens of people doingDivemaster courses and planning to do their instructor course, when most ofthem could not lead you to the boat let alone take control of a dive group.They will all be certified by now. Now they will have to become diveinstructors as they are convinced they can "live like kings" inThailand. There are internships available for you to do but the investment youwill have to put into getting it would be negative against paying for thecourse outright. The main benefit of an internship from what I can see is thatyou will become qualified at which point you will have a lot more experience indealing with other divers, cultures and everything that comes with that.

So in a nut shell my advice is Get a job In a place where you can access divingor insted of going home on your vacations get some cheap lodgings close to adiving options make some contacts there and see if you could help them out as aDM during peak seasons for little to nothing incentive. This will get you usedto dealing with Divers with different ranges of experience and get you in thewater upto 4 times a day for free whilst taking a break. Secure your future whilstobtaining some pro dive qualifications. Get yourself into a position where youcan rent out your home and take some time out to go instruct.

 

[tyesai]

Many people focus on the money aspect of it. The coolest 2 people I've met so far diving aren't the hobby types like me but the divemasters that are sleeping here or there and scrounging around some money for a plane ticket to Australia, or Thailand. I've asked them what they are doing in Spain and they just came here for the summer (sounded like a good time) and found some work. Do you want to make a living or do you just want to live life for awhile?

 

[tracydr]

Why can't you dive in Denmark? Surrounded by water? If you get a drysuit, I think you'll find some divers in your area and some spectacular cold water diving. This will allow you to increase your dive numbers and add a dive skill to increase your marketability as a diver. Plus, you may find a local dive group that you enjoy. By learning to dive in your local area, you will find a whole new type of diving beyond tropical diving.
I think there might be a GUE instructor or group in Denmark.
I realize that getting a drysuit mat be finacially difficult and you don't have a car but you may find the local divers will be helpful in getting you started. Maybe you can find used gear and rides? At 34 dives, I have a hard time believing any water is boring, at least if you're inclined to want to be a dive pro. I really think getting more dives should be first on your list.
I still enjoy our local mud hole, which truly is a mud hole, after hundreds of dives, because at least I'm diving. Heck, I enjoy diving in my pool!