Being an Instructor
So, you want to become a scuba instructor?
Sun, salt water, spending every day underwater looking at fish... and you get paid to do it? Sounds like the dream, right? I think that is what a lot of people envision when I tell them that I teach people how to scuba dive for a living and it is not too far from the truth. I love my job and I love sharing my passion for diving and the ocean with people from all over the world.
Whether you are looking for a career change, a break for a few years to do some travel, or perhaps just a weekend dive job to get you in the water more often, becoming a dive instructor can be an amazing life-changing experience. It can also seem daunting to take that first step with thousands of options out there.
This post will give you a few key areas to think about when embarking on dive professional training, some tips and also some realities of the job from a dive professional who has been in the industry for the past 2 years (me!).
THE TRAINING:
Requirements
In order to become a scuba dive instructor, you need to be able to know how to dive and you need to know how to dive well. For this post, I will be mostly speaking about the PADI system as it is what I know best as a PADI dive instructor but there are other options out there (more on this later).
For PADI you need to be a certified Rescue diver to be able to begin PADI Divemaster training (DMT), which is the first dive professional course. The PADI DMT program will usually take anywhere from 2 – 12 weeks but can be done over the course of much longer periods of time if you are taking it slowly and are doing it somewhere locally.
There are a number of dive stores offering 2-3 weeks DMT courses and whilst it is possible to do it in this timeframe, I would not personally recommend that. Understandably, some people try to do this using their annual leave however, the purpose of this post is to provide advice to those wanting to work in the industry. In my opinion, the DMT program is where you learn all the skills needed to become a good diver and to communicate with and help other divers underwater. You master navigational skills, guiding groups, dealing with equipment and clients, and learning the ropes of working in a dive shop on the ground. You also should be assisting instructors on courses and/or participating in workshops. Many dive shops who try to cram this rarely give DMTs proper client experience and I think this is a huge loss to the learning process. I did my program in 8 weeks and think 6-8 weeks is the shortest timeframe I would recommend.
The instructor training course only runs for 2 weeks and is focused on teaching you how to teach other people. It is very focused on learning the teaching methodology of the agency. At this point, you should be comfortable working with people underwater and this is why the DMT program is so important.
Also note that in order to start and finish both the instructor and divemaster training you need to have a minimum number of dives. These can be found on the agency's website and range from 40-60 dives for divemaster and finishing your instructor course with 100 dives.
Know your agencies
A lot of people out there think that in order to dive you need to have a PADI qualification. Whilst this is certainly a popular option, it is not your only option. PADI are one, very successful diving agency, however, there are many others all over the world such as SSI and NAUI.
I am a PADI scuba dive instructor and honestly, the reason for that was that all my training had been done with PADI when I was younger. Whilst I wish I had invested a bit more time in exploring my options, I do not regret my decision. Being a PADI instructor has given me a lot of flexibility as PADI is very widespread and in some of the remote places I have worked PADI was usually the dominant agency. That said if you want to become an instructor to work locally at a certain dive center you should consider what agency they are. Additionally, depending on how you wish to specialize other agencies may be better suited.
Whilst it is an important consideration, do not agonize over it too much as it is always possible to convert across as an instructor to other agencies after qualifying. This will just cost you time and money. It is also possible to become a PADI instructor if you have your primary qualifications with another agency. Be sure to contact your current agency and planned future one to understand what qualifies for the requirements for each course.
Ultimately, this is an individual choice and, despite what people may tell you, no agency is fundamentally better than another. It will depend on your circumstances and what is available to you. What is far more important is WHO trains you both in terms of the quality of the training center and the course director who will be overseeing your training. I will discuss this in more detail later in this section.
Training centers!
By far the most important decision you will make is which dive center you decide to do your professional courses with. You do not have to do your divemaster and instructor training with the same center and in fact doing divemaster training can be a good way to test out an unknown center. I did both my courses with the same center, and I enjoyed the consistency. However, I would recommend throughout all of your learning to mix it up and not get all your training from the same center. Some people do open water through to instructor with the same place, but I think this limits your learning. Getting a wide perspective of experience is crucial to building your own standards of quality.
Researching the course director who will train you is also important. Course directors get recognition for their involvement in training by being rewarded platinum status and this can be a good place to start. I received very good training from a platinum course director in Costa Rica and then additional training from two more fantastic platinum directors in Utila, Honduras.
Where you do your courses is so important for two reasons. Firstly, it is building your foundation of standards and skills. There can be many questionable practices in the industry and if you want to be a good and safe instructor you should do your best to avoid these. Diving is also a small industry so being trained by someone reputable looks good on your CV. Secondly, the easiest first job you will get instructing is at the place that trained you. I would recommend training somewhere that you want to work. It can be hard to get that first job in the industry and you can build that experience in a familiar environment by working where you did your instructor development course for a period of time.
THE DEVELOPMENT:
The scuba diving industry can be a tough industry, like all others, to build experience in. Getting a job where you train is a good place to start. I also would recommend investing in your development by adding some instructor specialties as many dive centres will look for this. Examples of this include Search and Recovery, Enriched Air, and Equipment Specialist. After a couple of years of working I also took the step to become a PADI IDC Staff instructor which means I can assist with instructor training programs and many centres will want you to be at this level to work closely with divemasters.
If you are looking at a longer-term career in scuba, I would recommend looking into ways that you can specialize and carve out a niche for yourself. It will make you more employable and also keep the job from becoming too routine and repetitive. I specialized in marine conservation and coral restoration work and found that I had a passion for working with people on multiweek internships and PADI divemaster courses. By doing this my days never looked the same and I had a range of opportunities that opened up for me. Bringing in skills from previous jobs you have had can also be very useful for a dive centre. Often there will be a need for marketing skills, social media management, and design. Many shops often need gear technicians so if equipment is your passion investing in getting certified to service dive gear can make you indispensable to a dive centre.
The trick with specializing is doing what you are passionate about. Avoid picking something that you think sounds good or that a dive centre is pressuring you to do if you are disinterested in the area. This career is about doing what makes you excited and maintaining that is the only way to stick at it for the long term!
THE LIFESTYLE:
Despite what people may think, being a dive instructor does not mean you are spending every day drinking cocktails on the beach. There will be some jobs like that but then the reality is that you are not making any money during those periods.
Many jobs pay daily or hourly, some have fixed-hour contracts however, this has not been the norm in my experience. The pay is often not high, although the more experienced you are the more pay you can negotiate. Many centres are in remote places and so often board and food can be part of the package. The days can be long with some jobs running from 7am to 6pm with only one day off per week. Scuba diving is that it is usually seasonal work and so I have managed it by working a season and then having a break in-between to avoid burnout.
It is a tiring job, both physically and mentally and whilst I love working as an instructor it is not for everyone. You are often diving 2 or more times per day, moving around gear, and carrying tanks all usually in hot, sunny conditions. You are working with clients who are often in situations that make them nervous and uncomfortable, and you are their lifeline. For me, this is a responsibility I have never taken lightly. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone in the industry. It can have a reputation for partying and drinking and whilst I enjoy a night out from time to time, I had a strict no-party rule before work. It was usually an early bedtime the night before work and with 6 days of work a week that meant I was living a pretty tame lifestyle.
That said it suited me well and I loved the feeling I would get at the end of the day of showing someone something amazing underwater or helping someone overcome a fear and watch them fall in love with diving. If you think you could love it too then pursuing a career in this industry will change your life!
Dive Like a Girl NZ- Wellington Water and Specialty Volunteer Ambassador and PADI dive instructor.