INTRODUCTION
Living on a beautiful Island somewhere exotic, meeting new people every day, and getting paid to do something you love sounds like an unobtainable dream for most of us.
However, if you have ever taken a dive trip or course somewhere, you have likely found yourself looking at your dive instructor and thinking that they have managed to land a pretty sweet deal.
Whilst it is a well-known fact that you will never become rich if you become a dive instructor, you can’t deny that old saying “find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life”.
If you have an affinity with the ocean and love all things scuba related, then perhaps this is the ideal job for you.
Is It For You?
Whilst on the surface it may look like becoming a dive instructor is an easy job, be aware that it is not just a few hours a day swimming with the fish, and then off to the nearest beach bar for a beer.
Days are long as a dive instructor, with early starts and late finishes.
You are also likely to work a 6-day week, sometimes 7 days if your employer decides it is particularly busy.
Conditions can be brutal – think loading and unloading tanks into boats and cars every day. Now add 40-degree heat and sometimes barely a minute to eat.
Then there is paperwork, and difficult customers, and occasionally panicked or upset divers. It is important to realise that recreational diving is a lot different to professional diving. When you are the customer, you spend your time looking at the beautiful underwater world around you.
As an instructor, you will spend a lot of time looking at other divers, making sure they don’t do anything stupid, and ensuring everyone gets back to the boat or shore safely with air in their tank.
The job requires an awful lot of patience, as some people get things in an instant, and others it can take days.
You have to be able to be approachable and have the kind of personality that puts people at ease in a completely unfamiliar situation.
Why You Do It Then?
With all the above being said, there is no better feeling than introducing someone to this whole other world. Whether it be a nervous child, who’s eyes light up with every passing fish, or an older person who is terrified, but diving is on their bucket list.
The feeling of accomplishment you get when you help someone overcome their fears of diving is like no other.
You form bonds with your students, and when they finally get a skill you have been trying to teach them for hours, you feel like a proud parent!
There will also be days where you are guiding experienced divers, and so you get to enjoy the diving and be paid whilst doing it.
No two days are the same, and when you are spending so much time in the water you are bound to have incredible moments and unforgettable encounters with marine life.
You will also make some incredible friends for life from across the globe, with whom you share a passion for the ocean with.
