Having experienced the thrill and adventure of scuba diving, many divers wish to teach scuba to others, but a large number give upon their dream to work elsewhere. If you are passionate about diving and wish to keep that passion alive with a diving career, you'll find enough opportunities and options waiting for you.
When you think of scuba jobs, are the dive master and instructor the only jobs that come to mind? Well, think again.
Dive related careers give you the opportunity to dive every day and far off travel is always an option. But once you obtain your certification, it can give you access to new possibilities. You will enjoy the work of a dive professional but you have to do it in a professional manner and to standards.
The path to becoming a dive professional is well defined. There are two pre-requisites to become a diving instructor – you need to be able to teach and have patience.
The journey from Open Water Diver to Open Water Instructor is a simple one. The rescue diver course is a must to enter the Dive master training program, the first professional level in scuba diving.
Dive Master Program
You need to complete the Rescue Diver course (which is a pre-requisite) and have 40 logged dives to enroll in the Dive master program.
You would need to map a dive site, give dive briefings and other related tasks. You may have sessions to train you in programs you can conduct as a dive master and as your role in supporting an instructor in classes.
Divemasters help instructors teach scuba courses and can have leadership responsibilities that result in earning.
Instructor Development Course (IDC).
This is the next step. The IDC consists of the Assistant Instructor (AI) course and the Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) program. A Dive master who has been a certified diver for at least six months and has at least 60 dives is eligible for the instructor programs.
Remember that most instructors started as Open Water Divers and progressed through different courses gaining skill before advancing to Dive master.
Other Diving Jobs
If you want to be in scuba diving, but do not want to teach, you can take up other options.
Knowledgeable scuba divers with a background in hospitality can be an asset to dive resorts and dive shops. You could also take up sales and marketing in the diving industry.
Martin Wynn
