If you’ve thought about becoming a Scuba Diving Instructor, there are some important factors to keep in mind. There are many scuba diving organizations to choose from. PADI and SSI are only two of the more well-known industry associations. It’s required that you must have graduated high-school and be over 18 years of age to become a diving instructor. You need to pass a physical exam, signed by your medical physician as well as taking a First-Aid course and become certified in CPR. You really need to feel very comfortable being in the water and you should know how to swim. People’s lives will be depending on your abilities and knowledge, too.
Aside from that, you must possess and be familiar with your own diving equipment. This equipment includes but is not limited to, mask, snorkel, gloves, fins, air tank, and an exposure suit. You will also need the know how to determine if the equipment is defective before you can instruct. Many hours of diving will be necessary and the time for logged dives varies per school but expect to need on average 60 logged dives to enroll in an accredited institution. A logged dive basically means that you’ve dived deeper than 5ms for longer than 20 mins each dive.
New To Diving?
If you’re completely new to diving, expect a decent 6 months of your life spent attaining the necessary skills to become an instructor. Your equipment alone may cost you upwards of $2000 depending on the brands you select. From novice level, to completing the instructor course, the fees may also cost you an extra $5000. However, note that some countries offer far cheaper pricing such as in Thailand. Another method to cut some of the cost is to approach a dive shop.
Sometimes dive shops will train you as a Dive Master, if you give a considerable amount of your time working for them. A Dive Master essentially means that your knowledge is equivalent to an institute’s courses for Rescue Diver, Open Water, and Advanced Water. A Dive Master, is not an instructor but more of a supervisor. But, this level of profession is necessary before you can go on to becoming an instructor.
Once Accredited
As an instructor, there is still a lot of training and knowledge you can achieve. There are 5 other specialties at the instructor level, such as Underwater Fish Identification, and you must complete over 25 certifications before applying for Master Scuba Diving Trainer. From there, you can go on to Staff Instructor or even go as high as a Course Director.
When you’re an instructor, you’re going to have exposure to a range of people with varied backgrounds, so, it’s important that you have strong interpersonal relation skills. You will need to clearly explain the methods to your students, know how to manage problems and maintain their attention. It is quite a big step to make if you are coming from a regular job as, unless you’re employed at a well established dive shop, you will find no actual contract for employment, and no salary, just payments in cash. However if you love diving, and you’re willing to put in the effort – becoming a diving instructor can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things you ever do.
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This article is written on behalf of specialist diving equipment manufacturer and distributor Northern Divers. To find out more about diving equipment jump over the Northern Divers Youtube channel.