Question Become an instructor or a rebreather diver?

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Having started out as an instructor first and a rebreather diver much later, I think I wasted a lot of time and money becoming an instructor. I was planning on opening a dive center in Greece, and I still plan to do so, it will be a dive center rarely open, as my focus will be underwater archaeology, for which I have an NGO..I've already begun working it's the Greek government and am flying out to Thessaloniki next month to meet with a university with whom my NGO is collaborating.

Rebreathers take a lot of time and consistent dives so your skills don't degrade.

Just get a rebreather and don't look back. Who knows? Maybe you pop down and join me to look for ancient wrecks that sponge divers have told me about and didn't report to the government.

 

[Superlyte27]

I remember in the 90’s talking to Bill Rennaker about how he had the greatest job in the world as a cave instructor. He laughed and said I didn’t know what I was talking about that any time you take a hobby and turn it into a job it loses a lot of its appeal. I thought he was crazy. I’m now an instructor and IT and Bill was right.

Recently someone asked me if I was going to start being a flight instructor. Hell no. Made that mistake with one hobby. Won’t do it again.

 

[jale]

Thanks guys for the quick response. Really appreciate that! My tech instructor has taught a group of OWSI and instructor trainers so it's like a community of divers. He recommended me to consider to become an OWSI and mentioned all my skills like bouyancy, awareness... could make me a better tech divers. I do believe him in some ways but at this time I'm not into teaching scuba diving path and I do consider my ROI in this sports what could be better for my goals.

Hi
Never ever forget that diving is a Ponzi scheme
The instructors need future divers, and the ITs need future instructors.
In HK (and even in Fanling ), there are too many instructors already but not many make a real living from that.
Forget teaching and spend your time diving and learning...

 

[Superlyte27]

Hi
Never ever forget that diving is a Ponzi scheme
The instructors need future divers, and the ITs need future instructors.
In HK (and even in Fanling ), there are too many instructors already but not many make a real living from that.
Forget teaching and spend your time diving and learning...

It’s more like a broken Ponzi scheme. Ponzi schemes work great. This doesn’t.

ITs build their own competition. Add in that we’re required to teach X amount of instructors to maintain our status and we are REQUIRED to build our own competition. Lol.

 

[jale]

It’s more like a broken Ponzi scheme. Ponzi schemes work great. This doesn’t.

ITs build their own competition. Add in that we’re required to teach X amount of instructors to maintain our status and we are REQUIRED to build our own competition. Lol.

It works for the agencies

 

[OTF]

Going back to OPs original question - another option would be taking some time to do lots of dives and build lots of experience with their new tech certification before jumping to the next level, whatever that may be.

 

[PfcAJ]

Hi Guys,

I have completed by TDI AN,DP,ER training last month and I enjoyed very much. I'm now in a thinking process what I should do next.. I know a lot of rebreather divers are OWSI or have more professional qualifications. I wonder anyone are just rebreather divers? My goal is to do more technical dives going deep, wrecks and eventually caves... I got a feeling being look down if I'm not an instructor. Another concerns that I'm 48 yrs old now, going instructor path would take me sometimes and I could not gain my experience in tech diving and I worry my physical would not be as good down the road. Anyone can share their experiences or comments? Cheers!

Homie you don’t have to be an instructor in this game. I haven’t taught a day in my life (probably never will) and it has been a help rather than a hindrance.

Unless you’re insane (not necessarily a bad thing) instructorship is a fast track to burnout. There are insane people in this thread already, but the ones that aren’t have already quit.

 

[Alex Ouroboros]

Hi Guys,

I have completed by TDI AN,DP,ER training last month and I enjoyed very much. I'm now in a thinking process what I should do next.. I know a lot of rebreather divers are OWSI or have more professional qualifications. I wonder anyone are just rebreather divers? My goal is to do more technical dives going deep, wrecks and eventually caves... I got a feeling being look down if I'm not an instructor. Another concerns that I'm 48 yrs old now, going instructor path would take me sometimes and I could not gain my experience in tech diving and I worry my physical would not be as good down the road. Anyone can share their experiences or comments? Cheers!

I’ve been a ccr diver for many years now and am not an instructor, I do think that people do courses after courses because it seems natural and that’s fine, but I go diving for me, I’ll gladly help others but you must take in to account why you learnt to dive? I did it to have fun, meet likeminded people and explore, some people do cert crunch and that’s fine if that’s how you think you’ll enjoy it. Go with your own gut on this one

 

[Superlyte27]

It works for the agencies

It’s not really. Ask Padi what their fine was for the girl who died overweighted in the drysuit. I think it was 150 million.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

It’s not really. Ask Padi what their fine was for the girl who died overweighted in the drysuit. I think it was 150 million.

If they had a system in place for ensuring instructors knew what they were doing, how much revenue would they have given up over the years. Definitely more than $150. You are talking about an industry where maximizing revenue requires allowing some people to die.