Best Places in the World for Dive Master & Instructor Training?

[Wibble]

The life of a "dive pro" is one that a lot of people fantasise about, certainly me. Love the dream of living in warm locations doing stuff I enjoy, meeting people, teaching and helping people, oh, what's not to like.

Alas the reality's a life of hard work with very little monetary reward. Not dissimilar to that of a chalet-maid over a skiing season to pay for skiing. A lot of fun, especially when you're younger (or older and dreaming of the what-ifs in life...

If you've the opportunity, take it. It would probably be a fun thing to do. Maybe, just maybe, you as a couple might like that life and even look to owning your own dive shack operation and "employ" other people to hump tanks, clean, and look after the punters.

Or is that my fantasy...?

 

[Centrals]

Ski instructor and trekking guide as well.
Give your best shot and see what would happen while physically still capable. Far better than regretting for not trying it in the first place.

 

[Wibble]

TBH at the moment I'd drop everything to go and live a life of penury at some dive resort lugging kit around and dealing with punters... Anything to get out of this lockdown hell the world's in.... Arrrggghhhh, yet another zoom meeting with some talking head corporate drone blathering their incessant nonsense that I've heard for years and years regardless of organisation...

Why can't we buy into a timeshare for a dive shack...!

 

[Centrals]

TBH at the moment I'd drop everything to go and live a life of penury at some dive resort lugging kit around and dealing with punters... Anything to get out of this lockdown hell the world's in.... Arrrggghhhh, yet another zoom meeting with some talking head corporate drone blathering their incessant nonsense that I've heard for years and years regardless of organisation...

Why can't we buy into a timeshare for a dive shack...!

Thailand is open but tough entry requirement.
There is diving in Phuket but by the time you get your visa, completed the 2 wks quarantine the diving season would be almost over.
Best bet is wait until Nov when the season is open again.
Coming from UK you should find the Kingdom relatively cheap.

 

[scubaozy]

TBH at the moment I'd drop everything to go and live a life of penury at some dive resort lugging kit around and dealing with punters... Anything to get out of this lockdown hell the world's in.... Arrrggghhhh, yet another zoom meeting with some talking head corporate drone blathering their incessant nonsense that I've heard for years and years regardless of organisation...

Why can't we buy into a timeshare for a dive shack...!

You can always be an investor or purchase a dive centre and hire professional managers to run it.

 

[Wibble]

You can always be an investor or purchase a dive centre and hire professional managers to run it.

Investor - nice one!

From the "I've just pulled this statistic out of my armpit..." -- something like 95% of all dive shacks don't make money! It's a vocation; we do it because we love it, or at least we love the attention of all those fresh faced OW divers looking up to our vast experience with their adoring eyes (think Markel & Ginge).

 

[Jim Lapenta]

DM's are a dime a dozen and most "working DM's" are actually instructors. A DM can't issue certs or teach classes. At a resort, they are mostly good for lifting, fetching, and toting, cleaning, and bartending. Legit places require work permits and unless you have other skills like IT, compressor/engine repair, or reg servicing, you won't get a job. You might get an internship where you'll pay for the privilege of being an indentured servant.

 

[JohnN]

You can always be an investor or purchase a dive centre and hire professional managers to run it.

Isn't that the way to make a small fortune?. . . . . . . . . Start with a large one and open a dive shop ?

 

[Wibble]

Hey, here's a thought... "Run a dive shack" holidays! Get a week's training on the job, spend a couple of weeks running the place, then spend a week handing over to the next person

Then take a holiday!

Would save you a fortune as you then understand that the fantasy is just that!

 

[Kensei]

Perhaps I should clarify what I meant when I said we would consider it as a career.

Honestly, right now, we want to get our DMs so that we can travel the world through diving over the next year and use our DM as a way to do trade for accommodations or work so that we can continue traveling.

In the long term future, after doing many dives and working in the industry for some time, we are considering living somewhere that would allow us to open up a dive shop so that we can take tourists on dives and teach others to get their own dive certifications.

We understand that the dive industry does not make one rich, and we are already frugal people. We just want to live life doing something that we love, and that provides us with new opportunities to travel the world.

I hope that helps and makes some of you a little less worried about our endeavor

Now, if anyone else would like to give us any other advice on the best places to get certified, that would be much appreciated!

If you haven't already, go to Divers Ready on YouTube and look at some of the videos that James has posted on this very subject. He has done what you are trying to do. His punch line is that traveling the world as only a DM probably isn't possible since you're competing against people with not only Instructor certifications but other skills. Again, look at his videos.... he goes into much more detail.