Going to Australia and want to become an Instructor

[vtminter]

Hey,

I am going on a three week long trip to Australia in September of this year with some friends of mine. I am thinking that when they leave to go home I would stay and get instructor certified. I am just looking for a good dive shop to do it through. I am currently a DM and help out with local open water classes. I only want to get NAUI certified, so if anyone knows of any place, please let me know.

 

[almitywife]

first thing is what state will you be staying in and what is your diving background?

cheers

 

[vtminter]

Well I am not in charge of the 3 week itinerary, but last I heard we were going to arrive in Cairns and make our way down to Sydney sightseeing along the way. So I won't be in one place the entire time. I would like to get certified somewhere on the west coast, but not picky about where.

Diving background: Most of my diving has been in the Caribbean. I have also done lots of river/lake/quarry diving because I live in the mountains. I've spent a month and half in Roatan, Honduras doing a research project on the reefs for a professor of mine. On my breaks from college I worked as a dive master at a big dive shop in the Florida Keys. I have also been assisting with open water courses for the last two years in the town that I live in.

Thanks

 

[vtminter]

I messed up on that last post. It was near the end of my lunch break and I was rushing, so I said I would like to do the NAUI ITC on the west coast. What I really meant was the East coast. Thanks.

 

[mig_diver]

The only NAUI shop I know of here in Brisbane is Nautilus. Can I ask why you want to do NAUI? I ask because if you will be travelling and not staying put for a long period of time ti would make more sense (for me) to go with the agency that has more dive stores you could potentially work with, rather than limiting yourself.

 

[Kern]

Also in Brisbane.

http://www.mantisdive.com.au/default.htm

 

[vtminter]

I want to do NAUI because it is what all my certifications are done through. I feel that it is one of the best. After the intitial three weeks I would be willing to travel to where ever the shop is I want to get certified through.

 

[decobart]

No offense, but if you've never been trained by any other agency, how do you know that NAUI are the best?
If you are seriously interested in working as a diving instructor, then feel free to contact me direct on decobart@gmail.com.
I'm NOT a NAUI Course Director, but a PADI CD and TDI/SDI Instructor Trainer. Ask yourself why there aren't more NAUI shops (in Australia), then think about how you are going to earn back your investment.
And remember: your course is only as good as the instructor training you, not the Agency processing the paperwork.

 

[vtminter]

Thank you for your response. I have actually done some hard thinking about why there are no NAUI shops in Australia..... or anywhere really. I have decided to go through PADI, because it is much more prevalent, and I do want to be able to work in the business.

My trip to Australia got canceled and switched to the Bay Islands, Honduras. So since that happened I am doing my IDC on Utila in November. I guess I'll have to save Australia for some time in the future.

I still wish I could do NAUI, but I realize that it is much better for my career to go PADI. I took a PADI advanced course a while ago and was not pleased with it, but I think that is do to the instructor, and she was fired later that week. So I'm going into it without any bias.

Thanks a lot.