newtodive:
Part time at best. Have no debt, have no family to support... like a musician, you do it for the love of doing it.
How do make a living out of Scuba Diving?
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Part time at best. Have no debt, have no family to support... like a musician, you do it for the love of doing it.
Get boat and some operating experience and buy a 32-36 foot boat; and in an under serviced area and setup for day charters, outside the US you often dont need a captains license but do need experience. If you dont go out you pay for moorage and insurance if you go out you get paid. You will need good people skills to promote the service and handle the clients you should be a Dive Master or; as an Instructor you can offer courses. Start small and work at it; it is a lifestyle not a big money maker.
If you have a popular European language such as Italian or German the best paying jobs in sport diving are in the Red Sea. In Asia you can make enough to live on and enjoy the lifestyle.
If you have a popular European language such as Italian or German the best paying jobs in sport diving are in the Red Sea. In Asia you can make enough to live on and enjoy the lifestyle.
Perhaps, not at all, and yes (in that order) from my perspective. I was just talking with my fellow instructors about the difficulty attracting applicants lately.3dent:
Absolutely! As it always does with any occupation.pasley:
The work is hard and sometimes there are extra special guests that make it harder. Still, you can make a decent enough living as a dive instructor if you are willing to relocate to a place where there is enough demand. It's hard to make a living at it in Indiana (right Mike?), but quite a bit easier in the islands. Go to where the divers go.
Pay varies widely according to the cost of living on the particular island. Cost of living in the Caribbean is likely highest here in the Cayman Islands. Wages plus tips will put about US$35,000 in my pocket this year (with zero income tax owed) and health benefits are mandatory in Cayman. In addition, pension contributions will put away about US$3000. YMMV.
outlawaggie
Contributor
newtodive:
You do not say where you are from but another thing to consider is law enforcement/EMS/Fire department. Many departments look hard for Rescue Divers. Although Diving won't be your primary job you will be able to dive often have great gear, etc. You will probably need an Associates Degree (junior college) at least. If you can get on they will usually pay fopr training.
Additionally, if you live in a rural area check with they local Volunteer Fire Department. You won't get paid but they will often pay for training and you are benefitting your community. Just something to consider.
Good thought but it's normally hard and long getting into the position.outlawaggie:
We have guys that have been waiting over 5 years to get on the team. They may never make it as one "NO" vote is an all "NO" vote.
In my department you can't even apply for the first year. More realistic is 3+ years. But it pays well. That additional $0.50 an hour, straight time only adds up
But we do pay for almost everything and you can use the gear for anything except making $$ on the side. You need your own gear for that.The other thing is a high burn out rate with an active team. Some just can't take a lot of what you get exposed to.
I just counted and out of 88 in department that would be able to be on the team, 23 have been at one time or another but quit because of various stress. We have 2 openings we are having trouble filling. We have a budget and gear for 10.
Good luck
Gary D.
In Cancun, we have some of the highest and lowest paid instructors in the world
$300-$10,000 USD per month. The difference is sales abilities and languages. the average is between $2000-$4000 USD. Which is perfectly acceptable to live of down here, you pay minimal income tax (2-10%) and you can get a 2 bedroom apartment for $300. You do the math. Will you get immensly ritch teaching diving, probably not, but most instructors dont do it for that, it is a lifestyle thing. Most instructors do it for the love and adventure of it, especially as a way to travel and live overseas while young and free.
If I was to dream of the perfect dive job, it would be teaching super VIP's on a freelance basis. Use their pool, their yacht in the french riviera, their gulfstream to get there, include a full set of top of the line custom selected dive gear to their taste and requirement, and charge them $5000 USD per course. They spend that much on a night in the Ritz Carlton anyway, and that doesnt include the minibar.
Look for companies in Vegas, European and industry royalty, be available anywhere, anytime 24/7. How hard would you have to work??
$300-$10,000 USD per month. The difference is sales abilities and languages. the average is between $2000-$4000 USD. Which is perfectly acceptable to live of down here, you pay minimal income tax (2-10%) and you can get a 2 bedroom apartment for $300. You do the math. Will you get immensly ritch teaching diving, probably not, but most instructors dont do it for that, it is a lifestyle thing. Most instructors do it for the love and adventure of it, especially as a way to travel and live overseas while young and free.
If I was to dream of the perfect dive job, it would be teaching super VIP's on a freelance basis. Use their pool, their yacht in the french riviera, their gulfstream to get there, include a full set of top of the line custom selected dive gear to their taste and requirement, and charge them $5000 USD per course. They spend that much on a night in the Ritz Carlton anyway, and that doesnt include the minibar.
Look for companies in Vegas, European and industry royalty, be available anywhere, anytime 24/7. How hard would you have to work??
jloving1
Guest
one post at the beginning of this thread mentioned marine sciences. that is the route that i am going. i am a geologist and will soon begin a masters program in marine geology. my best friend is finishing up her degree in marine biology. due to both choices of career paths diving comes very easy. the more time spent in the water...the more "research" we can do!!!
newtodive:
If you have to ask, not much of one. Most successful people in the dive industry are entrepeneurs first, divers second. If you've gotten your OW cert, and an angle for making money in diving hasn't occurred to you yet, then it's not where your talents would best serve you financially. There are thousands of dive instructors struggling to eke out an existence who should have figured this out.
Someone once said the best way to make a pile of money in diving was to start out with a pile of money.
RIOceanographer:
Good point. Years ago, at an orientation weekend at a commercial dive school, they emphasized that all successful commercial divers had primary skills in construction, engineering, robotics, or some other "application" field. They said "Diving is just how you get to the job, it's not the actual job."
pasley:
A friend gave up podiatry to teach diving. After teaching for a local shop for years, he got a job with the Aggressor fleet. He went on to captain for the Aggressor fleet, Peter Hughes, and an outfit in Fiji, as well as working as a photo pro for a day boat operation in Cayman. He had the highest instructor ratings from 4 or 5 agencies. Ultimately, he ended up in So Cal with nothing, but luckily met his now wife. He writes business software now, and refers to his dive career as "the time he ran away to join the circus."
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