Is there an instructor crisis?

[Marie13]

I’ve done a lot of eLearning - SDI/TDI and one PADI. They were all dreadful. I’ve also done dangerous goods eLearning courses for work (international shipping).

I just finished the eLearning for an intro to underwater archaeology/intro to maritime archaeology course from the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) in the UK (doing the underwater portion soon). This was the best eLearning I’ve ever done. Great use of video and photos. User interface was excellent. I gave it a high rating on the required survey when done.

 

[Tassi Devil Diver]

No bull, when/if my daughter wants to learn to dive, I’m going to teach her. When she’s competent, I’ll have some random instructor certify her. Why not activate and certify her myself? Because it will be exponentially cheaper to pay someone else to do it.

This is the process that I just went through with my daughter, she has been diving with me for 2.5 years (from age 12) she also did a try dive with some friends 6 month in with a mate who is an instructor who went through the confined water skills in a 5m dive pool, I got here buoyancy dialled in. My instructor mate then finally took here through the bare minimum required to sign here off. She will probably jump in on the rEvo for a try dive soon .

 

[MacDuyver]

What’s happening in the instructor world?
I hear there is a lack of people becoming instructors and the ones still doing it are starting to retire. My LDS used to have 10-12 instructors on their list or resources back 20 years ago. Now there is one and she’s 65 and wants to retire. They cannot find anyone that want’s to do it.
Is this a regional home town problem only and not at resorts? Do resorts still have more instructors they know what to do with who are willing to work dirt cheap or is this changing too?
I’m not seeing many if any young bloods coming into the instructor or even DM side.
People are telling me all sorts of doom and gloom stories about how the industry is going to cave in if there are no instructors.
If the local shops can’t find instructors then does that mean they just get into selling gear and trips and they will have to hope that people get certs somewhere else on vacation?
I can see how the increased cost of basic living, plus the cost of becoming an instructor, plus the cost of insurance, plus the low pay make it almost impossible to do, and that’s why nobody’s doing it.
What does this mean for the industry.
What will eventually happen?

I’m sure like any trade it’s going to have its ups and downs. Instructors come and go, however like damn near any industry, brain dead hungover Jeff and Tammy who have zero business ever being in the water and their lawyers ruin it. When a 65 y/o instructor got certified, I’d guess it was the 80’s or 90’s. Back then it was MUCH less expensive to operate in just about any industry.

I might be biased though. I’ve got nothing but disdain for lawyers and insurance companies. They make a business out of universally ******* up hobbies for people who don’t suck at them bc they just see it as an opportunity to be cash leeches.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I’m sure like any trade it’s going to have its ups and downs. Instructors come and go, however like damn near any industry, brain dead hungover Jeff and Tammy who have zero business ever being in the water and their lawyers ruin it. When a 65 y/o instructor got certified, I’d guess it was the 80’s or 90’s. Back then it was MUCH less expensive to operate in just about any industry.

I might be biased though. I’ve got nothing but disdain for lawyers and insurance companies. They make a business out of universally ******* up hobbies for people who don’t suck at them bc they just see it as an opportunity to be cash leeches.

Yes, attorneys are opportunist predators who have made a big business out of screwing people, which was in more cases than not gets paid by insurance companies. The best defense against not getting shook down by a predatory attorney is just not to have anything. No blood in the water, no feeding frenzy.

 

[azstinger11]

I’ve done a lot of eLearning - SDI/TDI and one PADI. They were all dreadful. I’ve also done dangerous goods eLearning courses for work (international shipping).

I just finished the eLearning for an intro to underwater archaeology/intro to maritime archaeology course from the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) in the UK (doing the underwater portion soon). This was the best eLearning I’ve ever done. Great use of video and photos. User interface was excellent. I gave it a high rating on the required survey when done.

Got a link? That sounds interesting!

 

[Marie13]

Got a link? That sounds interesting!

This is the combo I did. I think it worked out to be a bit more than $100 with the exchange rate. Even worth it for the knowledge.

NAS has partner groups around the world. Could be universities or a group like USAC (Underwater Archaeology Society of Chicago), which will have a senior tutor who will do local classes for NAS credit. I’m a UASC member.

Discover Archaeology eLearning Combined Courses - 01/01/2000 00:00:00

Online course, always available, for you to do at your own pace. Our best value combined course. Learn the essential theory of maritime and underwater or foreshore archaeology from the comfort of your own home. Save money by combining our Discover Maritime Archaeology course with the Underwater...

www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org

 

[Nick_Radov]

The flyer holder is no longer on the wall because there’s nothing to put in it. Charter boats in Monterey are a ghost of what there once was.

Regardless of issues with instructors and prices, part of the decline in California diving is surely due to Sea Star Wasting Syndrome. Since 2013 the biodiversity of the kelp forests has been wrecked by the loss of those predators and now many of the recreational dive sites are covered in nothing but purple sea urchins. There's just not as much to see as there was 10 years ago. For really interesting sites you have to go deeper (tech diving) or take longer boat rides.

Sea Star Wasting Syndrome | MARINe

marine.ucsc.edu

I don’t know what the solution is.
Maybe the instructors need to be shop employees and teach classes on the clock just like if they were working the floor or servicing regs. What’s the difference, it all pays the same right? Make the shop pay for all the insurance and overhead. Have the shop send and pay for their employees to go through instructor development school.
If the shops need instructors then step up.

In some regions, part of the solution should be to put OW students in drysuits from the start. The hardcore local divers and instructors don't seem to appreciate that students in ill-fitting rental wetsuits get cold. They finish the course and then quit local diving because they had a miserable time. Yes, drysuits would make OW courses more expensive but I think a higher percentage of students would stick with the sport.

In my area it looks pretty dismal because of the astronomical cost of living combined with a dying culture. It’s vanishing before our very eyes.
Northern California is not a cheap place to live.

Cost of living is high but people seem to have money for hobbies. Look how many are riding around on $8K mountain bikes or playing video games on $5K custom PCs. They can afford scuba diving but the industry isn't reaching them.

 

[azstinger11]

This is the combo I did. I think it worked out to be a bit more than $100 with the exchange rate. Even worth it for the knowledge.

NAS has partner groups around the world. Could be universities or a group like USAC (Underwater Archaeology Society of Chicago), which will have a senior tutor who will do local classes for NAS credit. I’m a UASC member.

Discover Archaeology eLearning Combined Courses - 01/01/2000 00:00:00

Online course, always available, for you to do at your own pace. Our best value combined course. Learn the essential theory of maritime and underwater or foreshore archaeology from the comfort of your own home. Save money by combining our Discover Maritime Archaeology course with the Underwater...

www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org

Very cool, might finally motivate me to get up to Monterey lol. Already have CCR helitrox and Human Factors budgeted for, but the cost for this is pretty reasonable.

 

[lostsheep]

Regardless of issues with instructors and prices, part of the decline in California diving is surely due to Sea Star Wasting Syndrome. Since 2013 the biodiversity of the kelp forests has been wrecked by the loss of those predators and now many of the recreational dive sites are covered in nothing but purple sea urchins. There's just not as much to see as there was 10 years ago. For really interesting sites you have to go deeper (tech diving) or take longer boat rides.

Too bad it’s basically impossible to get those longer boat rides or tech sites.

Beach Hopper rarely leaves the bay.

The double down will go but it’s usually busy with classes.

The Escapade might as well be a private boat , especially for tech stuff.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

In some regions, part of the solution should be to put OW students in drysuits from the start. The hardcore local divers and instructors don't seem to appreciate that students in ill-fitting rental wetsuits get cold. They finish the course and then quit local diving because they had a miserable time. Yes, drysuits would make OW courses more expensive but I think a higher percentage of students would stick with the sport.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The happiest students I've seen were always in properly fitted dry suit. And happy people tend to keep diving.

Cold and miserable students realize that diving cold sucks (and it does in wetsuit in water in the 50s or below).