keys dive masters, instructors, people doing it for a living

[scerbz]

I came across an opportunity to become a dive master in the keys. I was told i would get all my certifications to work as a dive charter. Im curious how things are there. I would be packing up and moving from san antonio texas for this. My biggest concern is that it wouldnt truly be worth it. So please any and all info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[100days-a-year]

Depends on your goals,if they are long term stability,owning a home,normal work ours and a retirement without easting a lot of pet food then try again.One of my buddies just returned after captaining a dive charter in the Keys for 5 years.It was fun but he came to feel it had no real future.He was initially a DM.

I only work in the industry full time because of the housing/remodeling market crash.I don't make what I did but I get by.I am also captain.My crew and I spearfish the SE Atlantic and it is nice to dive a lot but the compensation would make raising a family very stressful.

I joined the Navy as a young man to see the world and it was fun but at some point I started wanting to see my family more as well as have a more normal life.

 

[Humpinit]

I came across an opportunity to become a dive master in the keys. I was told i would get all my certifications to work as a dive charter. Im curious how things are there. I would be packing up and moving from san antonio texas for this. My biggest concern is that it wouldnt truly be worth it. So please any and all info would be greatly appreciated.

I understand that it is tempting to move down here for such a job but the reality is more than likely much different than the dream. I live Homestead which is 18 miles out of key largo. I have spent a lot of my life fishing, diving, and working all throughout the Keys. Housing is very difficult to find during this time of year. Campsites are even hard to find this time of year. And anything that you do find is going to cost you triple or more of what it will cost you in July. A lot of people come from all over to realize that it is not the paradise that they dreamed of. I'm going to say that most of the mates and or dive masters on a lot of the charters are transient and come and go just as swift as the tides. This doesn't go for all, but most. Many people come here only to find them selves homeless and/ or paying someone big bucks to camp in someones back yard. Just check craigslist housing section and you will start to get the idea. As stated above, if you are single and looking to have a fun time for a while, this is your place, but it gets old very quick. It is very localized also but most don't see this side of it as they are there to spend money. Its different when you are trying to work. Good Luck.

 

[iluvtheocean]

i wouldn't bother unless you're independently wealthy -- the keys are very competitive and you aren't already qualified as a DM. So you'd have to find another job down here as well just to pay for housing & food. Humpinit is correct... and don't bother trying to camp in your vehicle on the side of the road - it's not permitted and will get you in trouble quick - even in key west they've crecked down on it. you'd be better off getting your DM & trying locally Galveston or somewhere on the TX coast close to you.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Since this is your first post on SB, I'm guessing you haven't filled out your profile, which says you have "0-24" dives. I have no firsthand knowledge, but it seems reasonable to believe that one would need to have considerable dive experience to be hired as a DM in the Keys. There are places in the world where dive ops will train you from OW through DM or even Instructor (derogatorily called the "zero to hero" path) and then give you an opportunity to stay on in a paid position, but the Keys is not that kind of place. If that's your situation, maybe try Utila (Honduras). A friend of mine did that on Utila and indeed managed to eke out a living as an instructor.

 

[scerbz]

Well i am not independently wealthy. I do need a bit more diving experience. I do understand it may be hard and expensive. I am young and want to live a bit. Im not sure that it will be permanent but for a few years i want to do this. I am not for the idea of going to spend a bunch of money, and intend to work. I want to get some serious dm experience. I am advanced open water certified so zero to hero isnt quite the path i would be on. Those of you who are there, it would be marathon fl. I already know struggles of having to work two or three jobs to make ends meet. Or 60 hours a week etc. So having to work so harf is not surprise to me. I just want to know as much as i can so i can make an educated decision and not end up homeless etc.

 

[Donnah]

Sounds like a scam to me. There are qualified DMs with lots of experience looking for jobs in the Keys. It is very expensive to live in the Keys -- housing and food both. I would also expect that you would not get the kind of tips DMs in dive resorts get -- and without good tips it is hard to make ends meet. There are DMs here that have been around for a while, but they also have other skills and a spouse with a job. It's hard work, sometimes thankless, and you don't make much.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Okay, so it would be 1-to-hero, not 0-to-hero But seriously, if that's your goal, and you don't want to wait years until you rack up more dive experience, then again I suggest you consider Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras. The cost of living is low enough, and the place gets such a continual flow of divers seeking instruction, that if you make it to Instructor and are reasonably good at it, you have a good chance of staying on in a paid position and being able to afford rent and food. Many people have done just that. That sort of lifestyle would be much more difficult in the Keys, whether Marathon or Key Largo or anywhere in the US really. If you want to consider venturing father afield, consider Thailand, which has a similar reputation. Incidentally, working as an instructor is a bit more realistic than working as a DM; it's much harder to land a job as a mere DM, and a DM's meager pay will hardly make a dent in your living expenses unless you land some sort of extraordinary position. If you're serious about trying to work in the dive industry for a while, you really need to take it all the way to instructor.

 

[scerbz]

I am planning on a second job while there anyways. How do secondary jobs look there? Im talking setving bartending etc.

 

[iluvtheocean]

you are talking hard to get into jobs -- and turnover is very high... and marathon isn't all that big --- i'm going down there next weekend for the festival so i'll be able to give more details after that.