Looking for work on Oahu

[MikeS26]

Hi everyone,
I am venturing to Hawaii from Colorado in a few weeks to seek out employment and for vacation. My highest level of cert. is Divemaster so I presume it's most likely going to be tough for me to compete with an instructor for a job at a hotel/dive shop? I have a local contact there through friends that have been divemasters working there so that will help hopefully. Reading through the posts I couldn't really decide whether it would be worth getting my captains license. I have over a year worth of sea time under my belt so maybe I should go for it?
Thanks,
Mike Stratis

 

[ChimChim75]

I used to live in Yokohama. Look me up if you're here in Oahu. Plenty of izakayas, okinomiyaki and so on here...

Breeze is a pretty good shop if you're somewhat bilingual.

People are right... Try to learn some more Japanese before coming. I let mine slide while in Yokohama and now regret it. Pay is MUCH better here if you have Japanese. Pay is less here than the mainland across the board unless you're a lawyer or doctor or bilingual. And it costs more here to live than Yokohama. I make less here than I did in Japan and half of what I made on the mainland... and cost of living is higher as I said. BUT... I stay for the diving. ^^

 

[justleesa]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

new posts/question split off of old thread

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[DiveWestOahu]

even being an instructor will only get you slim pickins here,,, you really should have if you want to be marketable, CD or instructor trainer or specialty instructor rating, bi-lingual (preferably japanese) be able to repair regs and do vips, be willing to work in the shop (retail sales) and be a boat captain, then you MAY get a decent job- oh by the way this is the worst time to come here looking for work
ps 1 year is not enough time to get a USCG captains license, you need 720 days, 5 hours per day to qualify, military time is usually not acceptable