scuba career

[10tigers]

Hey Al
Thanks for your comments. Back in the day vacations were more like excursions where I could spend months at a pop chillin' on an island in the gulf of Thailand or down in Mexi and Central America. I have no where near 1500 dives though.
I agree that the number of logged dives is important. But some people are just born to water. I spent my life surfing, boating, swimming, and scuba diving.
Scuba is just something that I felt completely at home with the second I put a regulator to my mouth. It's such an awesome thing to do and since I hate my job and just about payed of my bills , I'm ready for an adventure. I figure why not go for it and train to be a professional. It's the same reason why being able to fix your car is better than just driving it. Or knowing how to start a fire without matches in the wilderness. I like learning skills.

I may have to rethink a career move right away though.
So with that in mind , who thinks it's good to train all the way to instructor or DM regardless of a career underwater.

 

[10tigers]

best of luck!

THanks Freediver for you input.
My motives are totally in question right now. But like you said , your only regret was not doing it sooner. I'm trying to figure out the pros and cons of going from recreational to pro.

Thanks again

 

[-=>Larry<=-]

hello scubaboard !
I love to scuba dive and I'm thinking about becoming an instructor. I'm sort of sick of working all year so I can spend 2 weeks scubadiving somewhere. I'd rather give up babylon and scuba for a career.

I've sort of mused that way a bit - So I'm going to ignore the previous discussions. - but for me - I love my day job too and have issues with the income levels I've seen for scuba - so I went ahead and became an instructor for the tax beneifits and the chance to occaisionally do the kind of change of pace you describe.

So what's the best way to go about getting fully cerified as an instructor?
Are there internships? Or programs? I'm thinking of either asia(thailand), mexico, central america.

Dive, Dive, Dive - like the others implied - I did it locally. Get more certifications - Hel;p with classes as you're allowed - become a divemaster so you canreally help with classes [pay sucks but you get to dive every weekend and pretty much for free]...Dive some more..Then decide if you really want to be responsible for thiose souls....The more I think about it - going off somewhere foreign doesn't sound a good idea to me for the kind of process I imagine

Do any of you instructors have any regrets? Do you get sick of it? Would you recommend others to go for it?

Not yet - it's way too early for regrets/issues for me. I've seen a couple flare & leave on the Instructors forum and you have to respect that it's not working for them. I find the responsibility of being responsible for a class of newbies pretty awesome and scary
That said - I'll be taking a small plunge that way this summer. My son & I have signed on to work with an operator in Kauai for the summer, his school summer break and my sabattical. If either of us rememebr this conversation - I probably will have more insight in September!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Good Luck!

 

[zboss]

Our waters are now 50 degrees and I'm out there nearly every weekend in 5-10 foot vis with nervous students..

I remember doing OW and it being 65 and thinking "this is nuts - why are we doing this in 65 degree water?"

Of course - now I know better, but 50 degrees (and lower at 30') is pretty darn cold for new divers.

Do you do dry suits?

 

[Hockeynut]

hello scubaboard !

longtime reading , first time poster

I love to scuba dive and I'm thinking about becoming an instructor. I'm sort of sick of working all year so I can spend 2 weeks scubadiving somewhere. I'd rather give up babylon and scuba for a career.

So what's the best way to go about getting fully cerified as an instructor?
Are there internships? Or programs? I'm thinking of either asia(thailand), mexico, central america.

Do any of you instructors have any regrets? Do you get sick of it? Would you recommend others to go for it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Back in 1986 after I was first certified ow, my intstructor gave my 2 friends and I a plan. It consisted of becoming dive instructors and then moving to the caribbean.(there was a lot more to it than just that but....) Try imagining where you could possibly be after almost 20 years. Owner of a dive resort maybe?

As it were, I finished my time in the army and then seperated from my dive buddies, fell away from diving, Got a crappy job, a mean wife, 2 screaming brats and not enough money to pay for all the make up diving I need to do.

 

[Mako Mark]

seperated from my dive buddies, fell away from diving, Got a crappy job, a mean wife, 2 screaming brats and not enough money to pay for all the make up diving I need to do.

I wake up in the middle of the night screaming from that dream..

.

 

[divad]

As it were, I finished my time in the army and then seperated from my dive buddies, fell away from diving, Got a crappy job, a mean wife, 2 screaming brats and not enough money to pay for all the make up diving I need to do.

You left out the part about the Frozen North.

 

[10tigers]

Back in 1986 after I was first certified ow, my intstructor gave my 2 friends and I a plan. It consisted of becoming dive instructors and then moving to the caribbean.(there was a lot more to it than just that but....) Try imagining where you could possibly be after almost 20 years. Owner of a dive resort maybe?

As it were, I finished my time in the army and then seperated from my dive buddies, fell away from diving, Got a crappy job, a mean wife, 2 screaming brats and not enough money to pay for all the make up diving I need to do.

Yeah - Owner of a dive resort. That's my dream too. Plus owning a little bar on the beach. I didn't want to add that to my posts for fear of total flaming.
I'm sure your situation isn't as bad as you make it but I am trying to avoid that route.
I'm finished with babylon.
Instructor or not. Chilling out on a beach picking mangos and coconuts and fishing for my protien sounds very attractive.
Dreams of freedom from my office in the concrete jungle with a few more bills to pay and a world to explore. What happened to not thinking and just doing. I used to be so good at that. I'm living in the past with no plan for the future. No way to live as far as I'm concerned.
So this is what I gathered so far about becoming an instructor:
1) I must love Ramen
2) I need to dive more first
3) Win the lotto

 

[Hank49]

THanks Freediver for you input.
My motives are totally in question right now. But like you said , your only regret was not doing it sooner. I'm trying to figure out the pros and cons of going from recreational to pro.

Thanks again

I tried this. Became an instructor along with my wife. Gave up a 22 year career, becasme an OWSI and loved every day of it. I have three children though and wanted to give them the opportunity of a good education at a US university. Unfortuanately my timing was a bit off as I didn't have enough $$ saved at the time so I had to go back to farming. If I had been single or my wife and I had no kids, I would still be in the dive business. I think to do it full time and make a living that you may be better off in a developing country and not the USA. You still won't get rich but the life style is hard to beat.

 

[10tigers]

I tried this. Became an instructor along with my wife. Gave up a 22 year career, becasme an OWSI and loved every day of it. I have three children though and wanted to give them the opportunity of a good education at a US university. Unfortuanately my timing was a bit off as I didn't have enough $$ saved at the time so I had to go back to farming. If I had been single or my wife and I had no kids, I would still be in the dive business. I think to do it full time and make a living that you may be better off in a developing country and not the USA. You still won't get rich but the life style is hard to beat.

Right on. Need any farm hands?
My last dive trip was down in Belize and I loved it. 3rd world all the way.