What equipment do you have to own as an Instructor?

[Dharker]

Hi,

I'm thinking of doing my dive master and instructor next year, I will do this before travelling around for a while, and will travel again after so I want to know what equipment is a requirement for a dive master/instructor.

I know it would be great to own all my own gear but it would be impractical to carry that around. So what are the "must have's" and what are "nice to have"?

Cheers,

Dante

 

[DevonDiver]

Here is my travelling kit for teaching recreational diving.

1. Mini Laptop with e-copies of relevant manuals, presentations and other learning materials.

2. Halcyon Eclipse BCD, with aluminium backplate.

3. Scubapro Mk25 & S600 regulator.

4. Scubapro Everflex 3mm Full suit (SE Asia diving).

5. Force Fins

6. Lightweight booties (below ankle)

7. Oral Inflate (Halcyon) DSMB and finger reel.

8. Finger Reel and spare double-end bolt clip.

9. Cressi Big Eyes mask.

10. Fold flat, low volume back-up mask.

11. Basic snorkle.

12. Wetnotes (underwater notebook).

13. Laminated course notes (easier and lighter than full set of instructor slates).

14. Suunto compass, on bolt clip.

15. LED AAx3 torch, on bolt clip.

16. Titanium (Halcyon) knife on wing harness waist belt.

16. Whistle, on split ring, attached to left harness chest d-ring.

17. Portable first aid kit (I always carry my own, regardless).

18. Basic save-a-dive kit (o-rings, zip-ties, allen keys, leatherman tool).

19. 20 litre drybag.

20. Digital camera & housing.

I would need extra stuff for wreck courses, S&R etc... but those can be obtrained locally if required.

Lots more stuff to carry if I am teaching/diving technical.

 

[fdog]

As a student I'd be skeptical of any person that didn't own all their gear. "Trust me, I'm a professional...wait here until I go find a BC that fits me..."

In a travel location tanks and lead are general exceptions.


All the best, James

 

[theduckguru]

If you are affiliated with a dive shop, they'll want you to model the gear they sell while instructing.

 

[SteveAD]

Hi,

I'm thinking of doing my dive master and instructor next year, I will do this before travelling around for a while, and will travel again after so I want to know what equipment is a requirement for a dive master/instructor.

I know it would be great to own all my own gear but it would be impractical to carry that around. So what are the "must have's" and what are "nice to have"?

Cheers,

Dante

Seriously?

If you don't already have all your own gear you have no business trying to become a diving professional. Get the gear. Do some dives, a few hundred at least, better yet a thousand or so.

Anyone who needs to ask a question like this has no business asking it.

 

[scubadiver888]

fdog is right. A good instructor was a diver first and an instructor second. If you don't have all your own gear I'd wonder how committed you are to the sport.

Andy's list is pretty good. I'd go with different brands and might add some exposure protection if you will be visiting colder climates.

Don't go nuts on things like o-rings. They have a shelf life. So if you bring 100, you might find 80% of them have to be thrown away. Get the viton o-rings as well. You can use a viton on a regular air tank but you shouldn't use a regular o-ring on a nitrox tank.

If you are going to DM/instruct locally, you might want to look at what the shop staff have in their kit as well. Around here a float and flag is considered standard gear. Training facilities include platforms to restrict depth but you have to tie a float and flag to them so the students can find the thing.

 

[knowone]

Yes. Gear until that is wrecked by the salty ocean and then other peoples to be wrecked by the chlorinated pool and heckleability, hubris and humility.

 

[DevonDiver]

If you are affiliated with a dive shop, they'll want you to model the gear they sell while instructing.

That may be true in the USA (?), but it certainly is not the case in Europe, the Red Sea or SE Asia....

 

[scubadiver888]

If you are affiliated with a dive shop, they'll want you to model the gear they sell while instructing.

The dive shops here would like you to use their gear and will give you a discount to encourage you to use their gear but they'll hire you even if you don't use their gear.

 

[Dharker]

There are some interesting answers there - I have been diving for years, and all over the world.

In that time I've met tons of great DMs without any of their own kit, specially in central and South America, and the Philippines and Komodo for that matter - instructors too.

I've met a number of instructors who have worked for a few months then moved on else where for a while.

I have all my own kit here, and when I go on holiday I take a fair set with me.

But holidays and travelling are very different - and if you have never been travelling I know this can be hard to understand.

I love diving and respect the sport, but when you have a rucksack there is only so much you can put in it.

So as no one as really answered my question yet - what do you have to have - what are the must have's?

Cheers,