First edition: September 2020
Second edition: January 2024
ISBN 9-798-35094-631-4
© Copyright DiveSAGA 2020
Artwork has been designed using resources from canva.com
Front cover photo: Carolina Wells
Back cover photo: Megan Beer
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The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed
Jacques Yves Cousteau
CAREER IN SCUBA
How to Become a Dive Instructor and be Successful
Introduction by the author
Get Prepared
1. 7 Habits of a Successful Dive Instructor
2. Getting Your Life Sorted
3. Training Agencies, Dive Centers and Equipment
4. Setting Expectations
Get Started
5. Writing a Good Scuba Resume and Social Media
6. How to Land Your Dream Job
7. Common Mistakes on the Job
8. When Things Go Wrong
Get Better
9. Safeguard Your Future – Visa, Insurance and Retirement
10. Finding Your Niche
11. Becoming an Industry Leader
. The 20% Club
13. Advice and Stories from the Pros
Appendix
Introduction
Hi there! You are about to read the second edition of my book ‘Career in SCUBA - How to become a diving instructor and be successful’. I’m extremely grateful for your trust in this resource and I hope it will live up to your expectations.
If you want to make a million dollars in SCUBA diving, you better start with two million and lose one
is the famous saying when people share their plans to enter the diving industry as a professional. With this book, I am hoping to make a case for the industry as a whole and for diving professionals in particular. It will show you that with thorough preparation and the right attitude, you will be able to turn this dream into a real career.
You may not make a million dollars along the way (although that’s really up to you and your drive and creativity and I certainly know people who did it) but you will find out that there are a variety of options to grow your career, earn a decent and steady income and still live the lifestyle that is so often the reason people choose this career path.
The fact that this book is now having a second edition, further proves the point that anything SCUBA related has commercial viability, so long as it is a quality product with a heart and a soul. Whether it be your SCUBA classes, diving trips, innovative diving equipment or in fact this book, people are willing to spend on quality diving experiences.
Still, the choice to become a full-time SCUBA instructor is not an obvious one and leading this lifestyle will require you to break away from the traditional concepts of what a ‘career’ is. There is no SCUBA University (unless maybe some dive centers who go by that name) and there is very little industry regulation and standardization beyond what the training agencies and local communities have put together. Building a successful career for yourself in this industry will require dedication and love for the sport and the motivation to make your own way, doing something you love while getting paid for it.
Although this book is not necessarily about me, it is worth noting that I have personally always worked and lived by the principles that are described in this manual. In just a few years, I have found myself in the position of a successful and very happy SCUBA instructor trainer, having certified over 3000 divers in disciplines ranging from Open Water Diver to Trimix Instructor and SCUBA Instructor to Underwater Photographer. Besides running Instructor training programs at well established dive centers in the Americas and Europe, I also own Dive SAGA, an online dive business with a webshop, dive travel and an online diving magazine. (www.divesaga.com)
You may also want to have a look at my ‘Dive SAGA’ YouTube channel and Instagram page to stay in the loop.
I acknowledge that success
can be measured in many different ways and isn’t necessarily the same for everyone. For the purpose of this book (and my personal life) I define success
as a state of emotional and financial balance and well-being while having the freedom to pursue your passions.
There are only a few things in life that have given me the same sense of fulfillment that I get from seeing people become divers, and even more so from seeing divers become dive professionals. It is my hope that this document will be a fast-pass through some of the mental, motivational and administrative obstacles that many of us have had to overcome when becoming a diving professional.
GET
PREPARED
1. The 7 Habits of a Successful Dive Instructor
In Stephen Covey’s best seller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
the author lays out a framework for seven very simple rules to live by if you want to succeed in your field. Let’s jump into this book and our career in SCUBA by immediately adopting a career mindset
and let’s sculpt our own principles to live by, going forward.
PREPARATION
The entire first act of this book is about preparation, and really, there’s no way around it. If you’re going to turn your life around and add a fantastic new credential to your resume, you will need to get your ducks in a row.
Make a check-list and write down what you need to accomplish in order to make a career as a dive instructor happen. Will you work in your home country or abroad? Full time or part time? Do you have back-up finances?
For those of you who are planning to teach SCUBA as a full time job (more about that later), you will really need to take it one step at a time, earn the necessary credentials, gain experience and think about what sort of life you would like for yourself.
Preparation will be an ongoing theme in your life as a dive instructor. Every student you teach will need your undivided attention, which means you won’t have the time, nor will you need the distraction of having to figure out logistics on the spot. This means you’ll need to make it a strong habit to prepare your classes from A to Z before they start. After all, you will be taking direct responsibility over people’s lives.
The secret sauce for most successful diving activities (training, expedition or otherwise) is always preparation through thorough analysis, planning and communication.
DEDICATION
For most people, the only way to become successful in something is to be really good at it. If you’re good at something, people with similar interests will find you and pay you for whatever that is that you do. The only way to become truly good at something is of course to be really into it.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch. In his book The 80/20 rule
, he states that it takes only 20% of the effort to be just as good as 80% of the people in your field. It is the extra 80% of effort, of true, relentless dedication that will make you belong in the top 20% super-performers of your area of expertise. In this case, SCUBA instruction.
An often quoted statistic is that 80% of diving instructors don’t renew their teaching credential after just two years in the industry. While that may seem a scary number at first, it’s really only a problematic statistic if you are aspiring to belong to the 80% who quit. If you can muster up the dedication to belong to the 20% who make
