What's it like being a dive instructor? Is it exciting and does it pay well?

Question

I was thinking of becoming a dive instructor. I was curious to see what other people thought about the profession. Would it be a good full time career? I'm up in the air on this... Anyone have any exprerienced opinions?

Answer 1

it's one of those careers you can get by on, but barely.(like ski instructor, sky diver, etc) you've just got to love what you do.

Answer 2

My brother was an instructor.  I dont think he made much money on it.  His instructor actually lost his business after a couple of people died.  If you have almost no bills, you probably could get by on it.

Answer 3

Being a scuba dive instructor also is really great. Being in the water is just really wonderful. And it is great to see students learn about diving and dive-safety and enjoying a nice dive and appreciate you as their dive instructor. Since not every person is the same, some people enjoy more than others being scuba dive instructors. And of course some people make better scuba dive instructors than others. Get yourself some infomation from the different scuba dive organisations which do exist. See to it that they are internationally accepted scuba dive organisations. Some of these organisations are for example: PADI or NAUI. There are also more. They do have homepages and they do explain the work of a dive instuctor and they do describe how to become a scuba dive instructor.  You can read through their information and decide for yourself if becoming a scuba dive instructor is really something for you. Also, if you know somebody who is a dive instructor, talk to them, find out more from them and how they experience their work. I think it is a wonderful profession. Generally it does not pay well though. That is why some people excercise this profession as a hobby. If you are very young and you do not have many responsibilities yet, you may not mind not earning lots of money for a while. In addition, some dive centers pay better than others and are more consistent with their pay. You may want to keep an eye on that matter as well if you become a scuba dive instructor and then want to work at a dive center.

Answer 4

I'm a certified diver, not an instructor, but Yes I think it could be very profitable,  and if you've already been diving, you know what a trip it is.I have about 85 dives in and I used to do it just to relax.

And if you tell someone that you are a Diving Instructor it sounds better than say, I work in a factory. And you would be your own Boss. Go for it.