To travel!! The initial reason I did my SSI Divemaster Course and then my Instructor Training Course was because I’d heard I could get cheap diving and very often find work around the world if I was in current status. I was at a time in my life where I didn’t want to work in a shirt and tie, nor did I want to wait, cold call, or prostitute myself. I wanted to travel the world, live on a beach and get away from the troubles of a 9-5 existance. I put on my shorts, shirt & shnorkel & took the plunge. That was 1997. Today I live in paradise, I work for myself, & I often think how lucky I am to have the job I want, in a country I love, meeting new and interesting people showing them new and interesting things every day I work, and I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it if I hadn’t done my SSI Divemaster Course.
The hardest part of the whole process of becoming a Dive pro and adopting a change of lifestyle was to actually take that initial step out of my comfort zone and launch into a career my mum described as a professional beach bum. But if you know, you know! That 9 to 5 grind was not my bag. I wanted to travel and dive and the chance to spread my wings and really experience all the wonders this beautiful Blue planet has to offer. So I signed up to do my SSI Divemaster Course.
Pay Your Way
Travelling is, as we all know, not the cheapest way to spend your free time. However as a fully trained dive instructor with a bit of know-how it’s quite easy to plan your world travels around the diving seasons, and then hit up the local dive centres for work when you do arrive! Here on Koh Tao the best time to do exactly that is our peak months of January, February, July and August, and to come just after a Koh Phangan Full Moon Party will increase your chances even more due to the influx of bucket-drinking inebriates that head our way once they’ve sobered up enough navigate their way out of their hostel.
Make Friends Easily
Dive professionals may seem like an odd bunch, but put a few of us in the same room and it won’t take too long for the conversation to reach a deafening crescendo as we share the numerous diving stories we’ve collected in our scuba careers – after all, who enjoys scuba stories more than like-minded individuals who have equally as crazy stories to tell themselves!
Dive for Free!
Diving can be bloody expensive, and when on a budget or when you’re used to diving for free at your place of work to suddenly have to part with hundreds of dollars to get underwater can often feel like a kick in the teeth – so how can we work our way around this then?
It’s simple really – work your way into it! You’ll be surprised how many dive centres will let you dive for free with them in return for a little work, and if you impress this will often lead to offers of more work to help fund your travels further; a win-win situation for us poverty-stricken dive pros!
Build an Impressive CV
With so many wise individuals entering the dive industry it can be quite difficult to find instructor work, especially if your CV is a little lacking. By offering your services to different dive centres when travelling you’re building up some vital experience around the world which can only stand you in good stead for your future endeavours, or even get your foot in the door at a dive centre you feel like settling down in for a while!
Kissing the Girls and Boys
It’s a fact that dive instructors have a reputation for being rather easy to ‘kiss and cuddle’ with; it’s something I’ve witnessed many times myself on Koh Tao, even for the pug-ugly and those practically devoid of personality. I’m assuming that’s due to dive professionals simply being much cooler than everyone else (as none of us would ever take advantage of our positions of authority) so by using our supreme diving skills whilst on our travels, there’s no doubt in my mind that the chances of hooking up will rise accordingly.
International Contacts
Now maybe this is just me, but in my years of travelling one thing I always wanted was to get was an address book brimming with new travel buddies that I could go and visit in the future, and take advantage of their hospitality by staying with them rent-free till the end of eternity. Now, what better way to make firm friends with someone on your travels then to spend a few days introducing them to the greatest hobby the world has ever seen. One of the things you never forget was your first ever dive instructor, so why not take advantage of this by turning up on their doorstep one day with a smile and a big bag of dirty laundry.
Local Knowledge
Dive instructors and Divemasters, despite having the best job in the whole world, work long hours and spend much of that time meeting new people from all walks of life and all ages, but like many professions divers tend to have an affinity towards other divers. When I meet other dive-pros working in my holiday destination they’re always very happy to share their local knowledge to ensure that I get the most out of my stay in their neighbourhood – so much so that nowadays one of the first things I do when arriving somewhere new is to locate a dive centre and hit them up for their top tips on where to eat well cheaply, which places will keep me on the toilet all day, where to have a good night out and inside tips on where to go and when, who to talk with, and where to get discounts from!
Change your life by becoming a Tech Diver – Step One
