Amidst a lifestyle that often necessitates us to spend the majority of our time indoors, more people are seeking careers that will allow them to work in close proximity to nature. Scuba diving is much more than a recreational pastime for many die-hard diving enthusiasts. For many, it is a chosen career path, a way to amalgamate a means to an income with an intense passion. Becoming an accredited PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) diving instructor is a prestigious accomplishment and one that takes a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve.
Not everyone is cut out for the job
As exciting as a job as a diving instructor may sound, not everyone will make the cut as far as training is provided. Not only do you have to be in peak physical performance but you also need to be able to work with a diverse group of people under extreme circumstances. While the physical diving skills can, for the most part, be acquired through training, social skills are generally inherent. If you are up to the challenge of working 60-hour weeks, have a keen sense of adventure and are prepared to work hard to get your certification, becoming a professional diving instructor may be the right career choice for you after-all.
Getting certified
If you want to become a diving instructor you need to become certified. There are a number of exceptional diving courses available that will afford you all the theoretical knowledge and practical know-how required to becoming a respectable diving instructor. Diving instructor courses consist of classroom time, confined water dives and, of course, open water dives. You will be expected to not only know basic safe diving protocol relating to safe descends and surfacing, equipment care and how to deal with underwater emergencies, but also how to pass on your knowledge to rookie divers.
A lot of hard work lies ahead
Once you have obtained your basic scuba certification you can take the first step to become a qualified diving instructor. A typical IDC (Instructor Development Course) consists of 2 parts which are the courses AI (Assistant Instructor) along with the OWSI (Open Water Scuba Instructor). The majority of professional divers first complete the whole IDC before sitting for their Instructor Examination (IE). The IE is the final step towards earning your PADI Instructor certification. If you choose to only complete your AI course you will only be able to obtain his PADI Assistant Instructor qualification.
Deciding to forge a career as a diving instructor for yourself could turn out to be one of the best decisions of your life. If you are physically fit, passionate about the ocean and want to share it, together with your skills, with others, chances are you will be a superb diving instructor.