Employment - Resort Diving, Things To Know

Looking for Diving Work

There are website's that list places worldwide that are hungary for dive instructors and divemasters and salespeople. Unfortunately these can be a exploitive and profit-orientated in that they are 'pay and submit' for a chance of work. Alternatively the fun and adventurous way is to email dive resorts and see what's on offer and / or roll up at a country with a lot of dive resorts and drop in unannounced!

Getting the Big Break in Diving

There are many things to aid a diver working for a resort or dive company, these can be skills that are beneficial both under and above water, at the dive shop and on board the dive boat. As mentioned previously the prime requirement at dive resorts (besides customers of course!) is a core of instructors and divemasters who can provide a diving service. Actually gaining employment as a diver can be a varied path at a dive resort. Luck and the benchmark set by the mindset of the Resort manager plays a part, as does the diver role itself. It may be as simple as emailing off a CV for a vacancy and showing up at the dive resort. At the other extreme it may require passing a comprehensive and in-depth interview, skill assessment and a lengthy evaluation period by your peers before being fully accepted into the job.

Having the qualifications to work as an Instructor or Dive Leader / Divemaster is barely half the battle these days. Having a 'face that fits' and the experience to dive the dive is crucial. In busy dive resorts there can be a high demand for dive instructors and divemasters and it is here that the best chance lies in rookies divemasters and instructors getting their 'big break.' Some may feel the need to be 'economical with the truth' on their resume's and when being interviewed to try and give themselves an 'edge' over the competition. This is a controversial subject that gets everyone aflame so be aware that this approach may land you in hot water, if the 'truth' emerges and you'd better be ready to pull something out of the bag to back it up!
Having you're own dive gear should, to most divers, make sense if your striking out for a job in diving. Yes, it is a pain in the ass having to lug gear all over the place but we know it makes sense in the long run, as constantly fitting into rental gear is not professional.

It's something of a myth that to work in the recreational diving industry you must be an extrovert by nature and outwardly gregarious. It can certainly help in certain circumstances though, in the PADI diving industry promoting PADI products and materials is encouraged. In some resorts that are dependent on selling diving trips and courses rather than receiving pre-booked customers your salesmanship qualities will need to be high. What is a very important quality to have, especially as an instructor, is confidence and being a good speaker. More important still is having and showing empathy; reading the mood and character of the customers you'll be taking diving.

Instructors and divemasters who can adjust their style and language to suit their audience will find their job becomes a whole lot easier. Arrogance, ideally is a trait that no Dive Instructor should have, however bear in mind that there can be a fine line between an assertive instructor and an arrogant one.

Speaking the native language of the paying customers is another essential skill required.
The English language is considered to be the international language of divers, closely followed by Spanish, German, French and the Scandinavian languages. That said it is no bad thing to be a Spanish or French speaking diver with only a limited grasping of English. To a smart dive resort, multi-lingual dive instructors are worth their weight in gold, potential diving customers who wish to go or learn diving will be drawn to the common ground of being understood properly by the staff there.

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