Often I will meet a customer that I see has got potential to be a good dive master or instructor. They have a passion for diving, joined us on trips and enjoy hanging around the club with other members. They love sharing their dive experiences with other people and are keen to attend more courses to further their knowledge and skills in diving.
However when I point out that they might want to consider the Professional side of diving there usually is resistance and a hesitation. This is mostly because of the implied responsibility, in actual fact the biggest reason is usually “I don’t want to take care of other people”.
This is fair comment. I am sure that this perception often gets created and it could certainly look like it at times. However on the flip side of the coin there is a completely different reality which has the potential to be life changing.
Hard to believe, but becoming a scuba instructor is not just doing another course or getting the badge – that is the wrong reason. It is a completely new life path that you are taking, an opportunity that is really hard to find in every day normal life. I would almost go as far as equating it to taking a life coaching course.
Being an instructor, besides being a major accomplishment in diving, sets you on a path of self-discovery, problem solving and gaining immense confidence. You will gain empathy and understanding but more so you will experience the sheer joy and satisfaction of teaching something to someone that is potentially life changing for them!
Think about it.
How often in life to you get to change someone’s life, how often do you get the opportunity to make a difference –where you can walk away feeling better yourself and leaving someone with joy and happiness? This is the beauty that is often missed, yes we look after students under our care but this is the tiniest of factors in the bigger picture.
Not for a single moment do I ever regret the decision to become an instructor. It will be difficult to make your millions as a dive instructor :) and although it can give you a very reasonable income if you choose it as a full time profession, it will enrich your life in many more ways than what money can ever give you.
It has changed my life irrevocably and has been one hell of a journey.
If you have a single ounce of passion for diving – do consider finding out more.