Working in a particular Country, does it make you a better diver/PRO?
The answer is YES and you will find below 6 countries that you absolutely need to travel to and find a job as dive instructor or divemaster to improve your skills.
In your, hopefully long career as a diver or professional diver you will travel a lot, however if you could find yourself in the position to choose where to go, don’t forget these 6 countries. They will all give you so much new knowledge, that you will feel like a brand new Instructor every time you will start to work on each one.
1 Egypt. For many years has been one of the main destinations for diving, especially for divers from Europe but not only. And it is still a great Country to visit and work. Names like Sharm el Sheik, Hurgada and Marsa Alam are not new to divers of any level. Egypt offers, in addition to a variety of dive sites and unique wrecks, the conditions to improve your skills as a diver and, in particular, as a professional. The main feature you will have to focus on in Egypt, in one world, will be ‘logistics’. You will have to deal with an infinity of divers of different nationalities. For each diver you will have to make sure that everything has been carefully organized: resort pick up, meal on board, dive equipment ready on board, possibly nitrox, tanks for 3 or 4 spectacular dives per day and possibly a schedule for the following diving days. These are just some of the aspects of the routine work of a good master in Egypt. Dives are mainly from the boat and boats are huge. Tha means also huge groups of divers to take care.
2 Maldives. On these small paradisiac islands of the Indian Ocean you will not only have guaranteed spectacular dives with an incredible abundant pelagic fauna but you will surely become a better diver. Be aware that dive conditions are here often quite challenging and affected by strong currents and not always perfett visibility. Reef may not have a mooring buoy to preserve the substrate from any damage and for this reason you will need to learn/refine excellent drift dive techniques. Most of the time you will have to guide other certified divers, since courses are not probably as many as you wish, in fact most of the divers that come here are already experienced. Maldives also are quite isolated and slow in terms of social life and it may be something to consider for long term work agreements. Be ready to live in remote areas!
3 Mexico. Serving mainly the North American market, Mexico is a good base to learn and improve as an instructor and as a diver. Also here logistics and organization are extremely important for the large volumes of divers you will have to deal with. In resort like environment there will be lots of beginners which means lots of Discover Scuba Diver Programs to teach as well as entry level courses. Sales will be also an important aspect of your work conditions. If Maldives and Egypt receive mainly people that go there because they want to dive, in countries like Mexico, tourist may need to be ‘convinced’ and for this reason you need to have excellent sales skills.
4 Thailand. Thailand offers a very heterogeneous market in terms of diving, being a very large country. It also offers a great variety of logistics. It is a country where you may spend a lot of time while teaching, It is a very famous dive destinations among divers on a low budget. That means lots of young divers too. If you work here you would probably teach many courses of any level, which is always a good way of improving yourself too.
5 Dominican Republic. An island whose market in recent years has been confirming itself as a top dive destination for safety and beauty of its reefs/wrecks. Due to the increase in tourism and diving activities, it is not difficult to find a job in the Dominican Republic. The easy dive conditions also attract lots of experienced divers/dive students from all over the world. As for Mexico, also here, sales capacity and customers service are skills highly recommended… to also have a better salary.
6 Kenya. Finally, another important African travel destination, this time sub Saharan, that perhaps even surprisingly offers top quality diving spots along with beautiful terrestrial landscapes/game safaris. In this country you must definitely refine your diving techniques. As for many other countries, Indian ocean requires advanced skills and you must be prepared to handle strong currents, low visibility and complicated logistics (tides, small boats, huge surge, rough seas)
Remember, this is only a short list which just wants to address you to a starting point for you to become a better diver and a better professional. Never stop to learn
Have you already worked in these countries?