What can you do when what started as a hobby has become an all-consuming passion, and has turned into something that you feel you could earn a good living from?

We would all love to be paid for doing something that we truly enjoy so why not look for a diving job and see where in the world the opportunities take you?

The first job that will probably spring to mind is becoming a diving instructor yourself. And yes you can go ahead and become a certified instructor and use that certification as a stepping stone to your perfect career.

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Diving Jobs Where to find them?

Once you have your Dive Instructor qualification make a point of checking out all of the dive shops that you know of.

Not only do they advertise for scuba instructors and dive masters to work out of their store, but it is also a place when employers post details of current vacancies, after all, they know that the right people for their jobs walk through the dive shop doors every day.

Once you know where to look you will find diving jobs on offer in marine construction, boating industries and offshore installations all of which need fully qualified and experienced people in the water.

What you need to do is decide in what kind of industry you would like to work, either the commercial/industrial sector, or in non-commercial, recreational environments. Both offer rewarding careers but very different types of work.

Recreational Diving Opportunities

Recreation is big business, and this is probably the sector where most of the job opportunities are, and once you have qualified as a dive instructor you are able to work anywhere in the world.

Think about it, wherever the water is warm, there are water-based activities. There will be a dive shop, and they need dive instructors etc. and so it goes on. There are jobs advertised for dive instructors on private yachts, cruise ships and every tropical island resort you can think of.

Whilst this might sound like a great job it is very physically and mentally demanding and you could be asked to lead a minimum of four dives per day, plus you will be providing training and instruction to everyone that dives with you while being responsible for maintaining every single piece of dive equipment. You are also responsible for everyone’s safety, and are the first person in the line of fire should there be any mishaps.

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Commercial Diving Opportunities

In the commercial field, you could be involved in underwater research, photography, working in the marine construction industry or in the field of marine conservation. The military and the police force also have teams of scuba divers and one of the benefits of working with them is that training is provided meaning you don’t have to pay for it.

But with these employers, you can more or less forget about the tropical clear waters of the Caribbean and think more about dirty canals and other less savory locations and plenty of confined spaces.

Commercial diving is also demanding, but for different reasons. Here you will need a good knowledge of decompression theory, and be qualified in more than just instruction.

You need an understanding of engineering, underwater surveying, and welding, plus you will need to be extremely physically fit as you will be working underwater for extended periods.

Also read: Why a Scuba Diving Career May Not be Your Dream Job

Not Interested in Either?

If neither commercial nor non-commercial diving jobs sound appealing you could always go into business yourself as a freelance diver.

There is more than one way to earn a living from being in the water, you just need to keep an eye open for any opportunities that come your way, or if they don’t come quickly enough, create your own. If you are willing to gamble, the best places to head out to are the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, and Australia.

In these climates, work is generally available all year round in and around the marinas.

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Anywhere where boats are in motion throughout the year generally has diving work available, just make sure that you have your advanced open water certification and have some mechanical knowledge.

Diving jobs like bottom cleaning (barnacle scraping) may not be glamorous but it’s a job that always needs doing. You will come across a variety of underwater repair work that needs performing like repairing buoys and channel markers as well as salvage work. Add underwater search and rescue to the list and all bases are covered.

What would your scuba diving dream job be? Let us know in the comments below.

This article is written by RUSHKULT, the online booking platform for Scuba Diving. Visit the RUSHKULT platform to book your next Scuba Dive training, guided trip, and accommodation. [the_ad id="10253"]
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