My goal is to move to a great scuba diving resort location and make scuba diving my full time career. This would be a career change from just having a good job and making a good living to living a dream. Imagine, doing what you love to do and making a living from it. In my case, scuba diving and spending time at resort locations is what I did for fun, to unwind from the rat race. Now I can do that every day of the year. I got my certifications to teach scuba and I got some experience working with the local dive shop so, now what do I need to do to make this happen.
As I researched jobs and locations I also read message boards and articles about working as a resort scuba instructor. I learned that this sort of job is not the job to get rich, of course, the payoff is to live on a beautiful island or beach and pretty much be on vacation all the time. I learned that I would need to live a simple life free from many of the luxuries and conveniences that I am used to. So, during this process of learning to teach scuba I also put myself on a strict budget. I worked hard to pay off all of my bills so that I was completely free of all debt. I also got rid of a lot of stuff that was cluttering up my house, garage and storage shed. I threw stuff away, i sold stuff, gave away stuff until I could fit all of my possessions except my suitcase full of clothes and my scuba gear, into an 8 X 10 storage shed. Now I must say that was a challenge. It is hard to part with things you know. Many things have some sentimental value and some things had real value but after I unloaded it all that did not matter anymore. I felt so liberated, so free and light. It was an amazing feeling really because I was now in a position that I could go anywhere in the world for as long as I wanted to and I did not have a thing to worry about back home except to pay my storage rent. I felt like a rich homeless person. So, now to find a job! There are several scuba diving message boards that list job postings for scuba instructors and divemasters but the best one is the employment board on the PADI website that can be accessed only if you hold a divemaster or instructor certification. I read the boards everyday and made lists of places that I was interested in and sent out my resume. While I waited for responses to my resume’s I researched the locations on the Internet and participated in message boards to learn about what to expect. I applied all over the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Europe, Florida Keys and the South Pacific. I learned that 1: it is difficult and/or expensive to get work permits at many locations ( but it can be done). 2: many places don’t pay very much and it is expensive to live in resorts (but it can be done) and 3: some foreign dive shop owners are downright dishonest and will use the work permit as a means to blackmail instructors into slavery. So, you have to proceed very cautiously if you want to be the traveling scuba instructor but as I said, it can be done. You really have to interview the shop owner and talk to other employees and read message postings from residents, employees, ex-employees and so on. The Internet is great, you can find anything you want here. Well, I narrowed my search down to several possibilities but I kept looking. Then, after looking for places all over the world, there was a job posting for a scuba instructor on Catalina Island. Up to this point in my search for a job I did not even think of Catalina, I don’t know why, I have always loved Catalina Island and I always dreamed of living there since I was kid. So, I made an appointment, hopped on the Catalina Express and went over to check it out. It was perfect! Exactly what I was searching for!
Catalina Divers Supply in Avalon has 2 shops, one on the main pier in the middle of the harbor and one right at the dive park, just steps from the easy stairway entry/exit point to one of the best shore dives in the world. CDS also has a great dive boat, The Scuba Cat, a 46′ Newton dive special boat that can get to virtually any of the best dive sites on the island in less than 45 minutes. Additionally the owner of the dive shop had apartments that he rents at a discount to employees of the shop and that is huge because rent is high in Avalon but to top it off, the pay was better than any other place that I had checked out up to this point. So, that was it, I was sold. I got hired, I gave my 2 week notice at USA TODAY the next day, gave notice to my landlord, packed up and moved to Catalina Island. In my next post I will describe what it was like to move there and what it was like getting started as a new scuba instructor working full time at a resort dive shop.
Tim Sanchez
www.vistasbelow.com
