I admit I am anal enough to have a 101 Things I want to do before I die. I have yet to identify all of the 101 Things;however, I have been making progress.

One of my goals is to actually complete my PADI instructor training. I have completed the AI portion several years ago at Pro Dive in Ft. Lauderdale. Since then, I have been going back and forth on whether it is time to make the next step. I have the books and started reviewing them. Alas, is it worth doing just for the sake of doing it? Or will I actually go out there and join the muddle of instructors trying to simply break even ?

I would love to hear your comments. Samer aka Stingrays

Comments

dondiver - 10/21/2007 11:11 AM As a PADI instructor reading these blogs, I would like to say to you what was said to me. Become an instructor only if you truely want to teach diving and share your experiences and knowledge with your students. Watching a student grow and gain confidence is awesome and being a part of that is reward in it`s self for most instructors. Also, teaching is not diving. It`s not the same as working strickly as a dive guide. Instructors generally will make more hourly money plus any teaching comm than a DM or AI, however, remember that ALL of the responsibility is on the instructor. If you don`t want that much responsibility or don`t wish to spend hours teaching a diver how to remove/replace a mask or recover a reg, than the AI or DM is a good position.

Plang - 10/18/2007 4:56 PM I agree with "hughisland" and it seems his and my goals are the same. I am currently going after my Dive Master certification just so I can work in the industry for the fun of it and get some free diving in. Who knows I might even go for instructor status just to do it. I will retire in 12 more year and then the adventure really begins. Look long term.

hughisland - 10/18/2007 8:10 AM Several years ago I decided there was more to diving than I was doing. It took several years but I became an instructor. I love teaching and have been teaching for a couple of years just for the fun of it, and free diving. Now I am heading for the Carribbean to work for a dive shop, to live the dream, not to get rich. I,m 69 years old and it is time to enjoy what I love. Go for it, you will not regret it.

Dorkfish - 10/18/2007 5:01 AM Work out a budget and actually see if it is feasible for you to become an instructor. Some of us definately just break even, but then again some of those people are instructors because they enjoy it and do not mind if they break even.