Once I set my mind to becoming a SCUBA instructor I needed to decide where I was going to take my classes.
My first inclination as to how to start this process was to choose a location and work from there. My first choice of location was the Philippines. I have always wanted to dive in the Pacific Ocean, particularly the Ring of Fire. However, I knew that leaving the country for a few months to SCUBA dive was not on the top of the list for approved post graduation activities and traveling half way around the world dropped it even lower. So I decided to look for a location in the Caribbean a little closer to home.
I chose Puerto Rico and began searching for a dive shop to do all of my courses through. As I was looking at the dive shops, I realized that most places just offered the courses and then left you on your own. I was hoping to find a place to pick up experience as well as the certifications. So I changed my search tactic to searching for dive internships. There are a lot of them out there.
Each internship offers pricing based on different criteria so make sure you take into account what is included in the price. The prices that are the lowest, in my experience, only included the cost of the course. You still needed to buy the course material, certification and testing fees, equipment, and housing for the duration of the course. When I started adding up the additional costs, I found that most offerings were all running about the same price. I chose Divearth.com , in the Bay Islands, Honduras. They were the most responsive to my emails and questions and their package included all costs except for food for the duration of the training. It is nice to know that I already have a placed lined up to stay while going through the training.
Once I lined up the dive shop and registered with them, I knew that I was going to Honduras to become a SCUBA instructor. I was going to get to do something not many people do: go after their dream.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
So...
I am leaving home and heading out to Honduras for a few months in January. Some people might be crazy enough to ask why. To those who don't really care why or want the short answer, to become a PADI SCUBA instructor. Anyone else can keep reading.
It all started around 10 years ago on a family vacation to Pompano Beach, Florida. My dad, sister, brother, and I were walking through the lobby of our timeshare when we noticed an ad for a free SCUBA lesson in the timeshare pool. That is where we met Jose, a PDIC instructor, who would lead us (minus my brother who was too young) into our first underwater adventures.
After taking the Open Water course at the age of 12, we decided to follow up and go through the Advanced Open Water course the following year with Jose again. Unfortunately since I was too young and only qualified for Junior diver, the only thing that changed on my second C-Card was the spelling of my name, Tray, and picture.
In order to rectify the spelling mistake, and maybe to help my brother catch up since he was old enough for the course two years later, we retook the Open Water Certification through PADI. We chose PADI because we could no longer find Jose and we discovered that not many people have ever heard of PDIC. We completed Open Water and Advanced Open Water over the next few years.
That was the end of my diver education for a while. I always thought it would be fun to have a job or a life that involved the ocean. Since I loved learning about the ocean, I thought sharing that passion with others would be a great way to earn some money. Since I do not have a career or any financial obligations, I figured now was the best time to see how the life of a dive instructor suited me. This blog will chronicle the path to instructor and the life of a dive instructor as a way to help people decide if this is a life that interests them. So come back often and let me know what you think.
It all started around 10 years ago on a family vacation to Pompano Beach, Florida. My dad, sister, brother, and I were walking through the lobby of our timeshare when we noticed an ad for a free SCUBA lesson in the timeshare pool. That is where we met Jose, a PDIC instructor, who would lead us (minus my brother who was too young) into our first underwater adventures.
After taking the Open Water course at the age of 12, we decided to follow up and go through the Advanced Open Water course the following year with Jose again. Unfortunately since I was too young and only qualified for Junior diver, the only thing that changed on my second C-Card was the spelling of my name, Tray, and picture.
In order to rectify the spelling mistake, and maybe to help my brother catch up since he was old enough for the course two years later, we retook the Open Water Certification through PADI. We chose PADI because we could no longer find Jose and we discovered that not many people have ever heard of PDIC. We completed Open Water and Advanced Open Water over the next few years.
That was the end of my diver education for a while. I always thought it would be fun to have a job or a life that involved the ocean. Since I loved learning about the ocean, I thought sharing that passion with others would be a great way to earn some money. Since I do not have a career or any financial obligations, I figured now was the best time to see how the life of a dive instructor suited me. This blog will chronicle the path to instructor and the life of a dive instructor as a way to help people decide if this is a life that interests them. So come back often and let me know what you think.
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