How to become a Diving Instructor
Nobody starts as a Diving Instructor. The usual path starts as a Divemaster, a job you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Diving Instructor at about year 3 to 5 of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Diving Instructor. A typical path, not a rule.
Divemaster
Year 0. Pay from about US$3,200 a month. A yacht divemaster runs guest diving: planning sites, maintaining kit and compressors, briefing and guiding dives, and keeping divers safe.
Deckhand / Divemaster
Year 0-1. Pay from about US$3,300 a month. A deckhand who also guides guest dives and runs the dive locker, compressor and briefings on top of washdowns, tender driving and watchkeeping.
Deckhand / Dive Instructor
Year 1-3. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. A deckhand who also holds a scuba instructor rating, running guest dives, training and dive kit alongside normal deck work on a superyacht.
Diving Instructor
Year 3-5. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. Runs the yacht's dive programme, teaching and guiding guests underwater and keeping compressors, kit and dive records safe and in order.
Before you applyWhat a Divemaster needs, from the Divemaster guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PADI Divemaster or equivalent
- Emergency First Response or Elementary First Aid
- Oxygen Provider
Gets you hired
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor
- Nitrox gas blender certificate
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- PDSD
- Compressor operator course
Later, for Diving Instructor
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PADI OWSI or SSI/BSAC instructor equivalent, current
- EFR Instructor or equivalent first aid
Visas
- Schengen visa (non-EU crew)
- B1/B2 US visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Divemaster for dive planning and briefing, compressor and nitrox operation and dive equipment servicing. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in luxury resorts is the closest match, for example work as a guest services team member.
Write each job on your CV as what you did, with numbers: how many guests, how many boats, how many covers. Then list every skill below that you can prove.
- Dive planning and briefing
- Compressor and nitrox operation
- Dive equipment servicing
- Tender driving
- Rescue and emergency response
- Guest care underwater
- General deck maintenance
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Divemaster must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical, PADI Divemaster, Emergency First Response or Elementary First Aid and Oxygen Provider before a yacht can put you to work as a Divemaster.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Divemaster CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: luxury resorts.
See a Divemaster CV example →Create your crew profile
Upload that CV and we build your profile from it. Your name and contact details stay hidden. Captains and recruiters contact you. It is free.
Create your crew profile →Apply and look for daywork
Apply to open jobs and to crew agencies, and take daywork: a few paid days on a yacht is how most first-time crew get a reference. 1 Divemaster job is open on SuperyachtRoles.com now.
See open Divemaster jobs →Step up to Deckhand / Divemaster
The usual path puts Deckhand / Divemaster at year 0 to 1. Pay starts from about US$3,300 a month.
How to become a Deckhand / Divemaster →
Divemaster jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com. Some ask for experience, so read each advert.
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Diving Instructor with no experience?
Not directly. Diving Instructor is mid level work. The usual path starts as a Divemaster, which you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Diving Instructor at about year 3 to 5.
How long does it take to become a Diving Instructor?
The usual path puts Diving Instructor at about year 3 to 5 of a yacht career, after Divemaster, Deckhand / Divemaster and Deckhand / Dive Instructor. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does a Divemaster earn at the start?
From about US$3,200 a month, by our Divemaster guide. Charter tips can add a month's salary or more over a busy season, and guests who dive often tip the divemaster on top. Instructors usually earn 500 to 1,000 USD a month more than divemasters.
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