a couple of cents worth of thought....
Hi....
I have been working as a diving instructor since July this year. Since I have been diving, and during the last four months particularly, the same question keeps popping to mind.
Why are scuba instructor doing what they are doing?
Various answers come to mind, some of them are pretty obvious ones for some instructors that I have met! A change of career, and escape from “normal” city life, or because they love teaching and working in a varied environment. Also they may have an avid love of marine life and this job brings them as close as you can get.
Whatever the reason is, I have seen a interesting variety of dive professionals. There is the “put-the-scuba-unit-on-over-your-head” kind of macho instructor, who also will naturally stand on the boat railing and do a head first water entry. How impressive. (not).
There is also the “posey-sunglasses-look-at-me-I’m-blonde-and-skinny” type instructor, with the “if I can do it, they can do it” attitude.
There are also your role models, although i must admit that I have met just few, i could count them on one hand, in fact.
So what’s my point? Part of this article is dedicated to my previous questioning – why are you doing this?
Are you in it for the possible “easy shag and have a load of female/male divers looking at you in complete adoration when you ‘brave the water and jump in with just a snorkel to check the current?’” (snore). Or is it because you really want to teach scuba, for your love of diving?
Or.... (and here comes more questions) – are you in it for yourself, your own diving pleasure and your own precious logbook or dive count? (I find that scuba instructors are just DYING to tell you how many certifications they have and especially how many dives.....)
This brings me to the next part of this article... perhaps we should take a look at ourselves and ask if we are really taking care of divers closely while teaching or guiding a dive.
How many of us have left a diver with 50 bar on the surface (or safety stop) and gone down again with his/her (ex)buddy, who wants an extra 10 or 15 minutes dive time to finish his tank? And is that extra 15 minutes going to be partly responsible for anything that happens to the diver at the surface?
Yes, this article is full of questions... but in view of recent diving accidents in the last couple of months here in the Maldives perhaps we have to ask ourselves if we are becoming to blasé... a diver with a headache, tingling etc may not always be diagnosed as dehydrated (I have heard this comment so many times from instructors). Unless an instructor has a formal medical training (and I don’t mean “first aid”), how can he possibly make a firm diagnosis?? I often have heard from experienced instructor “aah... it’s just psychological”... “aah.. she is just dehydrated”...., or “aah... he is just a sh**y diver so panics for nothing”. Blasé again? Or is this the “real divers don’t panic and will dive rain or shine” attitude?
My question to instructors is “were you born diving”? Did you have a reg in your mouth upon delivery? No. When you started diving, were you a natural? Did you ever panic or get scared? Did you ever feel uneasy about a dive? What was the divemaster’s reaction? Did he/she bump you off with a sarcastic comment? Did he/she pay attention to your fears? Or were you told “if I can do it you can do it”? How did you feel?
“Experienced divers” are two words i hear a lot around here... but those levels of experience may vary extremely. A diver with 60 dives may not have the experience of a diver with 40 dives.. all depending on where and in what conditions he has been diving before. We cannot just assume that a diver with plenty of dives has a good capacity.
Recently there was a serious accident in Male Atoll. I prefer not to mention island names. I heard a couple of accounts of the accident. Obviously the true version will only be ever known by the instructor involved and the poor ill-fated soul who passed away.
Certain words come to my mind though, when I think of that god-forsaken day. Selfishness, irresponsibility, customer service, safety, and the REASON why there is an instructor on board, on every dive.
Why is the instructor there... for his pleasure, or for the well-being of the guests? Why is the instructor an instructor at all?
What is your reason?
Hi....
I have been working as a diving instructor since July this year. Since I have been diving, and during the last four months particularly, the same question keeps popping to mind.
Why are scuba instructor doing what they are doing?
Various answers come to mind, some of them are pretty obvious ones for some instructors that I have met! A change of career, and escape from “normal” city life, or because they love teaching and working in a varied environment. Also they may have an avid love of marine life and this job brings them as close as you can get.
Whatever the reason is, I have seen a interesting variety of dive professionals. There is the “put-the-scuba-unit-on-over-your-head” kind of macho instructor, who also will naturally stand on the boat railing and do a head first water entry. How impressive. (not).
There is also the “posey-sunglasses-look-at-me-I’m-blonde-and-skinny” type instructor, with the “if I can do it, they can do it” attitude.
There are also your role models, although i must admit that I have met just few, i could count them on one hand, in fact.
So what’s my point? Part of this article is dedicated to my previous questioning – why are you doing this?
Are you in it for the possible “easy shag and have a load of female/male divers looking at you in complete adoration when you ‘brave the water and jump in with just a snorkel to check the current?’” (snore). Or is it because you really want to teach scuba, for your love of diving?
Or.... (and here comes more questions) – are you in it for yourself, your own diving pleasure and your own precious logbook or dive count? (I find that scuba instructors are just DYING to tell you how many certifications they have and especially how many dives.....)
This brings me to the next part of this article... perhaps we should take a look at ourselves and ask if we are really taking care of divers closely while teaching or guiding a dive.
How many of us have left a diver with 50 bar on the surface (or safety stop) and gone down again with his/her (ex)buddy, who wants an extra 10 or 15 minutes dive time to finish his tank? And is that extra 15 minutes going to be partly responsible for anything that happens to the diver at the surface?
Yes, this article is full of questions... but in view of recent diving accidents in the last couple of months here in the Maldives perhaps we have to ask ourselves if we are becoming to blasé... a diver with a headache, tingling etc may not always be diagnosed as dehydrated (I have heard this comment so many times from instructors). Unless an instructor has a formal medical training (and I don’t mean “first aid”), how can he possibly make a firm diagnosis?? I often have heard from experienced instructor “aah... it’s just psychological”... “aah.. she is just dehydrated”...., or “aah... he is just a sh**y diver so panics for nothing”. Blasé again? Or is this the “real divers don’t panic and will dive rain or shine” attitude?
My question to instructors is “were you born diving”? Did you have a reg in your mouth upon delivery? No. When you started diving, were you a natural? Did you ever panic or get scared? Did you ever feel uneasy about a dive? What was the divemaster’s reaction? Did he/she bump you off with a sarcastic comment? Did he/she pay attention to your fears? Or were you told “if I can do it you can do it”? How did you feel?
“Experienced divers” are two words i hear a lot around here... but those levels of experience may vary extremely. A diver with 60 dives may not have the experience of a diver with 40 dives.. all depending on where and in what conditions he has been diving before. We cannot just assume that a diver with plenty of dives has a good capacity.
Recently there was a serious accident in Male Atoll. I prefer not to mention island names. I heard a couple of accounts of the accident. Obviously the true version will only be ever known by the instructor involved and the poor ill-fated soul who passed away.
Certain words come to my mind though, when I think of that god-forsaken day. Selfishness, irresponsibility, customer service, safety, and the REASON why there is an instructor on board, on every dive.
Why is the instructor there... for his pleasure, or for the well-being of the guests? Why is the instructor an instructor at all?
What is your reason?
