Understanding scuba divers encounters with “close calls” and how we could better learn from sharing these diving incidents. — InDepth Magazine and the Business of Diving Institute are collaborating on a series of scuba diving industry surveys to better understand where we stand on key dive industry issues, identify workable solutions, increase awareness of opportunities, and fuel discussions among dive professionals.

Understanding scuba divers & dive professionals’ relationship to the environment and commitment to sustainable tourism. — Updated on June 21, 2022, with final survey results. InDepth Magazine and the Business of Diving Institute are collaborating on a series of scuba diving industry surveys to better understand where we stand on key issues, identify workable solutions, increase awareness of opportunities, and fuel discussions among dive professionals.

The number of entry-level scuba diving certifications increased in the USA in 2022 but remained lower than pre-pandemic levels. — The numbers are in for entry-level scuba diving certifications in the USA in the first quarter of 2022. The last couples of years have been anything but normal for anybody and even more particularly for market segments reliant on travel, like the scuba diving industry.

Exclusive survey results on annual and hourly income for scuba diving instructors by training agency, and geographical region. — A recreational scuba diving instructor (without tech diving credentials) with a full-time job in the dive industry earns, on average, $24,909 per year. But this worldwide average doesn’t necessarily apply to you. And you will find all the information you want on dive instructors' salaries in this article.

Are scuba diving instructors “cutting corners”? If so, why? And what do they need to improve the quality of their dive courses? — Following an article by Gareth Lock titled “Do ‘Bad Apples’ Actually Exist?”, the Business of Diving Institute and InDepth magazine conducted a survey among scuba diving instructors. It was a self-assessment and introspection exercise. Here’s the verdict. Are scuba diving instructors cutting corners?

There are only a handful of official prerequisites to becoming a scuba diving instructor. There are many more requirements if you want to be successful in your career as a dive instructor. — On the official prerequisites front, it may vary a bit depending on the dive training agency you choose. Which training agency to choose is, in itself, an important step that we will discuss in a forthcoming article.

Out-of-water skills. That’s where dive instructors often fail in their attempt at “living the dream.” — Instructors are a dime a dozen. Pumping out dive instructors is a very profitable production mill for dive centers. You pay them to become a dive instructor; then, you work for close-to-nothing to accumulate certs to go up in the pyramid. It smells almost like a Ponzi scheme! If you…

Heads up! The good and the bad about becoming a dive instructor. — A few years ago, I worked with a European private equity firm considering an investment in the dive industry. In the end, they did not invest. They concluded that the dive industry was more “a melting pot of hobbyists” than an industry. It may be so, but I believe it…