Dreaming of living the dream life? If being a dive instructor is not dreamy enough, do it on a Super Yacht!
While this is partly true, there are a series of tasks and responsibilities that dive instructors working on a superyacht have to take into consideration. Some of these roles are shared with other diving jobs, other are unique to the super yacht dive instructor reality.
For instance, dive instructors working on a superyacht still have to teach and guide dives, refill dive tanks, wash and maintain dive equipment; they also have to learn how to drive zodiacs, tenders and speedboats used to reach the dive sites, be a bit of a sailor, able to work with anchors and moorings, and work as a deckhand or learn how to deal with ropes and knots. Working on a super yacht, dive instructors get to dive remote and pristine dive sites, but they need to adapt to unusual, yet incredible, teaching environments and work closely with the captain and crew.
What is the day-to-day life of a diving instructor on a superyacht?
The dive instructor working on a superyacht wears a lot of different hats. They will not only guide incredibly beautiful dives and teach exciting courses to élite students, they will also plan, prepare and review diving trips, including selecting alternative or new dive sites in close collaboration with the yacht’s captain.
During surface intervals or at the end of a dive day, they will become tour guides and take the guests on beach barbecues and bonfires, walking on remote sand tongues or on trips on land or away from the yacht.
Most duties on the super yacht will involve being a deckhand, standing watch underway and in port, operating controls, maintaining the vessel clean, washing the speedboat, jet skis and main yacht, securing gear, and assisting the captain in numerous operations. It’s a bit of a 30/70 split between dive-related tasks and deckhand duties.
Sometimes, for a dive instructor on a super yacht, the actual dive feels like a nice break from the yacht activities which tend to be more numerous and intense.
What are the challenges of being a diving instructor on a superyacht?
The job comes with a number of perks, but also a few challenges. It is certainly not for everyone.
The physical demands of the job are certainly to be taken into account, so the dive instructors who want to work on a superyacht should be young, strong, physically fit, able to endure the inevitably long hours and adapt to new, constantly changing environments.
Clients can be sometimes difficult. Customers of a super yacht tend to be very wealthy, and sometimes quite overindulged, hence demanding. They can be sometimes difficult to handle, please or control. One challenge several instructors commonly report when teaching a dive course to super yacht clients is the fact that they rarely want to abide by the rules and they tend to react negatively to the necessity of sitting through an exam.
The split job of diving and deck might be a challenge but also offers a kind of well-needed escape from time to time. A positive mindset is required when working in similar conditions.
Last but not least, dive instructors working on a superyacht need to be prepared to jump in the water and dive at all times. Sometimes they will dive into locations that are so remote and off the charts, that they have never been there, but still need to satisfy their student’s and guests’ expectations of knowing the dive site like the back of their hands.
What are the benefits of being a diving instructor on a superyacht?
Well, it is not all bad, or else no one would do it! Working as a dive instructor on a super yacht allows you to travel to remote and exotic destinations while doing what you’re supposed to love most, diving!
The dive instructor working on a superyacht has the opportunity to see amazing places that others pay tons of money to access, diving at the best, most unspoiled and otherwise inaccessible locations on earth.
Dive instructors on a super yacht build the ability to work with a close-knit team, getting a huge amount of boating experience, and at the same time interact with high-end clients, satisfying their needs and going the extra mile for them, which in turn results in making friends for life. Dive instructors who choose this work environment are exposed to the lifestyle of the rich and famous and get a taste of how the other half live.
It goes without saying that money, especially when we are talking about tips, is pretty good, and since expenses are relatively low, working a few years like this allows dive instructors to have some considerable life savings.
Tips for aspiring diving instructors
For divers who are interested in working as dive instructors on a super yacht, the dive instructor certification is just the tip of the iceberg. At Ritual Dive, students can go from Open Water to Divemaster and Open Water Scuba Instructor, passing by the necessary Emergency First Response Instructor certification, which is clearly much needed on boats and in remote locations. Other recommended qualifications, that are offered at Ritual Dive, include specialities such as Deep Diver, Nitrox Diver, Drift Diver and Boat Diver.
As we saw, the job includes a lot of boating operations. An efficient deckhand course will come in extremely handy, as will an STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) certification and Powerboat license.
Last but not least, having to deal with unusual and may be hard to-classify marine life, a marine ecology course could be another interesting one to pursue.
Behind-the-scenes
Working on a super yacht as a dive instructor exposes people to somewhat unexpected and surprising moments. Dive instructors working in this unique environment make some interesting and life-changing experiences, leaving incredible memories for the rest of a lifetime.
They might swim with all types of sharks and pelagic creatures, venture in sunken shipwrecks that no one has ever visited before, or find themselves in the idle of a sardine run or a whale’s migration. They might see humpback whales, manta rays, tiger sharks and whale sharks, but also the most colourful and bizarre critters in the world. They might end up making night dives every evening, building an impressive experience and a phenomenal photography portfolio.
Oftentimes, they get to dive with and teach diving to VIP clients, such as actors, singers, sports heroes, or some of the richest people on the planet.
In conclusion, becoming a diving instructor and working on a superyacht is somewhat fascinating even though it has its challenges. If you think that the pros are heavier than the cons, you might have an exciting career ahead!
For us, this means being able to travel and see the planet in all its most hidden details, meet friends from all over the world and earn some really decent money. It also means learning a whole new skill set that will serve you for a lifetime and in the most diverse circumstances, and ultimately living the life that most people normally only dare dream of.
