Press Release
Scubanomics is Conducting a Study on the “Economics” of Being a Dive Instructor
Survey for scuba diving instructors, instructor trainers, and course directors — active or retired.
Scubanomics and InDepth magazine are seeking dive instructors* to participate in the first-ever dive industry survey on the “economics” of being a dive instructor.
(*) “Dive instructor” includes scuba diving instructors, instructor trainers, and course directors. Active or non-active.
This survey is now closed. Subscribe to Scubanomics to know when more dive industry studies become available.From the Scubanomics survey on dive instructors, we have, so far, produced the following reports:
- Part 1: The “economics” of being a recreational scuba diving instructor compared to a technical diving instructor.
- Part 2: A look at dive instructors who decided to stop teaching scuba. The “economics” of the dropped-out scuba diving instructors. Their reasons. Their profile.
Still to come: differences between instructors working with different dive training agencies, as well as contrasts between instructors and instructor trainers/course directors. We will also look at differentiation between independent instructors and those working for a dive center. And we will check if there is a gender gap.Subscribe to be kept in the loop. You may also pursue this discussion with the author, Darcy Kieran, on LinkedIn.
Dive instructors are the gateway for water enthusiasts to discover and experience the underwater world.
We can discuss the ideal structure and business model of the industry, and the role of local dive shops, but dive instructors will always remain key to our successes. Therefore, we thought it was important to better understand the life and economics of dive instructors and determine how viable and sustainable their work really is.
The life of instructors has certainly been romanticized in dive industry advertising. Instructor training is often promoted as “living the dream.” It will be interesting to get a read on how romantic it is from an economics perspective.
We are also very interested in the transition from recreational instruction to tech diving instruction, and from instructor to instructor trainer, and what that looks like, financially.
Dive instructors are the “front line”. The more we understand what is happening with their career, the more we can support them and advance our industry. Improving the consistency in the quality of the experience is key to our growth. And it’s in the hands of the instructors, on the front line!
Our industry suffers from a lack of data and hopefully, this study will help plug in some gaps.
This study is a joint effort between Darcy Kieran (Scubanomics) and Michael Menduno (InDepth Magazine). Numerous dive training agencies and scuba diving publications have jumped on board to help with this survey. We are looking forward to thanking everybody at the end of the study.
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Also from Darcy Kieran and The Business of Diving Institute:Reference book: Scuba Diving Industry Market Data & Statistics: 2021 Edition.Guide book: Your Career and/or Life as a Scuba Diving Instructor: How to make a good living out of your passion for scuba diving.Tools: Scuba Proud promotional products to help you recruit more student divers, dive buddies, and instructor candidates.
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What now? You may be interested in the complete Scubanomics Table of Content.
