diving job opportunities

Hello! Maybe you can help me with this...

I am 35 y.o. and thinking on learning to dive in order to become an assistant instructor first and maybe an instructor with time. Am coming from a fine art background and love photography so taking pictures under the water attracts me a lot.

Also jet ski is something i like so the question in fact is:

1) Is it ok to start at 35?
2) Is there possibilities to work in this field, teaching as well as taking pics?

All your comments will be welcome!
Thanks in advance and happy travels!

Edited by: ultramar

Any reason you want to be a dive instructor? Have you been diving and what qualifications do you have?

There is no reason you can't start at 35. The main thing that would stop you are medical conditions but I presume you have had all the required medicals.

There are many jobs as dive instructors. I know a few people who have done it. But you will often need to live is more remote locations near dive spots. You're also unlikely to get rich doing it.

I doubt you will get many contract jobs taking underwater pics. Your best bet is freelance.

Hi

You can start diving at any point, so don't be worried about age at all... Many people change careers late into the diving industry, so it's all good. I'd recommend starting diving at first at least until Dive Master. Once at that level you'll be able to see if it's something you'd really like to do full time. From there, instead of being an Assistant Instructor you can just do the full IDC Instructor course since there are more job opportunities being a full instructor.
While you are training as a diver you can start taking underwater photography courses, however it's quite a bit different from taking them on land. There isn't much work available in that area and the people who are taking photos and making money from it are amazing and have lots of experience behind them.
Working in the diving community is an awesome lifestyle but it doesn't necessarily pay well, especially at the beginning. It's a lifestyle choice for most people since you're in the sun, diving, and living in beautiful areas. It's not exactly in remote areas, since many diving communities are well built up.
Good Luck!

Hi there

I would recommend you join scubaboard, which is the largest online community dedicated to diving. There are a lot of working dive instructors and divemasters on the site who can give you great advice for planning a diving career.

And good luck from me!

Agree with all of the above.

Why consider becoming an assistant instructor? When it's just one more step to instructor?

I did my DM when I was 34 in Koh Tao and most of the instructors were older than me!

Happy diving.

Hello everybody!
Just wanted to thank all of you for your nice answers wich made me feel fine.
All the best for you and happy travels!

There's no problem with starting at 35 what-so-ever !! Go for it !! I've been teaching for the last ten years, and love it !

Check out Thresher Shark Divers in the Philippines, we regularly teach Instructor courses and offer full intern packages...