Teaching: the good, the bad and the ugly.

[littleleemur]

Where and when did you decide that you wanted to teach diving and describe some of your best and worst teaching experiences.

[seasnake]

Good one.

I decided I wanted to teach Scuba on my own basic course. I could see myself teaching the subject and knew I would enjoy it.

One of my worst episodes as an instructor: I was asked to come help out another instructor on the last day of checkout dives. The main instructor split the group of students in two, and I have to say the dives I did with my group were .... marginal. We were on the shop boat, which tied up to a lobster trap!! In four foot seas. One student got in the water but returned to the boat deck very quickly in sheer terror. The rest of the students made it to the bottom but were unable to demonstrate any of the briefed skills. I thought they would be ready in time, but certainly weren't at that point, and informed the instructor after the dives.

At the end of the day I had to hide when he signed their c-cards and certified them for diving.

[lottie]

This isn't teaching as such but...anyway. Some friends of my mum's came out a few months ago and the guy did his open water course at the same resort course that I dive at.
After he got his OW, we'd arranged to do a couple of dives together before he flew back, we were on the boat and setting up the gear - he tried to put his primary stage on the wrong way (it was a yoke system) before I told him otherwise....very scary!

[acelockco]

That is really common stuff for new divers. Remember....

Anyway, that is the great thing about divers, we all can look out for one another and it only helps us all learn and make new dive buddys. Great job Lottie.

[Tigerbeach]

I learned to dive at the age of 14. I made several hundred dives in my teens, while I swam on swim teams and played water polo while growing up in Laguna Beach, California.
While in college, I began seeking advanced training during a summer.
I found an Instructor, a former Navy Seal, who ran me through his Advanced class then through Rescue. His focus was on swimming skills and self reliance.
He asked if I would consider being a safety diver for his classes.I quickly became a became a "dive rat"; attending every class dive on the weekends, even driving home from college on the weekends to play a new kind of dive game:
No accidents, ever!
I learned every step of his course, and sailed through Dive master and AI courses. When Chris chose to move to St Croix, I was his logical choice to replace him. I went through Naui College with Jim Hicks.
I am Naui Instructor 8319.

[bubbles]

I have never taught scuba but would love to do something like that - particularly in warmer tempretures than England As someone who is unemployed at present I would love to know how to get started - can it be profitable or really only an extension of your hobby? I would think the actual training would be pretty expensive. I remember when I did my first 'discover scuba' session in the pool my instructor telling me that she loved introducing people to scuba for the first time - I think that is something I would enjoy, especially if it were children through the bubble maker scheme - what a wonderful thrill to see how much they enjoy scuba!