Earlier this summer I had a situation arise that gave me cause for concern. Certainly this wasn’t the first time it has happened to me, but it was the WHO that caused me grief. One of the things that concerns me is that this type of thing may start to creep up and occur more frequently, especially considering there are more and more independent instructors cropping up out there.

I was approached by another scuba instructor in the area. This instructor said they heard good things about my classes and paid me a couple other small compliments. I knew of this person, but never had met them face to face. They asked if I would be interested in teaching an Advanced Open Water class for them. The instructor had three students for the class.

This particular instructor was charging the students $250 for the course. That didn’t include the books and certification fee. That means the instructor was getting $750 for the three students. They offered to pay me $50 per student. After paying me the $150, the profit for this person would be $500!

What bothers me is that this instructor is making a significant amount of money for doing next to nothing. Sure, they may have went out and found the students. But they never took on any of the liability, personal risk and 100% of the work. When does finding students add up to taking the majority of the money for a class? This person, obviously, didn’t know they were talking to one of the best instructors in the midwest.

I believe that my classes have a certain value. This is how I price my classes. $150 to teach an AOW class to three students is well below what I charge. When I came back and gave this person my payment requirements, they almost jumped out of their pants. They couldn’t believe what I charged. Then proceeded to complain about not making much money. Well duh!!!

This is the same model that most dive stores use for paying instructors to teach classes. When I taught for some dive stores, I got paid between $25-$35 per student for a class. This meant the dive store got to keep a significant portion of what was being charged for the class. Now the dive store does have more overhead than the independent instructor, but it is still low pay for quite a bit of work on the instructors’ part.

When an independent instructor tries to employ the same model, it is an obvious cash grab. The thing that worries me is that there may be experienced independent instructors who may prey on new or lesser experienced independent instructors.

All scuba instructors should determine what their prices should be, even if they work for a dive store. Then do not work for anything less than that. Many new scuba instructors may be tempted to take significant less money in order to gain experience. They should resist the temptation to do so. Each instructor out in the world brings something different to the classes they teach. Therefore, a flat pay rate doesn’t always fit.

I’m always willing to help out when I can. I’ve offered to teach classes to many dive stores. But I believe that what I teach has value and would be willing to work with a dive store, or other instructors, to bring my unique style to their classes. Yet, still be able to work something out that would be mutual beneficial in regards to price.

Is this really a scam? While it’s not illegal, it certainly isn’t ethical. Independent scuba instructors out there need to be aware that there are many people who will try to take your money. For you average scuba divers out there, you should be aware of what goes on as well. I’ve mentioned many times, you need to find the best instructor for you. Don’t just be assigned an instructor from a dive store or another independent instructor without properly researching that instructor.

Image copyright of the Better Business Bureau. http://www.bbb.org/us/scams

Recently, I wrote about how current methods of scuba diving are failing. I had a few people write me about the safety of scuba diving. Some of the questions evolved around the safety record that scuba diving has. I believe that that safety record isn’t a good measurement of the actual safety of scuba diving. But that doesn’t mean I feel scuba diving is unsafe.

Scuba diving does come with significant inherent risk. Obviously drowning is a big risk, but there are many pressure related injuries that must be avoided as well. Because of this, we cannot fully eliminate all risks when scuba diving. Rather, we must minimize that risk if we want to participate in scuba diving activities. The only way to completely eliminate any risk with regard to scuba diving, is to not dive at all. Well, for some of us, that just not an option.

First, let’s take a look at scuba diving’s safety record. The Diver’s Alert Network (i.e. DAN) conducts an annual workshop where diving and medical experts around the world review the fatalities that have occurred in the previous year. If you are interested in reading their findings for 2010, the can be found here.

I’m not going to discuss their findings. The report does a very good job of outlining the fatalities and their contributing factors. I’d rather take a look at the information that doesn’t get reported. While DAN doesn’t report on it, I’m sure they get quite a bit of information regarding scuba diving related injuries. However, I haven’t seen any of those reports.

The thing that leaves me concerned is what ISN’T getting reported. How many buddy separations occur? How many low on airs or rapid ascents happen? These are the things that don’t get reported. I don’t know about your area, but I see this every weekend at our local training quarry.

What it boils down to, are unsafe diving behaviors. It is widely known, that these behaviors are significant contributing factors to scuba diving accidents. Yet, we see many unsafe behaviors occurring all of the time. If you have taken a PADI open water class, you most likely signed a Statement of Safe Diving Practices. The problem I have found is that many people do not read this document. Heck, not many instructors even know what it says. Most just sign if, without reading, just like the liability form.

What are some of these safe diving behaviors that must be taught, repeated in my opinion, during scuba classes? Here is a partial list that I include in all of my classes.

• Slow, controlled ascents
• Planning and practicing management of the breathing air supply
• Buoyancy control within a five foot window of target depth
• Maintaining awareness of your buddy

When people ask me if scuba diving is safe, I always replay “It CAN be safe.” When scuba divers are trained to follow specific behaviors while underwater, scuba diving can be extremely safe and enjoyable. The problem is that unsafe diving practices are being allowed during many scuba diving training programs.

People shouldn’t be afraid of scuba diving. With the right type of training and the proper amount of time spent on that training, people can experience years of safe and fun scuba dives.

You do it for your waitress/waiter. You do it to the person making your $10 cup of coffee. You do it for the person pouring your beer. Do you do it for your scuba instructor? What I’m talking about is giving some kind of material gratuity to the person teaching you to scuba dive. Should instructors accept tips? Should you even offer to give something to your scuba instructor?

Giving a gratuity is a custom normally done when someone gives you above average service that you enjoyed. As teaching scuba diving is a service, should the instructor be given a tip if the class exceeded your expectations? Tips are a great way to show your appreciation to the instructor giving you the class.

I have been offered and accepted tips in the past. Some of those tips have included money, while others have been a free lunch, gift card or bottles of whiskey. There are some who argue that scuba instructors shouldn’t be given or accept gratuities.

Dive store instructors don’t make much money to begin with. So naturally, a tip for those instructors can help out that person financially. However, many dive store instructors have day jobs and the tip you give them, while appreciated, doesn’t go towards putting food on their table.

Independent instructors normally make more money on their classes than the dive store instructor. If the independent instructor makes more, then a tip may not be totally necessary. However, the independent instructor may need to make as much money as possible to cover the cost of doing business and put food on the table.

Here’s my take on giving instructors a gratuity. I look at it like the proverb of giving a man a fish or teaching him to fish. If you tip your scuba instructor, you help him out in the short term. But if you can do something to help him out in the long term, then the longer he will be able to stick around and teach more classes.

While I am very appreciative of those who have give me tips, and everyone knows I’ll never turn down a bottle of Jack Daniels, I would actually prefer people to do something else for me. I would rather they help wave the Precision Diving banner and help recruit students for my classes. This helps me to not only stay in business, but to grow my business as well. Not to mention, it makes me feel that others feel that classes that I teach have the value I put on them.

My former students who have gone out of their way to generate business for me not only have helped me grow my business, but they have also become great friends and dive buddies.

So if your scuba instructor gives you an excellent class and you would like to show your appreciation, think about becoming a “recruiter” for that instructor. I think he or she will appreciate it more than a material gratuity.

Have you tipped your scuba instructor? Should instructors get tips?

Photo Credit: Kaija

I clearly remember my decision to become an independent scuba instructor. I was teaching out of a dive store and was rather unhappy. Things were shoddy and falling through the cracks. Student quality wasn’t very good. Of course it wouldn’t be when divemaster candidates were teaching confined water. I wanted to do something better. The first thought that came to mind when I first contemplated going off on my own was that my days would be numbered as a scuba diving instructor and my run wouldn’t last long. For one of the rare times in my life, I was right.

If we take a historical look at independent instructors, we haven’t really stood the test of time. That is, independent instructors will either burnout or go back to working at a dive store. It’s rather unfortunate because many independent instructors come up with some great training ideas. In order to compete, independents must become creative in order to distinguish them from everyone else. While this is a great thing, it is also the reason for our frustration.

Frustration is probably the number one reason why independent scuba instructors burnout and either give up teaching or go back to working at the dive stores. Here are some reasons for my frustration and why my days are numbered in the diving industry.

• The Almighty Dollar – The one thing I hate about the diving industry is the one thing that is the cause for my down fall. I don’t make much money. If I were to get a job making minimum wage and worked 40 hours a week for a year, I would make more than twice what I make as an independent instructor. Yet I have two masters degrees. It takes money to afford my insurance and annual agency fines fees. It takes money to get the parts to service my equipment. Unfortunately, that money isn’t there.
• The Diving Public – Nothing frustrates me more than seeing people sign up for an Open Water class with the dive store down the street who is offering it for $99 with a two for one special. People just don’t know that the course will be very poor. The most disheartening thing is that those people don’t really care about the diving education they are getting. I read reviews online from these people about how great their course was and I know in my heart, they really didn’t get everything they should have.
• The Diving Industry’s Attitude – Do you think that the diving industry really likes independent instructors? While many dive shops will say they support independents, we are still viewed as a hand in the cookie jar, especially by those dive stores in close proximity to us. When you start to become a threat to the financial livelihood of a dive store, you won’t get a warm reception. Which is why I have not only burned many bridges, I’ve burned up the rivers underneath them as well. Can anyone say napalm? Scuba diving manufacturers aren’t willing to help our cause either. We can’t become dealers for equipment because manufacturers think the dive store equals quality. Seeing the numerous standards violations from dive stores, I know that isn’t the case, but I still get punished. Not that I really care too much about selling gear anyway.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. By definition, I have gone completely insane. I preach better diving practices and I practice what I preach. Yet I expect more people to take classes from me than what I’m getting now. So I have completely up and lost my mind.

The sad case is, there are a few dive stores that I would love to teach for if I were to give up teaching on my own. I have dealt with them in the past and they are 100% completely supportive of my teaching philosophy and I’ve had a lot of fun being around them. Unfortunately, those dive stores are hours away from where I live or half way around the world. Making it rather difficult to be able to teach for them.

Anyway, my days as an independent instructor can now be measured in months rather than years. My frustrations and financial concerns make it difficult to hold to my core values. There is just too much temptation to give in. I’d rather give up teaching diving than sacrifice what I believe in.

There has been an increase in “negative” emails sent to me in the past couple months about many of my previous posts. Many simply disagree with my opinions, while others have gotten rather nasty. While I try to look at them as constructive criticism, one in particular led me to laugh. It was from a dive store owner who took offense to some generalities I discussed about dive store instructors and staff. His defense truly led me to believe that he didn’t really understand what promoting yourself was really about.

If you follow me in the online world, you’ll know that I have written a few articles for Nick Bostic’s site about marketing for the scuba diving industry. While Nick and I have written about how people can use online tools to help promote scuba businesses, there is one simple thing that people need to realize. It’s not about what you do, it’s all about how you do it.

Getting back to the funny hate mail I mentioned earlier. In this email, the dive store owner really tried to talk up his staff. He talked about how much they dive all new equipment, bragged about the certifications they have and stroked me off about all of the “big” dives they have done.

I really don’t care what gear people dive or what kind of dives they do. NASA taught a monkey to fly in space, so any moron can strap on scuba gear, go down and come back up. What sets elite divers apart from the rest of the cattle is how they perform those dives. You can only impress people with your actions, not your words.

Now, I’m not talking just doing really big, aggressive dives. Elite divers perform the same regardless of the dive. Buoyancy control, trim, and awareness are always performed at a high level of efficiency.

I’ve met (and trained) many talented divers who have never moved out of the recreational world. They are perfectly happy staying within NDLs and just going diving. They work to become a better scuba diver and enjoy their dives immensely.

While I love talking about diving with people, I really don’t like listening to the braggarts and chest thumpers that are out there. I’ve heard it all. Divers bragging about diving shipwreck XYZ and cave system BLAH BLAH. Heck, I’ve even heard some people say they were ALMOST a GUE instructor. That’s like me saying I almost became the President of the United States, I just fell 100 million votes short.

Stroking people off by talking up your dives doesn’t buy you credibility. You may be able to fool the inexperienced or non-divers, but it just makes you look foolish to those people in the know. How do I know this? Well I’m a former braggart. Don’t believe me? Ask my friend Brando. Before I took GUE Fundamentals, I talked up my trimix training and “big” wreck dives in order to impress him. It became clear to him during class, that my diving resume wasn’t deserved as I sucked pretty bad. He actually told me that.

To the dive store owner that sent me that particular email, to which I never responded, if you want to impress me, meet me in the water. Otherwise, stay in the holding pen with the rest of the cattle.