How To Become A Scuba Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a scuba instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average scuba instructor salary is $36,655. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a scuba instructor. Scuba instructors with a Open Water Scuba Instructor certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 19% and produce 57,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreScuba InstructorUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,655

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.60%

Asian 5.69%

Black or African American 10.54%

Hispanic or Latino 14.14%

Unknown 6.59%

White 62.43%

Gender

female 25.38%

male 74.62%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a scuba instructor

Explore scuba instructor education requirements

Most common scuba instructor degrees

Bachelor's

68.1 %

Associate

14.2 %

Master's

9.2 %

Start to develop specific scuba instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Procedures	40.81%
Scuba Diving	20.78%
Classroom Education	14.45%
Retail Sales	4.03%
AED	3.81%

Complete relevant scuba instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New scuba instructors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a scuba instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real scuba instructor resumes.

Research scuba instructor duties and responsibilities

Exercise leadership ability and time management skills by coordinating instructors, managing schedules and making coaching decisions throughout racing competitions.
Guide scuba tours to numerous dive site locations throughout the Caribbean.
Develop expert knowledge of local marine life and species endemic to Maui.
Establish rapport with a proven track record of repeat customers and maintain contact via e-mail, phone and Facebook.

Prepare your scuba instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your scuba instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a scuba instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable scuba instructor resume templates

Build a professional scuba instructor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your scuba instructor resume.