Scubanomics is Conducting a Study on the “Economics” of Being a Dive Instructor

survey on dive instructor remuneration

MIAMI, APRIL 30, 2021 – 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.

We have posted initial results but seek to increase the sample size, especially in these 3 groups:

  • Instructors from outside the USA
  • Female instructors
  • Instructors no longer in teaching status

UPDATED: This survey is now closed and the results are available here.


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.

Source: Darcy Kieran