So You Wanna Be a Tech Instructor?

Pics in lead image courtesy of JP Bresser, Audrey Cudel, Marissa Eckert & Kevin O’Brien. Collage created by Rico Besserdich.

Technical diving instructors play a crucial role in our community as leaders, ambassadors, influencers, and gatekeepers charged with training interested divers to safely conduct tech dives, as well as communicating tech safety culture. As such, they have a lot of influence, and bear enormous responsibility. We’ve asked the question: Is working as a full-time tech instructor a viable and sustainable career option? 

To try and answer that question we offer two stories. First, in THE TALKS, Stratis Kas conducts his roundtable interview with four successful full-time tech instructors: JP Bresser, Audrey Cudel, Marissa Eckhert and Kevin O’Brien, representing  a number of agencies in the US, Europe and the Caribbean. Together they discuss the real world of dive instruction and address the hard questions that people want to know. 

In addition, our survey partner Darcy Kieran, Business of Diving Institute, reports the results of our second survey focused on the economics of being a technical diving instructor. A large pizza can feed a family of four. How about a tech instructor? Dive in and find out!

The TALKS: Can You Really Make Diving a Day Job? The Realities of Full-Time Tech Instruction

by Stratis Kas

DIVE IN

The Economics of Being a Technical Diving Instructor 2025

by Darcy Kieran

DIVE IN

DIVE DEEPER

InDEPTH: The Economics of Being a Tech Diving Instructor by Darcy Kieran (2021)

InDEPTH: Choose Your Students Well, Less Teacher’s Hell Will Slowly Go By by Stratis Kas

InDEPTH: Life of an Italian Scuba Instructor In the Time of Corona By Cristina Condemi

InDEPTH: Why I Became a GUE Instructor by Jon Kieren

Speaking Sidemount: Tamara Adame: The Path to Cave Instructor (Eps 93)

DeeperBlue.com: Embrace Adventure: The Truth About Becoming A Freediving Instructor By Kristina Zvaritch