Bryan that’s why I don’t want to teach. The logistics, getting the equipment, the sites, the paperwork. Instructors have a lot of behind the scenes work that I couldn’t do.
It is. And some people see you making trips and say it is a great job. But they dont know how it is before, during and after the trip. Every thing has to be coordinate and on time. And time is the big challenge.
Hello @ivoryjohnson4662, it was definitely much easier when I was just an Instructor and not a shop owner. Back in the day, I would show up at the shop I worked at, and they would hand me the paperwork for the students that I was teaching that week. Anytime I had to travel to teach, everything was prepaid and set up for me, I just had to show up and dive. It's not that easy anymore.
Loved your video Bryan! I’m also an Instructor in the Chicago area, and the back of my pickup truck always has quite a bit of scuba gear in the bed once the season starts… it was refreshing to hear you narrate the headaches of logistics, b/c I thought it was just me with this problem😂! But having spare gear and flexibility has saved my hide multiple times… you have to be prepared. I don’t know who said this, but logistics wins wars! Be well!
Glad you liked the video @elejaces. Logistics has always been a struggle for me. I'm a small town country boy from the foothills of North Carolina. We like simple things. Show up, go dive, go home. Thankfully, my wife who manages the shop for me, and my dad who is my business partner handles logistical matters for me.
I liked this video - nice job as usual. I'm not an instructor but it helps me understand what the instructors that I use go through.... Maybe I'll stay a Dive Master.
Hello @edwardwagner588, believe me when I say this. 99.9% of all Instructors have an a tremendous amount of respect for Divemasters. They make our jobs easier. I treat my Divemasters as equals. Its always nice to have an extra hand and even an extra set of eyes at time to keep track of students. Divemasters need more recognition then what they get sometimes.
Add to all that Emergency Action Plans for each site. If it wasn’t for me developing logistics check lists to ease my mind, I’d be in therapy… diving without teaching
Hello @hbzeke, I actually have several travel related checklist I use from time to time. This particular trip made it kind of difficult due to the courses I was taking and the courses I was teaching. Some of the areas we were diving were remote, so we struggled trying to find air fills. Unfortunately, the days and schedules were predetermined, so I had to do a lot of back tracking just to get fills, vs taking too many tanks.
When I used to teach in cold water, was always more involved from equipment, preparation, logistics.....This warm water teaching I do now in Cozumel is much more easier with equipment anyway. One thing I can tell you is dive equipment has probably half the life expectancy in tropical locations.
I'm in the middle of planning a vacation for my wife and I right now to Egypt. Im trying to get to the iconic sites in the red sea but it is logistically difficult as it revolves around a 3 night liveaboard schedule that might or might not be cancelled if too few other people want to join the trip, two diving resorts, multiple airlines, a language barrier, communication difficulties trying to book things via email or whatsapp, as the resorts have super basic websites, the international bankng system, as they want to be paid via a bank transfer or cash on arrival and are not readily willing to accept credit cards due to the fees. Also I have inflexible dates. I realize why people just go to all inclusive resorts or big name liveaboards as they have booking agents in the US and usually one or two phone calls can get it all put together.
Hello @kevindavison6019. I can say that I am jealous, as the Red Sea is a bucket list dive for me. I completely understand how difficult it can be planning trips out of the country.
This is eye-opening since I never been to Florida/ USA for diving. However, two of the countries in which I normally dive in are New Zealand and Indonesia. Thus, I can only show you how we do things here and hope they can be helpful to you. Unlike Indonesia, New Zealand have a limited amount of instructors and thus, we constantly train new ones and they move around to different dive centers. Indonesia however have plenty of instructors and we book the instructors move around different centers and we have to normally adjust to their scheduling system. If the type of training can sync, then one instructor can train students with different courses, i.e. 1st time wreck diving and 2nd time rebreather, where all students jump in the water and the rebreathers just follow the instructor (and wait until the wreck diver trainings are done). When I tell the wreck driver to end the dive and go up, then I can continue the training with the rebreathers. Aside from this, all instructors train students with specific trainings. Normally, I would ask the students their availability (2 months in advance), and so does the instructor. Match the availabilities and voila, 6 students with 1 instructor training Open Water (as an example). If you struggle with logistics, get an admin. That person will do the scheduling, and you as the course director just need to sort out "special" requests and not teach the "mainstream" dive courses (i.e. a student wanting to do open water but wants a 1:1). The key to all this from listening to your video is this: while you can or is an amazing instructor, often this does not reflect in management/ business in a sense (please don't get offended by this, it is just an observation I see in general with others). Learn to delegate or you will burn out. Take care and really do hope to go Florida one day. p.s. I'm not sure how the gears work in Florida, but it's quite rare for any divers other than open or advanced open water not to have their own gears. Prior to learning Sidemount, I would ask the interested diver to buy the necessary gears first the reason being 60% because it needs to be customized to the diver and 30% is additional income I suppose. Bottom line is they usually go to the course fully geared up (of course most of the time they got the assembly wrong and we would spend one day tweaking everything) but you won't be carrying all the gears from your shop. Additionally, meeting point is always the dive center. They will test the gear first and carry the tank in their own car (when possible). Everyone will then drive to the dive location.
Thanks for your input @x994910. We have 8 full time Instructors that teach here at the shop, and I am 1 of 2 Instructor Trainers. We all teach different courses, but two of us do the majority of the traveling and teaching. My store manager, who is my wife, and my business partner, who is my dad, assist me with most of the logistical matters. They keep me in line and make my schedule for me, so that I can primarily focus on the teaching.
Bryan, Good job as always. I have had to do a lot of logistics, as a Manager of a dive shop and instructor many years ago. I understand your issues with logistics. One of the issues you did not mention is every time you start planning a trip something pops up and you get pulled away so the planning takes 3 times longer than you wanted. So I understand your comments.
Hello @Raybrienza. The one that gets me the most, is after we plan a trip and pay for the spots, customers will back out before they pay their deposit. Then we get stuck with open spots that we still have to pay for. This is the biggest reason I prefer in country trips if I am the one leading them. I have 3 out of country trips this year that are private, and the customers are paying my flight, lodging, and food expense just to lead them on their dives. In those situations, I do not have to plan anything. I simply show up at the airport and enjoy the trip. So its not always doom and gloom for me.
Good thing you have a pickup with a shell over it. I do think you could have cut down the gear a bit. There are parts of every job that people don't like. For me whether an instructor or other jobs it is paper work.
Bryan that’s why I don’t want to teach. The logistics, getting the equipment, the sites, the paperwork. Instructors have a lot of behind the scenes work that I couldn’t do.
It is. And some people see you making trips and say it is a great job. But they dont know how it is before, during and after the trip. Every thing has to be coordinate and on time. And time is the big challenge.
Hello @ivoryjohnson4662, it was definitely much easier when I was just an Instructor and not a shop owner. Back in the day, I would show up at the shop I worked at, and they would hand me the paperwork for the students that I was teaching that week. Anytime I had to travel to teach, everything was prepaid and set up for me, I just had to show up and dive. It's not that easy anymore.
Loved your video Bryan! I’m also an Instructor in the Chicago area, and the back of my pickup truck always has quite a bit of scuba gear in the bed once the season starts… it was refreshing to hear you narrate the headaches of logistics, b/c I thought it was just me with this problem😂! But having spare gear and flexibility has saved my hide multiple times… you have to be prepared. I don’t know who said this, but logistics wins wars! Be well!
Same here. Taking some time to develop logistics checklists for specific courses and locations has helped reduce some planning anxiety
Glad you liked the video @elejaces. Logistics has always been a struggle for me. I'm a small town country boy from the foothills of North Carolina. We like simple things. Show up, go dive, go home. Thankfully, my wife who manages the shop for me, and my dad who is my business partner handles logistical matters for me.
I liked this video - nice job as usual. I'm not an instructor but it helps me understand what the instructors that I use go through.... Maybe I'll stay a Dive Master.
Hello @edwardwagner588, believe me when I say this. 99.9% of all Instructors have an a tremendous amount of respect for Divemasters. They make our jobs easier. I treat my Divemasters as equals. Its always nice to have an extra hand and even an extra set of eyes at time to keep track of students. Divemasters need more recognition then what they get sometimes.
Logistic = Assistance dive instructor & dive master.
Providing they get specific directions to help out, otherwise their failure becomes your failure
You are correct @michaelgallager3062.
Add to all that Emergency Action Plans for each site. If it wasn’t for me developing logistics check lists to ease my mind, I’d be in therapy… diving without teaching
Hello @hbzeke, I actually have several travel related checklist I use from time to time. This particular trip made it kind of difficult due to the courses I was taking and the courses I was teaching. Some of the areas we were diving were remote, so we struggled trying to find air fills. Unfortunately, the days and schedules were predetermined, so I had to do a lot of back tracking just to get fills, vs taking too many tanks.
When I used to teach in cold water, was always more involved from equipment, preparation, logistics.....This warm water teaching I do now in Cozumel is much more easier with equipment anyway. One thing I can tell you is dive equipment has probably half the life expectancy in tropical locations.
Thanks for sharing @BlueWaterCozumel. Saltwater can definitely do a number on your equipment.
@@LakeHickoryScuba salt water, heat, humidity.....all car batteries last 3 years here. USA / Canada you will get 5-7 years.
I'm in the middle of planning a vacation for my wife and I right now to Egypt. Im trying to get to the iconic sites in the red sea but it is logistically difficult as it revolves around a 3 night liveaboard schedule that might or might not be cancelled if too few other people want to join the trip, two diving resorts, multiple airlines, a language barrier, communication difficulties trying to book things via email or whatsapp, as the resorts have super basic websites, the international bankng system, as they want to be paid via a bank transfer or cash on arrival and are not readily willing to accept credit cards due to the fees. Also I have inflexible dates. I realize why people just go to all inclusive resorts or big name liveaboards as they have booking agents in the US and usually one or two phone calls can get it all put together.
Hello @kevindavison6019. I can say that I am jealous, as the Red Sea is a bucket list dive for me. I completely understand how difficult it can be planning trips out of the country.
Nice video… nice meeting you at the Dealer Summit
Glad you liked the video @stevebonck663. It was nice meeting you as well.
This is eye-opening since I never been to Florida/ USA for diving. However, two of the countries in which I normally dive in are New Zealand and Indonesia. Thus, I can only show you how we do things here and hope they can be helpful to you.
Unlike Indonesia, New Zealand have a limited amount of instructors and thus, we constantly train new ones and they move around to different dive centers. Indonesia however have plenty of instructors and we book the instructors move around different centers and we have to normally adjust to their scheduling system.
If the type of training can sync, then one instructor can train students with different courses, i.e. 1st time wreck diving and 2nd time rebreather, where all students jump in the water and the rebreathers just follow the instructor (and wait until the wreck diver trainings are done). When I tell the wreck driver to end the dive and go up, then I can continue the training with the rebreathers.
Aside from this, all instructors train students with specific trainings. Normally, I would ask the students their availability (2 months in advance), and so does the instructor. Match the availabilities and voila, 6 students with 1 instructor training Open Water (as an example).
If you struggle with logistics, get an admin. That person will do the scheduling, and you as the course director just need to sort out "special" requests and not teach the "mainstream" dive courses (i.e. a student wanting to do open water but wants a 1:1).
The key to all this from listening to your video is this: while you can or is an amazing instructor, often this does not reflect in management/ business in a sense (please don't get offended by this, it is just an observation I see in general with others). Learn to delegate or you will burn out.
Take care and really do hope to go Florida one day.
p.s. I'm not sure how the gears work in Florida, but it's quite rare for any divers other than open or advanced open water not to have their own gears. Prior to learning Sidemount, I would ask the interested diver to buy the necessary gears first the reason being 60% because it needs to be customized to the diver and 30% is additional income I suppose. Bottom line is they usually go to the course fully geared up (of course most of the time they got the assembly wrong and we would spend one day tweaking everything) but you won't be carrying all the gears from your shop. Additionally, meeting point is always the dive center. They will test the gear first and carry the tank in their own car (when possible). Everyone will then drive to the dive location.
Thanks for your input @x994910. We have 8 full time Instructors that teach here at the shop, and I am 1 of 2 Instructor Trainers. We all teach different courses, but two of us do the majority of the traveling and teaching. My store manager, who is my wife, and my business partner, who is my dad, assist me with most of the logistical matters. They keep me in line and make my schedule for me, so that I can primarily focus on the teaching.
Bryan,
Good job as always. I have had to do a lot of logistics, as a Manager of a dive shop and instructor many years ago. I understand your issues with logistics. One of the issues you did not mention is every time you start planning a trip something pops up and you get pulled away so the planning takes 3 times longer than you wanted.
So I understand your comments.
Hello @Raybrienza. The one that gets me the most, is after we plan a trip and pay for the spots, customers will back out before they pay their deposit. Then we get stuck with open spots that we still have to pay for. This is the biggest reason I prefer in country trips if I am the one leading them. I have 3 out of country trips this year that are private, and the customers are paying my flight, lodging, and food expense just to lead them on their dives. In those situations, I do not have to plan anything. I simply show up at the airport and enjoy the trip. So its not always doom and gloom for me.
Good thing you have a pickup with a shell over it. I do think you could have cut down the gear a bit. There are parts of every job that people don't like. For me whether an instructor or other jobs it is paper work.
Hello @jeffconley6366, the truck and camper top definitely makes life easier on me.