In my previous article I talked about being an instructor on the private island of the same company.This time I will tell you about being an instructor on a cruise ship, which is more interesting.Let me give you a brief information before I start, whether it is an island or a ship, the same PADI Standards are followed and they can transfer you from island to ship or from ship to island or even between ships if needed.
After we made our first contract in Bahamas, we decided to go to the ship and we were transferred immediately.These procedures are very easy, tickets, hotel, transfer vehicles are notified to us a few days before.Our documents were checked at the entrance to the ship and we were welcomed by our teammate.This is very important because I was constantly lost for the first month on the ship.
The dive center on the ship used to be completely independent but later became an extension of the Shore Excursions department in order to make the paperwork easier.This department is generally related to tours and activities, so it is very useful for us. Allure Of The Seas – A ship with a capacity of 8880 people and dive centers are only available on Oasis Class ships including this ship, so there are no dive centers on smaller ships. Unfortunately, it is not possible to see these big ships everywhere because most ports are not ready for ships of this capacity.
The ship has 17 floors and our dive center is on the 15th floor. We have a pool right next to the dive center that we use for training.Although it is not very necessary in the Caribbean, the pool is heated.When we are doing a course in winter, if we send an e-mail to the relevant unit the day before, they heat the pool in the morning.Since the pool is only for diving courses and some sports activities, others are not allowed to enter the pool while we are in the water.But since there are already many pools on the ship, guests do not worry much.
To briefly talk about our week. As soon as we receive the reservation, we send the students a welcome email with the theoretical materials and the Medical Declaration form. It is important to send the Medical Declaration form because if a doctor needs to be consulted, the students go to the doctor before they arrive and undergo a check-up. We also send the weekly program in this email so that they are already informed about the whole program when they arrive.
We start with orientation on Sunday evening. We introduce the equipment and prepare the equipment of the students. The next two days are spent in the pool. We are completing confined water dives. In the meantime, we do courses at all levels, not just beginner level, but we do the most beginner level and Reactivate, that is, we do a reminder dive for guests who are certified but have not dived for a long time. Apart from these, we have a lot of DSD and Certified divers.
There are dive centers that we have contracted in the locations we go for open water dives. We send them our program at the beginning of the week and inform them of the number of cylinders we need. When we go, they are all ready, we do our dives and leave. These dive centers are almost everywhere in the Caribbean.So we are constantly doing courses in different places, but after a while you get used to all these locations.For students, it is a very different experience to do the first two open water dives in Mexico and the last two dives in Jamaica or St. Thomas.We do courses in approximately 10-12 different locations.
On the days when we dive, if we have paperwork, we take care of them and we’re done. On non-diving days, we spend time at the dive center. Usually divers come to chat. In terms of safety, we fill the cylinders on the fifth floor and the compressor maintenance, filter change belongs entirely to the technical service.
Being a diving instructor on a cruise ship is as tiring as it is enjoyable. For example, we work without vacation for 6-7 months and it’s usually a very busy environment. Even though we can go out all the time, living on the ship comes with some difficulties. It’s like being in the middle of the ocean all the time. But I am very happy to be the only Turkish diver in my department and I hope we will see more Turkish divers in the future.
Stay safe.
