Working as a Dive Instructor in the Bahamas

The Bahamas is one of the favorite diving destinations with its turquoise waters, incredible underwater life, vibrant and healthy reefs, which will attract the curiosity of everyone who loves diving. So what about being a diving instructor in the Bahamas, many people’s dream?

The economy of the Bahamas, which is not industrially developed, is largely dependent on tourism. Scuba diving is one of the important items that contribute to the general economy. When this is the case, a very large market arises. Instructors from different parts of the world come to the Bahamas and find job opportunities sometimes on the islands and sometimes on Liveaboard boats.

Since Bahamas is one of the favorite diving destinations, many instructors have their eyes on Bahamas, which increases the competition among instructors significantly. The fact that America is very close in location, American guests prefer Bahamas and paperwork such as work permits very easy makes American instructors the first choice.

In second place; European instructors can easily find a job in the Bahamas because of the language they speak and their strong passports.

Unfortunately, as Turkish Instructors, we have to struggle with many difficulties that are out of our hands. Many diving centers do not want to deal with paperwork because the work permit applications are likely to be rejected. Since the work permit fees are also very high, even European instructors are expected to cover the work permit themselves.
But I can show myself as an example that this job is not so impossible. My transportation costs, including my work permit, were covered by the company I worked for in a very organized way.

In 2018, I suited up as the first Turkish instructor in the Bahamas.

First of all, when I worked as a diving instructor in the Bahamas, I had the opportunity to meet very experienced divers from many different parts of the world. When I look at the general diver profile, I can say that the divers who come to the Bahamas are actively diving in different parts of the world. When this is the case, you meet many different divers with many connections. This opens the door to a career full of different opportunities.

If you are planning to live in the capital Nassau, prepare yourself for the accommodation problem. Because it is both an island and focused on tourism, there are few houses, and the houses that are available are mostly preferred for daily and weekly rent.

As for grocery shopping, a lot of things are imported from America, so the prices are a bit high. Of course, this is a bit related to your income as an instructor. Dive centers can offer different offers to instructors with different experience.

So make sure they want you more than you want them.

In the Bahamas, salaries are paid on an hourly basis. Since Caribbean people do not like long working hours, you can spare time for yourself, but when it comes to working days, be prepared to do 3-4 dives a day. Since the dives are very enjoyable, it may not seem like a big problem to you, but if you consider a busy diving season like 12 months, it is exhausting in the long run.

The Bahamas is not the right choice for those looking for seasonal work due to the high paperwork and the high cost of the island.

The Bahamas is home to the world’s famous shark diving spots such as Tiger Beach and Bimini. Although Nassau is not as famous as these spots, there are plenty of shark diving opportunities. Most likely some dive centers will ask you to feed sharks. As a diving instructor who respects the oceans, I do not accept any practice that will harm ocean life. If you have the same opinion on this issue, it is useful to talk about them at the beginning. By the way, there were no practices such as feeding sharks where I worked.

For five years, I worked in different locations in the Caribbean for the same company headquartered in Miami. The Bahamas is just one of the locations in the Caribbean, but it is one of the locations where I spent the most time and enjoyed my work the most.