Mar 05 2020

How to become a marine biologist – Tamanna Balachandran

By Vandit Kalia Andaman scuba diving course, Articles, PADI underwater naturalist, Scuba Diving Careers in India, Underwater Naturaliast Course

How to become a marine biologist?

Essay by Tamanna Balachandran
How the marine ecology camp from last year influenced her and her decision to become a marine biologist.

The first time I experienced what the ocean had to offer was when I scuba dived, in the waters of Havelock. Then, I was a ten year old girl who had just fulfilled a life-long dream, mesmerised by the beauty of the underwater world I had gotten my first peek into.

When I returned five years later, a couple inches taller but with the same zeal for marine exploration, I decided to take part in the marine ecology camp. Over the course of the camp, I learnt more about the ocean I adored, from how corals were formed to figuring out how a particular fish hunts just by observing its features. I went on dives, guided by Chetana, where I was able to observe the subtlest interactions and behaviours, like the goby fish protecting the shrimp as the shrimp dug a safe home for the two of them, or parrot fish sleeping in mucus bubbles of their own making. The more I learnt, the more I felt like I understood. And I began to view the ocean no longer as a picture perfect fantasy world, but as a living breathing ecosystem held together by fragile, intricate relationships between its biotic and abiotic components. I realised that our ocean is straining to deal with the effects of our actions and it is our responsibility to fix what we’ve caused.

After the camp, I learnt and explored even more, and firmed my decision to play my role in marine conservation more actively. I attended wildlife conferences, heard from experts that had spent decades studying animals. And I decided to share my thoughts with the world; in August of 2019, I gave my first TED talk, titled “Bulldozing Our Oceans’ Integrity”. I shared my concerns about the effect that commercial fishing techniques like trawling were having on our oceans. Having decided a career path that will lead me to becoming a marine biologist, it is vital I continue learning and sharing my ideas but, also starting to take action for the cause. And so, this summer as well I’m returning to Havelock to intern in their marine conservation programme.

Photo credits Umeed Mistry

Jun 05 2018

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How much does a Dive master make?

By Vandit Kalia Scuba Diving Careers in India

The Divemaster is the first professional level in the recreational dive industry. As a Divemaster, you lead certified divers in their diving activities by providing logistics and support, on-site guiding and being an added layer of safety. You can also assist Instructors in teaching their course. Most industry insiders agree – Divemasters tend to have the most fun, as they get to go diving at a location’s best sites along with the customers

Time to go from beginner to Divemaster: 45+ days (although more time is recommended)*

Approximate expense: Rs 125,000 – Rs 150,000 **

Dive master salary (typical) range: Rs 15,000 – 35,000***

Read more about how you can kickstart your career in Scuba diving in India

Jun 04 2018

Love7

Scuba Diving Careers in India

By Vandit Kalia Articles, Blogs, scuba careers, Scuba Diving Careers in India, Scuba diving Courses

One of the most common questions we get asked from people is about the scope of career options in diving, especially in India.

Makes sense – would you rather be stuck in an office in an unsatisfying job that leaches away your soul, while you dream of the 2-3 weeks of vacation you get each year when you can finally go diving? Or would you rather dive daily and then spend your ample free time doing other exciting things? Yeah, thought so, too. But let’s face it – for most of us, the dream job also has to meet a bunch of practical requirements as well.

The purpose of this article is to talk about what the career options in diving are – in subsequent articles, I will also cover what sort of lifestyle dive pros lead. Keep in mind that this article is focused on sport diving only, not commercial diving (underwater welding, construction, etc).

10 years ago, the world of sport diving attracted a handful of daring individualists who were willing to take a plunge into the unknown (pun not intended) and see where their passion led them. These days, however, diving is growing rapidly in the country, with dive centers opening all across the country (including in some extremely unlikely places). And that means there is a very high demand for qualified dive instructors.

Scuba Diving Careers in India – This can take many shapes and forms:

1/ Divemaster:

Time to go from beginner to Divemaster: 45+ days (although more time is recommended)*
Approximate expense: Rs 125,000 – Rs 150,000 **
Typical salary range: Rs 15,000 – 35,000***

2/ Assistant Instructor:

This is the next level up from Divemaster – as an Assistant Instructor, you can independently teach some sections of various courses. In addition, of course, you can do all the tasks that a Divemaster can. Usually, most people rush from DM to Instructor – but we feel that spending time as an Assistant Instructor is a great way to develop your teaching skills. That way, when you become an Instructor, you are really ready to hit the ground running (or hit the water swimming, as it were).

Time to get to AI: 7+ days*

Approximate expense: Rs 25,000 – Rs 40,000 **

Typical salary range: Rs 25,000 – 40,000***

3/ Instructor:

This is the highest level of dive professional (well, there are categories of instructors as well, but we can ignore that for now). As a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (or comparable rating), you have the highest responsibility of all: you can teach people to dive and issue them certification cards to that effect. In other words, you can now introduce others to this sport that we all love. You can also teach additional advanced-level courses, all the way up to Divemaster, actually. The responsibility on you is higher – and commensurately, the pay also tends to be higher

Time to get to Instructor: 20+ days to complete the pre-requisites, 15+ days to complete the Instructor Development Course*
Approximate expense: Rs 165,000**
Typical salary range: Rs 35,000 – Rs 65,000***

4/ Non-Diving Positions:

Yes, surprisingly, there are non-diving positions to be had in the scuba industry. Like any business, there are a lot of other ancillary functions which are essential to the smooth functioning of the industry and in many of these positions, it helps to be a diver even though you are not actually going to be diving. Some of these tasks include: scuba equipment sales, equipment technician, business development/sales, customer relations and marketing, dive travel, dive resort management and more. And for those of you interested in working in the industry but without moving to a remote destination – many of these jobs can actually be done while working from your current location.

So how many of these jobs are there, anyway? Quite honestly, it is hard to give a definite number. But at the time of writing this article, there are nearly 80+ dive centers in the country, and the sport has not even started to enter its boom phase. So the opportunities are there – certainly, we are always on the lookout for good instructors, not just in the Andamans but also in the various cities, and so is virtually every other dive center that we know.

And with this industry growth comes the opportunity to carve out a larger role for yourself, as well – making this not just a job but also a potential career. So don’t just in your office cubicle dreaming about a fun, active lifestyle – go ahead and take the plunge!

Note:

*This is the minimum time to complete the pre-requisites and also the training course for that level
**This is for the training only and is meant to be indicative only – prices vary from location to location. It does not include meals, stay, personal expenses
***This varies by location, experience, specific role of the candidate, other skills that they bring to the table, etc.

The author, Vinnie, is India’s first and most experienced Instructor Trainer, with over 10 years experience teaching instructor candidates, nearly 20 years as a dive professional and over 25 years as a diver.

Scuba Diving Careers in India