How do you turn your dive pro dreams into a full-fledged career? Enter, the comprehensive Resort Operations Program.
You are a dive pro. Your career goals are different than most. They’re not filled with city skyscapes and corporate ladders. Instead, you dream of making the ocean your office and sharing your passion for the underwater world.
Becoming a scuba instructor is a challenging and rewarding accomplishment. However, teaching scuba diving is only one small part of what you can do in the diving industry.
YOUR DIVE JOURNEY FROM BEGINNING TO END
Imagine you’re booking a dive charter with Pura Vida Divers. Let’s take a deep dive into what that process looks like.
STEP 1: BOOKING YOUR DIVE
First, you decide you want to go diving to see Goliath grouper. So, you start searching for dive charters in the Palm Beaches. Pura Vida Divers pops up on your Facebook feed. Their trip reports mention Goliath grouper sightings and sport pictures of smiling divers. This is the place! Pura Vida’s marketing team just became your first interaction with the dive shop.
Next, you call the shop to book your dive. You speak with a friendly voice that helps you book a seat for the upcoming weekend. They tell you what to bring, what to expect, and where to check-in. Without the help and knowledge of the Reservations Specialist on the line, you couldn’t have booked or planned for your dive trip.
STEP 2: TANKS AND GEAR
When the weekend finally arrives, you stop by the dive shop to get your tanks filled. The Fill Station Operator fills your tank with a Nitrox blend and reminds you that your visual inspection is coming up.
As you’re waiting on your tanks, you browse the colorful gear lining the dive shop’s walls.
Remember the last time you went diving? Your mask leaked constantly and you had to clear every two minutes. Ugh. So, you chat with a Gear Specialist and they help you pick out a new mask that fits your face.
STEP 3: LET’S GO DIVING
When Saturday morning rolls around, you get to the marina in time to watch the sunrise. As you pull up to the boat, a chipper crew member greets you and grabs your dive gear bag. They welcome you aboard and ask about your diving experience as you set up your gear.
Finally, you head out to the open ocean and descend underwater. As you follow the dive guide, your dive dreams come true. Hulking Goliath grouper flank a shipwreck’s bow. Their size leaves you wide-eyed and their barks are jaw-dropping. You can’t help but smile for the rest of the day.
RESORT OPERATIONS PROGRAM
From beginning to end, you interacted with many dive pros who work in different areas of the dive industry. While some may have the certification, none of them were working as scuba instructors.
In dive operations around the world, dive pros work behind the scenes to keep every part of the operation running. So, how can you prepare for and find the best position in the industry for you?
The Resort Operations Program will help you do just that.
BENEFITS OF THE RESORT OPERATIONS PROGRAM
Propel your dive career forward. Taking this course gives you an edge over the competition when applying for dive jobs. You receive real-world, hands-on experience and training in every aspect of a dive resort.
Gain the confidence and skills it takes to work in any area of a dive resort. By the end of the course, you’ll have the ability to teach 11 PADI specialty courses. You will know what it takes to run a dive operation, from marketing and booking reservations to filling tanks and working aboard dive charters.
Check out an overview of the course below.
WHAT YOU LEARN IN THE RESORT OPERATIONS PROGRAM
Throughout the course, you receive training and earn certifications in many areas. These include learning about dive shop-specific tools, dive equipment, dive charter operations, and proper filling techniques.
Earn the following certifications.
- DAN Diving First Aid for Pro Divers Instructor
- Master Scuba Diver Trainer
- Equipment Specialist
- DSAT Gas Blender
- PSI Visual Cylinder Inspector
- PSI Valve Repair Technician
- and PSI Oxygen Cylinder Cleaning Technician
Receive hands-on training in the following areas.
- Dive Shop Operations, including point of sale, reservations system, and targeted marketing tools
- Sales and customer service training
- Dive charter boat operations
- Basic seamanship and emergency action procedures
- Compressor theory and operations
SPECIALTY CERTIFICATIONS
Throughout the Resort Operations Program, you earn Instructor-level certifications for 11 different specialties.
Being able to teach specialties allows you to be more versatile as an instructor. You’re also able to pursue areas of diving that interest you and pass those interests along to your students.
Earn these specialty instructor ratings as part of the Master Scuba Diver Trainer prep.
- AWARE Fish ID Diver Instructor
- Boat Diver Instructor
- Deep Diver Instructor
- Drift Diver Instructor
- Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver Instructor
Earn these specialty instructor ratings during the Charter Operations training in the Resort Ops Program.
- Underwater Navigation Diver Specialty Instructor
- Digital Underwater Imaging Instructor
- Wreck Diver Specialty Instructor
- Night Diver Specialty Instructor
- Coral Reef Ecology Diver Distinctive Specialty Instructor
- Underwater Naturalist Instructor
VETERANS
Veterans, get training at the only dive shop in Palm Beach County approved for VA educational benefits through the State of Florida.
At Pura Vida, you are able to use your GI Bill benefits to fund your career as a dive professional. Take advantage of these benefits no matter where you are in your dive training. We have packages to bring those who are not yet certified as a diver all the way to SCUBA Instructor.
Gain your Resort Operations Program training with our Dive Professional Career Level 3 Package.
Check out our 6 Career Programs and Veterans Info.
Ready to propel your dive career forward by enrolling in the Resort Operations Program? Do you have questions about your next step as a drive pro?
Contact us at training@puravidadivers.com, call us at 561-840-8750, or visit www.pro.puravidadivers.com to learn more about our professional career programs and packages.
