How much do dive professionals really earn?

My preparation to become a dive professional

When I decided to leave Germany and train as a dive instructor, I spent quite a bit of time preparing. I spoke at length with my future instructor, did plenty of online research, and worked out how much money I’d need to save to make it all possible.

The plan was simple on paper. I wanted to return to Koh Lipe in Thailand, to the same dive shop where I’d completed my Open Water course, and continue my training there. The idea was to finish my Divemaster course just before the high season, so I could start working straight away as a Divemaster once things got busy. As it turned out, things didn’t quite go to plan.

At the time, I was told that a Divemaster on Koh Lipe could expect to earn around $500 per month during high season, while instructors were typically earning between $1,000 and $2,000 per month. Based on that, this was my calculation back in 2017 of how much I needed to save in advance to complete my Divemaster training and get through the first working season:

If you convert $500 into Thai Baht, that comes out to roughly 18,000 THB. At the time, a simple bungalow during high season cost around 12,000–15,000 THB per month. That doesn’t leave much. You’re looking at roughly 3,000–5,000 THB left to live on. Let’s take an average of about 4,000 THB per month for day-to-day living.

And that’s before because you won’t be working every single day, so realistically, you need to put a bit aside as well. The one saving grace is that on a small island like Koh Lipe, no scooter is needed, which helps keep costs down. Still, try to picture it: going on holiday for four weeks with just 4,000 THB. It puts things into perspective pretty quickly.

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Divemaster vs instructor salary: real numbers and experience

My first season as a Divemaster

In the end, things didn’t go quite as planned. I didn’t finish my Divemaster training on Koh Lipe, which meant several costs weren’t included in my original calculation. The flight to Bali, extra fun dives, and even a two-week “holiday” all came on top. I eventually completed my Divemaster training in Amed, Bali, before returning to Thailand to find work.

During the 2017/2018 season, I worked as a freelance Divemaster on Koh Lanta. Commission payment varied by dive shop, typically ranging from 700 THB for one fun diver to around 1,000 THB for two to four fun divers. Refreshers were paid slightly better, usually between 900 and 1,250 THB per person. At the time, living costs were still relatively manageable. Rooms were available for around 6,000–7,000 THB per month, and a scooter cost about 2,500 THB per month.

There was also the option to earn bring-in commission, usually between 10% and 25% for referring divers to a shop. If I had the chance, the most profitable days were when I could refer a customer to one shop and still work with another on the same day.

I tracked all my income and expenses in an Excel sheet throughout the season. As you’ll see in the screenshots below, the reality was quite clear. The highest monthly income I reached during that time was around 350€.

Can you make a living from it? It’s possible, but not easy. Would I do it again for the experience? Without a doubt.

My first season as a dive instructor

So, what actually changes once you become an instructor? I found a job straight after completing my instructor course in Amed, Bali. At the time, rent for a house was around 3,500,000 IDR per month, and a scooter cost about 700,000 IDR (these days it’s closer to 900,000, if you’re lucky). I had a fixed position with a basic salary, which isn’t always the case. Many instructors are paid purely on commission. My base salary was 2,500,000 IDR, but half of my work permit costs were deducted from it over six months.

In August, things got very busy. On some days, we were doing up to three dives. That ended up being my best month financially at the time, with a total income of around 1.200€, leaving me with roughly 850€ after expenses.

Fast forward to 2019–2020, when I was working in the Maldives. In my first year, I had a base salary of $650, on top of commission and service charge. One big advantage is that accommodation and food are usually included, and flights to and from the Maldives are often covered as well. I was working in a 5-star resort, where prices were relatively high. Which, of course, had a positive impact on both commission and service charge. You still have some personal expenses, so it’s not completely cost-free living. Overall, I ended up with around $800-$1,600 per month. If you stay longer in the Maldives, your base salary typically increases each year, which helps over time.

In 2023, I returned to Bali and took over the management of my old dive shop. For me, the minimum to live comfortably was around 10,000,000 IDR per month. I negotiated a base salary of 8,000,000 IDR, with the plan to earn the rest through course commissions. In reality, that didn’t quite work out, mainly because I wasn’t able to teach as much as I had expected.

However, I had one big advantage. Thanks to savings from my time back in Germany during the pandemic, I had already paid for my house and scooter in advance, which made it much easier to live comfortably despite the lower income.

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How to calculate your income as an instructor?

Have you ever noticed that most courses are run with around 4 students per 1 instructor (sometimes more)? There’s a reason for that. This setup is called the ratio.

A 4:1 ratio is a balance. The group is still small enough to manage safely, but large enough for the instructor to earn a reasonable income. In an ideal world, 1:1 or 2:1 would be better for learning. But from a business perspective, that would require more instructors and higher costs, and in many cases, the instructor simply wouldn’t earn enough.

On some islands, courses are sold very cheaply, and instructors might only receive around 15% commission per student. In those situations, earning a decent income depends heavily on volume.

Let’s break it down with a simple example.

An Open Water course might cost around 10,000 THB. If we deduct roughly 1,000 THB for certification and materials, that leaves 9,000 THB as the base for commission. At 15% commission, that works out for 1 student as:

If you compare that to what I was earning as a Divemaster, it’s actually less per day for more responsibility.

Now let’s increase the number of students:

At that point, it’s worth asking how this affects the quality of teaching. As more students, as less attention the instructor can give each individual student. Now, I don’t want to say that no instructor in the world can give a good training to 6 students in the course, but I also can’t imagine how.

If the commission is higher, for example, 25% per student, the numbers look quite different, In this case the instructor is getting better payed per day with only 4 students in the course, than an instructor with 15% and 6 students in the course.

Looking at these numbers, it becomes a bit clearer why I’ve said before that, in my opinion, the diving industry is often priced too low. When the instructor is getting payed by commission based on the selling price, the selling prices to learn a dangerous sport should be significantly higher. Don’t you think?

What do I need to consider when applying for a job?

If you’re planning to work as a freelancer, it’s important to know which dive shops actually pay what. I’ll admit it — I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to numbers. I had Excel sheets for everything. Back when I was freelancing as a Divemaster on Koh Lanta, I was surprised to realise that I seemed to be the only one tracking this properly. Most other freelancers just went with the flow and assumed their preferred shop paid the best.

If you’re applying for a full-time position, there are a few key things you should clarify upfront:

• Is there a basic salary?
• What’s expected from you in return?
• How much commission do you earn per course or activity?

It’s also important to know the actual selling prices of courses. Without that, it’s hard to judge whether your pay is fair for the work you’re doing. One thing many people overlook is how differently dive shops calculate commission. There’s no real standard. In the simplest case, it should look like this:

Selling price × commission percentage = your payment

But not all shops follow this approach. Some deduct course fees first (the cost they pay to the training organisation for materials and certification) before calculating your commission. Others go a step further and apply discounts before calculating your share. In my experience, that’s the least favourable setup. The instructor does the same work, but earns less simply because the shop decided to discount the course. Personally, I don’t think that’s a fair system, and it’s definitely something worth considering when deciding where you want to work.

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How much income is possible?

Let’s run through a realistic (but still slightly optimistic) example. We Take Koh Lanta in 2024 where the monthly costs are for a room around 10,000 THB and for a scooter around 3,000 THB. That’s already 13,000 THB per month, and that’s before food, drinks, or anything else.

Now imagine it’s December, peak season, and you’re busy almost every day teaching Open Water courses. In that scenario, you might manage around 9–10 courses in a month. With an average price of 12,500 THB per student and 4 students per course, that gives a total course value of 50,000 THB. If your commission is calculated from the full selling price without deductions, that would mean 12,500 THB per course for the instructor. Over 9–10 courses, that adds up to around 112,500–125,000 THB per month (roughly €3,000–€3,350).

Honestly, if that were consistent, most of us would be very happy. But in reality, it rarely works out like that. You won’t always have full groups, you won’t always teach Open Water courses, and you definitely need days off. A more realistic monthly income is somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 THB.

So let’s say you earn 40,000 THB (around 1.060€). After your fixed costs of 13,000 THB, you’re left with 27,000 THB. From that, you still need to cover food, drinks, fuel, and everything else that comes with daily life. As a Divemaster, you’re likely looking at around 30,000 THB per month (roughly €800), with similar fixed costs.

What do I need to keep in mind?

One of the most important things is what actually pays best per day. Let’s use Koh Lanta in 2024 as an example again. A Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) or Try Scuba experience was, on average, around 4,000 THB per person. With two students and roughly 1,250 THB commission per student, that gives you about 2,500 THB for the day.

Now compare that to Open Water courses. An Open Water with 4 students is around 4,166 THB per day, the same course with 2 students is around 2,083 THB per day.

So in some cases, teaching two DSD divers can actually be more efficient than running a small Open Water course. Less work, and a similar or even better daily income. That’s something worth thinking about. If you’re working for a dive shop that only offers small ratios like 2:1 or even 1:1, you need to ask yourself whether that trade-off makes sense financially. Personally, I would only go for that if there’s a solid base salary or if course prices are high enough to match the income from larger groups.

Especially as a freelancer, keeping these numbers in mind makes a big difference to how you plan your work and your income.

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Besides the income: Expenses

Income is only one side of the story. The other side is what you actually spend. We are not going into party expenses.

Visa costs

If you’re working abroad, you’ll need the right visa and work permit. Without it, you’re constantly dealing with the risk of immigration issues. Visa costs can add up quickly, so it’s important to factor them in from the start.

How long can you stay? How much does the visa cost? Does the dive shop cover it, or do you pay for it yourself?

These are all things you should clarify before you go.

Insurance costs

You’ll also need proper dive insurance. Personally, I’ve always preferred DAN (Divers Alert Network). On top of that, you might want additional travel insurance. These are ongoing costs, and they need to be included in your calculations. It’s not just about what you earn, but also what you need to cover.

Instructor fee

As an instructor you need to consider the annual membership fees for your training organisation.

Fixed costs at home

If you still have financial commitments back home, such as rent, a car, or other expenses, you’ll need to account for those as well. Even if you’re living abroad, those costs don’t disappear.

Phone and internet

In most places, getting a local SIM card is the cheapest option. That said, some people prefer to keep their home provider and use roaming, which can be more expensive but sometimes more convenient.

Daily living costs

Food, drinks, and general day-to-day expenses vary depending on where you are. It’s worth taking a proper look at local prices and including them in your budget.

Flight costs

Finally, don’t forget travel costs. In this industry, it’s quite common to move between locations, whether for seasons or job opportunities. Flights can become a regular expense, so it’s worth setting money aside for them.

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Conclusion

“So, why are we actually doing this job?” you might ask. 🙂 It’s definitely not to get rich.

Most dive instructors (at least the good ones) don’t choose this path for the money. We do it because we genuinely enjoy it and because it gives us the freedom to live and work in places most people only visit on holiday.

For me personally, I already enjoyed teaching before. Now I get to do it in a way that’s actually fun. Of course, safety is always the priority, but I prefer to teach in a relaxed and enjoyable way. Laughter, in my experience, is one of the best learning tools.

I also really enjoy working with people who are nervous or trying to overcome fear. Being there, supporting them, and watching them push beyond their comfort zone is incredibly rewarding. That moment when everything clicks and they start to relax and enjoy the dive is hard to beat. (All to a certain extend. Diving is not an excuse to skip needed therapy.)

Compared to working in Germany, I don’t necessarily work fewer hours, but the stress feels very different. Lower, more manageable. And for me, that balance matters. Money isn’t everything. Enjoying what I do and how I live makes up for a lot.

That said, it’s quite common to have a second source of income, and it’s something I’d recommend considering. Costs, especially rent, tend to go up over time. As for why that is… well, that’s probably a conversation for another day.