Finding Your Niche in the Diving Industry
 by Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional

Last month we wrote about Creating a Dive Industry World View.  A world view is the way we see the world.  It’s our job as Dive Industry Planners to guide Dive Industry Professionals in creating a unified world view of the recreational diving industry, that a majority of individuals in the global diving community could agree with.  Having a unified world view helps us realize how the recreational diving industry works and what our part in the global diving community is.

Finding your niche in the diving industry is a key factor in the pursuit of your career.  As a Professional Business Advisor, I am often asked for advice on starting or building a career in the diving industry.  The question mostly comes from young people who recently became a certified scuba diver and are thinking about making it a career.  I can relate to that.  After I got certified at the young age of 15, scuba diving was all I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  I am very thankful that I had many mentors and advisors along the way to help me through the decision-making processes.  I have been advising and consulting divers and entrepreneurs alike on the various options available to them in our industry, for over 40 years now.

First of all, it is a blessing and not a curse to get “bitten” by the scuba diving bug.  It is a fascinating recreation that has many benefits and can open doors to numerous opportunities and adventures.  My first piece of advice for enthusiastic divers is to think of scuba diving as a hobby or a profession.  We do the global diving community a disservice when we try to convince all certified divers to take the professional career path.  Enjoying a particular recreation as a hobby and making a living are two different life-changing decisions that each and every one of us needs to make privately and separately.

The Recreational Diving Industry is made up of two distinct communities.  The active diver community is referred to as the Global Diving Community.  This international community is comprised of people who are divers. I don’t want to limit it to only certified scuba divers.  Individuals could be snorkelers, free divers, spearfishermen, scuba divers, technical divers, mermaids, etc.  The community that supports divers and produces the programs, products, and services that divers purchase, is the Global Diving Business Network.  Members of this network are engaged, part-time or full-time, in the diving equipment, training, travel, and lifestyle product stakeholder groups.  For them, it is a business.  They get paid for their products and services.

Enjoy Scuba Diving as a Hobby:  The first option a newly certified diver can make is to pursue scuba diving as a hobby.  The definition of a hobby is something you pursue for personal satisfaction.  There are so many things a scuba diver can experience as part of the global diving community.  Scuba diving can become a hobby in itself and lead to the pursuit of specialty interests such as wreck diving, cave diving, or technical diving.  It can be the gateway to other hobbies such as underwater photography, environmental conservation, and others.  The possibilities for diving related adventures using scuba diving equipment are endless.  Our association has created a message to the active diving community, using our website www.divelocal.org.  The message is: 1) Learn to Dive.  2) Buy Your Gear.  3) Go Diving.  4) Stay Active.  We are working to grow and maintain an active global diving community.

Turn Your Hobby into a Profession:  A second option for a certified diver is to turn what you do for fun into a business.  Our definition of a business is something you do for compensation.  An easy way to explain the difference between a hobby and a business is my by cooking example.  If you enjoy cooking and you eat what you create, it’s a hobby.  It’s OK if you share your cuisine creations with your family and friends, as long as you don’t get paid for it.  If you cook for other people and you sell what you prepare, it’s a business.

There are many diving and diving-related skills that are in demand in our industry.  For those who are interested in an employment situation, there are many full-time and part-time jobs available in the industry.  If you are thinking about starting your own business in the diving industry, the opportunity always exists for the well qualified and well-funded entrepreneur.  If you are thinking about working in the diving industry, a Professional Business Advisor at the Dive Industry Association can help you get started with your employment opportunity research.

If you have decided to go the business route in the recreational diving industry, your first decision should be whether you are looking for a full-time opportunity or a part-time commitment.  That kind of narrows things down a lot.  Most Dive Industry Professionals I’ve known in the industry, who are looking for a part-time business opportunity have already decided what part of the industry they are interested in.   Young divers searching for something in the industry are more open to employment opportunities across the board, whether it be in a part-time or full-time situation.  Conducting industry research may be a good place to start.

As a Professional Business Advisor, the most important piece of advice I can give to anyone is to find their own personal niche within the industry.  I always ask a prospective client; What gives you the most personal satisfaction in a working situation?  Do you have the necessary talents, skills, education, and experience to perform in that capacity?  Would you be happy to perform your skills for 8 hours a day if it were full-time or even a few hours a week if it were part-time?  Is there any room for growth in your particular niche?

Finding your niche within the industry may be an important first step but staying on course soon becomes the next priority.  We all have known people who got into the diving industry because of a certain reason, but soon lost their way and got distracted from their original calling.  Maybe it was the job or maybe it’s just life.  For that reason, we all have to remain focused on what is important to us in our career.  Maybe an annual checkup is what we need?  Are we still doing what we originally wanted?  Are we remaining true to our niche market or niche profession?  Have we grown in our purpose, or have we lost our way?

In the military we call it “Mission Creep.”  That is where you start to do something for a specific reason and the mission grows in nature and scope, until you realize that you have far exceeded your original intent.  How many Dive Industry Professionals loved diving so much they became an instructor?  Then a Course Director, then a Retail Store Owner, then a Dive Travel Specialist.  And now they want to be a Dive Travel Wholesaler?  My question to you is, have you grown, or have you spread yourself too thin and lost your way?  If you’ve grown in your career, that is good news.  But if you find yourself out of your niche, maybe it’s time to reboot.

This is an exciting time to become part of the Global Diving Business Network.  For more information about global marketing opportunities, contact Gene Muchanski, Executive Director of the Dive Industry Association, 2294 Botanica Circle, West Melbourne, FL 32904.  Phone: 321-914-3778.  Email: gene@diveindustry.net  Web: www.diveindustry.net

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