Independent dive instructor and trip organiser

Beginners wanting to learn, certified divers wanting more courses, and holiday-makers or locals looking for guided dives.

Course fees per student, a guiding or trip fee per diver, and small commissions or markups on gear and charter bookings.

• Current dive instructor qualification
• Teaching and safety management
• Organising groups and logistics

• Instructor-level professional indemnity and public liability insurance, since diving carries real injury risk
• Check your state's work health and safety regulator about requirements for commercial diving instruction and any relevant Australian Standards
• If you hire or operate a boat, check vessel and skipper licensing rules with your state marine authority or AMSA
• Cylinder filling and testing rules vary, so check with your state regulator before buying a compressor
• Teaching under-18s may need a working with children check, so check your state's rules
• Weather and seasonal demand can make income uneven

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $12,000, depending on your gear, insurance and how you arrange pool hire and dive sites. You need a current dive instructor qualification before you begin.

Check instructor-level professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and your state work health and safety regulator about commercial diving instruction. Also check boat and skipper licensing, cylinder filling rules, and working with children checks if teaching under-18s.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue is typically around $1,500 to $6,000, depending on course numbers and trips run. The estimates assume at least about 8 hours a week. Weather and seasonal demand can make income uneven.