Start your own small dive school

Beginners, qualified divers wanting more courses, dive clubs, and groups planning trips.

Course fees, guided dive and trip prices, and equipment hire or sales. Adding other instructors and divemasters lets you run more courses at once.

• Instructor-level teaching
• Running a small business
• Marketing and local networking
• Managing kit, bookings and safety plans

• Public liability, professional indemnity and employer's liability once you take on staff
• HSE rules for diving at work and your duties for safety and equipment servicing, check current guidance
• Cylinder testing, regulator servicing and air quality, which must be kept up to date
• Harbour, landowner or site permissions for open water dives, check locally
• Lead-up costs, weather cancellations and seasonal swings in bookings

Startup costs are estimates, typically around £8,000 to £40,000, depending on the kit you buy, pool hire arrangements and how large you want the school to be. Ongoing servicing and testing of equipment should also be budgeted for.

Monthly revenue is typically around £1,500 to £7,000 as an estimate, depending on the courses, trips and guided dives you sell. Weather cancellations and seasonal swings in bookings can affect income from month to month.

Check public liability, professional indemnity and employer's liability once you take on staff. Also check HSE rules for diving at work, cylinder testing, regulator servicing and air quality, and any harbour or landowner permissions for open water sites.