Waking up in the morning to leave for a job that you love is everyone’s dream. Not dragging your feet, no dreading feeling in your stomach – they say that ‘he who loves his job never works a day in his life’ and I’d say I would have to agree. However, finding a job that you are passionate about, and can remain so, can be a bit of a challenge.

It seems that jobs such as diving instructor, ski instructor, crewing on yachts, and working for the likes of Lego, Google etc. are often classified as ‘dream jobs’. I would say any arrangement that combines your favourite hobby with a profession could be said to be a dream job. But maybe we can broaden our horizons and think even more outside the box? If it is a career in diving that interests you, there are more opportunities out there than you might think!

Obviously there are the jobs that spring to mind immediately, such as underwater photographer and commercial diver, however whatever your interest may be, there is a subject for it: marine life, education, construction, conservation… Here are a few of the wackiest ones for you to choose from:

1. Underwater Pizza Delivery Boy

Yup, you read that right. There is an underwater lodge in Florida – a converted research lab – where the services include a delivery service! It is not uncommon for guests to request their dinner be delivered. The job involves collecting dinner (or whatever needs delivering) and placing it in an air-tight box, gearing up, and heading the 6.4m down to the air-lock hatch situated under the lodge. Voila! That’s one deep dish for you.

2. Marine Archaeologist

Are you interested in both history and science, along with a passion for diving and the ocean? Then maybe this is the job for you! Explore shipwrecks and lost underwater cities in order to gain a better understanding of the past. You need to have studied archaeology (duh) and be a proficient diver in order to land a job in the field… but if you do, you could end up doing some seriously awesome research, like scrutinizing the remains of pirate/privateer shipwrecks to establish more facts on their era!

3. Underwater Model

Looking amazing underwater definitely requires a significant amount of skill. You need to be relaxed, comfortable in the water, and constantly aware of your positioning to make it in the underwater model world. Although it does not require any specific qualifications to get started down this career path, being a qualified diver is a start. Getting in to freediving and breath hold is a plus, as you will need to be able to hold your breath without looking like a puffer-fish! If this is a profession that interests you, start practicing in a pool until you comfortable with your surroundings. Soon you could be posing as a mermaid/merman!

4. Underwater Criminal Investigator

A UCI diver is primarily trained in recovery, be it a bullet, gun, knife, body, or vehicle. Once they have located their target, there are steps to follow, ensuring that correct evidence handling and chain of custody procedures are adhered to – even though you are underwater! Conditions are almost always deep, cold, and in near to zero visibility making a career in underwater criminal investigating a challenging yet fascinating one.

Learn more by reading PADI’s interview with Public Safety Diver, Mike Berry.

5. Underwater film crew

Lots of movies involve submerged scenes. No matter where it is shot (unless it is 100% CGI) there will be divers involved; safety divers, underwater videographers, stunt divers, and models (see above). Regardless which aspect you are involved in, it would be an incredible way to partake in such a production. If you have an interest in the medias, and a love of the underwater world, you may well have found your niche. If this is something that interests you, PADI does an Underwater Videographer course.

There is a dream job out there for everyone, we just hope yours involves diving too! If you haven’t quite found the ideal career yet, keep honing your diving skills by working your way up through the courses, and expanding your knowledge base by enrolling on some PADI specialty courses!

We would love to hear about your dream job! Tell us all about it in the comments.

If you have a diving profession in mind but are not too sure what the best path is to take you there, get in touch so we can point you in the right direction. If you are dreaming of becoming a dive instructor, click here to learn more about our Diploma in Scuba Instruction. Visit us at Dive HQ Christchurch at 103 Durham Street South, call us on (03) 379 5804, or email us at sales@diveskiworld.co.nz

Beuchat is a brand which lives and breathes its passion for the sea and whose history is intertwined with that of spearfishing. Through its innovations, it has made a major contribution to the birth and development of spearfishing. Beuchat’s latest development and innovation is the Trigocamo camouflage wetsuit with the new Braca Concept.  Beuchat are the first to break new ground creating a camouflage comprised of actual photographs assembled in 3D using trigometric calculation software.

How was this done?  An area of the seabed was selected and was scanned by rail-mounted cameras that take a series of photographs. Around fifty photos were selected to be assembled by computer using trigonometric software which digitalised the images in 3 dimension.

From these visuals, Beuchat extracted the images to be printed on the Beuchat Trigocamo fabric.  As a result each element in the camouflage is authentic and no two are the same. No two rocks are repeated. This means that each suit is unique. This video explains the process and shows you the Rocksea in action!

This innovation and development means that the Beuchat Rocksea range of suits all have the Trigocamo innovation making it the first of its kind-  an exclusive three-dimensional camouflage suit.

Using soft neoprene Elaskin X 8.6 which combines maximum comfort and durability with open cell interior for maximum warmth.  Ergonomically cut for maximum comfort, with special contours on the rear of the suit to avoid pockets developing on the back and between the shoulders. A 360deg one-piece face seal for water tightness and durability, matching neoprene hems on the wrists, ankles and face, and a Lycra hem on the jacket. Elbows and knees are reinforced with anti-abrasion Supratex. Camouflaged padded stemal reinforcement gives the wearer greater stability and comfort when carrying long and powerful weapons.

Not stopping at the camouflage as a new innovation, Beuchat have continued the development and come up with the Braca Concept. What is this you may ask?

The Braca concept is a new patent from Beuchat revolutionising spearfishing apparel. They have invented a simple, effective, hygienic and invisible solution to the problem of how to pass water without removing your suit. This is called the Braca concept.

It’s a triple baffle system that provides a perfect seal and is extremely comfortable thanks to the absence of a zip or Velcro. It offers a fly opening system that is simple to use and hygienic as well as discreet.

Pierre Roy and international spear fisher was one of the testers of Braca Concept. Pierre said using the traditional squeeze bottle which he had been using for over 15 years, had the disadvantage of being uncomfortable and not at all discreet when nature calls. Using the Braca Concept is different, and when he used the system for the first time while on a hunting dive with friends they did not even notice that his suit had a new system. Pierre showed them the new system but they were sceptical that it was not waterproof. So to prove it to them that there is no sealing problem he jumped into the water several times and showed them that not a drop of water seeped inside.  

In 1953 Beuchat developed the wetsuit for the spear fisherman. This now made spear fishers more comfortable and protected so that they could enjoy their passion. Beuchat continues to be leaders in innovation and development worldwide. Safety, reliability, and durability are at the heart of Beuchat’s research and this is reflected in these latest innovations. The Trigocamo camouflage wetsuit with the Braco Concept is definitely part of this revolution.

If you are into spearfishing, or wish to get started, check out our Spearfishing Page here!

Article by:  Dive NZ

Store Hours:  Monday to Saturday 8.30am – 5pm

Dive HQ Christchurch
103 Durham St South
Sydenham
Christchurch
03 379 5804
www.diveskiworld.co.nz

Recently I decided I would take up Free Diving and I thought my best place to start would be with the Fins.  I already had a good brand in mind so went to Beuchat’s website to see what information I could find out from there. I narrowed it down to two pairs of fins; an entry level pair, the sport and the model above, the competition.

Beuchat Mundial Sport Fins.

Mundial Competition Fins

In the pictures you can see that both the Beuchat Mundial Sport Fins and the Beuchat Copmetition Fins, are a lot longer that your usual snorkeling or scuba diving fin with a blade length of 61cm

When comparing fins I learnt that the Sport Fin is designed for use up to 15m and has a more flexible blade than the Competition Fin which still provides excellent performance. It has all the same features as the Competition Fin but will create less stress on your ankle joints and muscles. They both have a soft closed foot pocket that is reinforced to transfer power from your muscles to the working area of the blade. The extra length in the blade of the Competition Fin creates a resistance in the water providing a superior whipping effect while the channels in the blade create a surface for the water to run off. These Fins can be used to depth of 20m. They both have interchangeable blades in case you were to damage one or wanted to upgrade to a better blade. Both Fins sounded like they would do the job perfectly well. The Sport Fin is better suited to someone under 85kg so this would suit me well. The price difference between the two Fins was only $30. The Sport Fin was $235 and the Competition Fin was $265. I figured since I was only an entry level Free Diver that I would go for the Beuchat Sport Fin as this will put less stress on my body, give me a chance to get used to being in the water, while not going too deep and when I get better I can upgrade to new blades.

Dive HQ Christchurch can pretty much source any fin you want, and have in stock a range of dive fins for spearfishing and free diving.  The staff at Dive HQ, helped me with the sizes and give you a dive boot to try them on with so you make sure you get the right fit.  They also have the separate blades, so I will be able to get them easily when I’m ready to upgrade.  Now it’s time to start learning to Free Dive!

If you are looking to get into free diving too, make sure you drop in and talk to the staff at Dive HQ Christchurch, as there is a lot of equipment from wetsuits, to fins, to certain types of weight belts, that have all been designed with free diving in mind, so it’s helpful to set yourself up with the right gear.

Blog by Mel Alps – Dive Instructor at Dive HQ Christchurch