Scuba Professional looks at how diving is taught and how dive operations are conducted. It is an excellent source of out-of-the-box ideas and independent, objective advice for instructors and dive operators. It is also an indispensable guide for those aspiring to become dive professionals with chapters such as “Do You Have What It Takes?” and “Which Training Agency?”
In short, this is everything you wanted to know about working in scuba diving but never dared to ask. Scuba Professional is not only for professionals. Serious divers who take more than a passing interest in their hobby and want to know what goes on behind the scenes will be fascinated by the topics addressed and the insights offered.
"From a dive safety point of view, Simon looks at the bigger picture and, in a series of chapters on avoiding and handling accidents, sets out a framework for developing the safety culture within our sport. He also examines the present state of key aspects of the dive industry and speculates as to the future.
Peer Reviews
“Terrific, really good! Simon captures the key characteristics of the diving instruction milieu concisely and with insight and clarity.”
Associate Professor Simon Mitchell Consultant Anaesthetist and Diving Physician
“Required reading for any scuba professional and anyone with hopes of becoming one.”
Steve Weinman, Editor, Diver Magazine
“Scuba Professional" is the closest thing we have to an ‘insiders guide to the dive industry.’ An entertaining behind-the-scenes documentary highlighting many of the diverse, multi-facetted and colourful aspects of the dive industry. There is never a dull moment in this industry and you won’t have one either when you read this book.”
Peter Symes Editor-in-chief and publisher (X-Ray International Magazine & AquaScope Media)
"Simon Pridmore’s Scuba Professional is packed full of anecdotes from a life spent pursuing the passion of scuba diving. Many dream of turning this passion into a rewarding career and the key to making the transition successfully lies within these pages. Dive professionals will find many suggestions for improvement in his words. I wish this book had been available 20 years ago!"
Tamara Thomsen, Maritime Archaeologist, Wisconsin Historical Society Master Instructor, Cave Instructor and owner Diversions Scuba, Madison, Wisconsin
"Like his cult classic Scuba Confidential: An Insider’s Guide before it, author, educator and technical diving pioneer Simon Pridmore has distilled more than three decades of well-earned diving experience, wisdom and culture, this time focusing on the “diving professional,” in his thoughtful and entertaining new treatise: Scuba Professional—Insights Into Sport Diver Training & Operations. The author knows well from whereof he speaks. Having worked his way up the ranks from lowly dive instructor, first BSAC then PADI, he was instrumental bringing technical diving training—training the trainers and instructor trainers—to the Asia-Pacific region in the mid-nineties when the ‘tech revolution’ was in full bloom. He has owned and run several regional dive training agency franchises, in additional to heading up sales, marketing and technical support for one of the pioneering rebreather companies. In the process, he was fortunate to apprentice with some of tech diving’s giants like Rob Cason, Tom Mount, Billy Deans and Kevin Gurr. This book is a must-read for instructors, operators and other current dive professionals, as well as anyone considering making a career out of diving. It is filled with invaluable insights, tips, incidents and anecdotes. A host of timely and critical topics are addressed, such as creating a safety culture in diving, developing sustainable dive tourism, understanding the application of rebreather technology to recreational diving and the future of the sport as a whole. In addition to the depthful content, his clear and comfortable writing style makes it an engaging read."
Michael Menduno, founder of aquaCORPS Journal, the tek.Conference, EuroTek, AsiaTek and the Rebreather Forums.
