Chances of getting a job as a recreational diving instructor in New Zealand are low. However, opportunities for commercial divers are better.

Census figures show there were 171 divers in New Zealand in 2006, up from 126 in 1996.

Common to travel overseas to get diving instructor work

Recreational diving instructor vacancies do arise in New Zealand, but many are seasonal. Divers may have to get a considerable amount of experience before they can get full-time work.

As a result, most New Zealand-trained divers who want to work as instructors travel overseas. There is a shortage of diving instructors in places such as Australia, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East, where growing numbers of tourists want to have underwater experiences.

Commercial diving opportunities favourable

Commercial divers, who usually work on short-term projects, are in demand in New Zealand. Commercial divers may do a range of jobs underwater, from laying pipes and cables to helping build structures such as bridges.

Some New Zealand commercial divers choose to go overseas to find work. They need to be persistent to get their first job, because overseas employers are less likely to employ new entrants. However, experienced divers should find work easily overseas.

Employers of divers include:

• dive schools
• companies or resorts offering dive experiences for tourists
• salmon and other fish farming businesses
• oil rig operators
• aquariums and marine science research institutes
• commercial diving contractors
• underwater photographic and nature film studios
• ship-building, repair and salvage firms.

The Royal NZ Navy, Police, and Customs Service also have dive teams. However, people are selected from within each organisation to train as divers – they don't recruit people already trained as divers.

Divers work throughout New Zealand, but regions with the greatest number of dive businesses include:

• Auckland
• Northland
• Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty
• Marlborough
• Fiordland.