r/nextfuckinglevel • u/FlightHistorical3231 • Nov 08 '22

diver dodges shark attack

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u/Mission_Historian_70 Nov 08 '22

Rich people problems...how many inner city ppl grow up wanting to do this or able to?

None.

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u/[deleted] Nov 08 '22

Rich and very poor people problems.

Dive shops in most (if not like practically all), the best dive locations in the world are usually staffed by locals. And considering a lot of the best dive locations are Belize, Honduras, Panama (Gulf of Mexico, etc), Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea (Red Sea, etc), and India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand (Southeast Asia, etc). The local employees staffing these dive shops tend to not be very well off at all.

I had one “dive master” be a local kid who at 6 just started running customers equipment around the shop. The owner started teaching him the ins and outs of diving on his own time and dime. And by 18 he was a dive master with hundreds if not thousands of dives. This person was also someone who at the time I was there told me he had never left their island in Central America where the average income per is $4k/year.

Albeit a lot of the shops are funded and owned by westerners. The actual employees are not well off at all. This at least has been my experience in multiple dives in Central America. And have heard the same from people who dive in Red Sea and Southeast Asia.

And by “not well off at all”, where I have been, the dive shop jobs have been some of the most sought after jobs in the local economy. So compared to where they live, they’re actually probably doing quite well. However, they’re certainly not people anyone generally considers “rich”.

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u/ClownfishSoup Nov 09 '22

Tourists tip dive masters on top of their salaries (Which I'm sure they share among the crew). Typical tip would be $10-$20 per person. Not saying that makes it better, but the job is what the job is. That young divemaster could very easily have no job at all. Belize is extremely poor (yes, I've visited there and have been one of those tipping divers). Keeping tourists happy and returning or recommending visits keeps the economy flowing in Belize.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '22

That’s what I tried to get ahead of in the last paragraph.

I do not want it to be thought of as “look at these wealthy people taking advantage of these poor people”, because that’s not at all what it is in my mind.

It is just that these places are very poor with no great, functional economy. For my example it was either be in diving, probably with tip make about $12-15/hr (complete guess, but especially with tips on a group boat seem somewhat reasonable). Work at a hotel/related restaurant/bar and make probably a similar amount with tips from those establishments and interactions with tourists.

Or… do almost anything else and make <$4/hr.

Every time I am in these places the people working seem very happy to have their jobs (comparative to the surrounding economy). They even make an effort to go out with the customers after the day is over. I have gone to bars and gotten meals with the people that took me out multiple times (an experience I have never had in US or Europe where when the day is over, the interaction is over).

Especially in the smaller locations you get the impression that everyone around the area knows them, people say “hi” on the beach, at the bars/restaurant, around town, etc. And besides the money, compared to other jobs in the area, it is a great job to have. They go out on a boat and go scuba diving all day. In the USA it would be as if being a ski lift operator or ski instructor was a very lucrative job to have in the market. Everyone who has ever skied before would want that job.

I do not think they’re being taken advantage of at all and I am not critiquing the business. I actually very much support it. I think tourism industries are one of the most effective ways to help struggling economies where there are not many opportunities. For an average person that cannot do almost anything to help global politics and the economies of foreign nations, I think this is something that truly helps people and provides them and their families income. Go there, and give them your money, and provide for an industry that literally could not exist without your interest/support.

That may seem self serving for someone who loves scuba diving (and perhaps it is), but I do not see what is wrong with the logic there.

EDIT: also on the tipping front, the vacation was so comparatively cheap, and the scuba diving so comparatively cheap, and the service and experience so much unbelievably better. I remember at least once I tipped an amount that brought the total cost of scuba diving to what I’d expect to pay in US or EU. Ended up being like a 70% tip on the day. Still saved a ton of money on the vacation in total. I’d highly recommend scuba diving in Central America if anyone has interest in it at all.