High salary with hard dive jobs | Australia part 3/3
In part one of these three articles, you were able to learn about the salaries and living costs in Australia.
In part two you were able to read about visa requirements and what instructor skills you can learn while you work Down Under.
Now I share with you how you can find dive jobs. At the end of this article, you will find a list of employers in Cairns.
Find dive jobs
Couples have a chance to work for the same company in Cairns. I met a lot of couples in a variety of companies. Read the article on how to land a job as a couple.

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash
Divemaster
A lot of Australian dive businesses prefer dive instructors. However, as a divemaster, you can get jobs as photographer or videographer.
There are shops in Cairns which rent underwater cameras to tourists on a daily and weekly basis. They also offer a private photographer for their customers. This can be done by a divemaster. You even get to dive all the time.
Since some of the vessels are really large they look for pursers. This job can be done by a divemaster quite often.
The purser is in charge of the boat workflow. They make sure the food is served on time. Everything is clean. They check if the guest count is correct if the guests are notified about any announcements. They deal with complaints. This person dives occasionally.

divemaster can work as a photographer – Photo by Andreas
Languages
They have a lot of international tourists in Australia. If you speak any other language than English is a big helper to find a dive job. Read my recent article on how to learn a language in six months.
Dive instructor
As a dive instructor, you can find dive jobs as
- Dive supervisor
- Purser (rarely diving)
- Dive instructor
A dive supervisor position is very similar to the job as Cruise Director in other countries. In my recent article, you can learn what it needs to become a dive supervisor / Cruise Director.
Don’t be surprised if you are asked to work on a test week before you get employed. You will follow along with another dive instructor and watch. There you have the chance to show the best version of yourself. Just be spot on and give a hand where you can. Asking questions makes you look interested and will be noticed.
Usually, it is a five day week you won’t get paid for.

dive deck on a liveaboard at the GBR
List of dive operators in Cairns, Port Douglas and Whitsunday Islands
Here is a list of dive operators in Cairns.
Coral Sea Dreaming Dive & Sail
Quicksilver Group
Dive The Reef
Reef Encounter
Down Under Cruise & Dive
Tusa Dive T6 Cairns
read on
The Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators – AMPTO – has a
great listing of even more operators.
This website shows around 40 operators in Cairns and Port Douglas and circa 20 around the Whitsunday Islands.
Takeaway
I spent even less than a year in Australia and after six months working I had saved 15.000 AUD. This made me feel a lot better. It gave me a peace of mind. Especially after being broke not long ago. Being able to buy ice cream and other happiness again is a wonderful feeling.
I learned a lot of skills I was able to bring to other dive businesses. This made me qualified heaps more than I was before Australia.
Share your expertise, experience, and questions in the comments.
I read all YOUR comments!
K
Hi, It is a great article. I want to go to Australia next year for diving jobs. I have seen in some companies that require some licenses such as STCW 2010, restricted coxswain and boat safety license etc. Do you also do those licenses once you get there ? or some companies are not required to have those licenses? Do you recommend to do them in advanced ?