Dive Instructor — Sea of Cortez Reef & Current Dives

Responsibilities

• Lead certified diver guided excursions at Los Cabos dive sites: Pelican Rock (sea lion colony), Chileno Bay (reef and pelagic), the Gordo Banks (hammerhead and whale shark seasonal aggregations), and Cabo Pulmo (one of Mexico's best-preserved marine reserves)
• Conduct PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water courses adapted for the Sea of Cortez environment: the Pacific current influence and thermocline diving require specific briefing additions beyond standard Caribbean reef instruction
• Manage cold water diving preparation: the Sea of Cortez's temperature varies significantly by season (21–28°C surface, 17–21°C at depth) — wetsuit selection, dive duration, and cold-water exposure management are standard briefing and planning elements
• Navigate seasonal marine life timing: whale shark season (typically October–March at Cabo Pulmo), hammerhead aggregations at the Gordo Banks (September–December), humpback whale presence (December–March) — dive planning incorporates seasonal wildlife expectation management to avoid guest disappointment
• Conduct surge and current management briefing: Los Cabos's Pacific influence creates surge conditions at many sites that require specific entry, descent, and ascent techniques — the instructor ensures all participants are properly briefed and capable before entering these conditions
• Maintain PADI professional certification and First Aid/CPR currency in Mexico's maritime safety context

Requirements

• PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor with Pacific or cold-water experience strongly preferred
• 400+ logged dives; Sea of Cortez or Pacific dive experience required
• Current and surge management dive technique
• Emergency First Response Instructor and boat rescue familiarity
• English fluency; ideally Spanish and German for the Los Cabos dive demographic

Benefits

• IMSS, aguinaldo, paid vacation + premium
• Housing allowance MXN 2,500/month
• Fixed monthly + guided dive tip income
• Access to Cabo Pulmo marine reserve for exceptional personal diving
• Los Cabos dive community network and seasonal wildlife dive privileges

Work environment

Sea of Cortez and Pacific reef dive instruction and guided excursions from Los Cabos. Dynamic marine life environment with seasonal hammerhead, whale shark, manta ray, and humpback whale encounters.

About the role

The guide who leads a dive at the Gordo Banks during hammerhead season — watching the wall of circling hammerheads 20 meters below the group, holding the divers at the thermocline where the cold Pacific upwelling meets the warmer Sea of Cortez — is experiencing the most dramatic marine life dive encounter in Mexico. That experience, shared with 6 divers who came to Los Cabos specifically for this, is what the best dive guides in this market provide.