I’m thirteen now, and I want to be a marine biologist and teach scuba diving in my spare time. I’m certified now with NAUI diving. What can I do to work towards being a scuba instructor?

As you know to be a NAUI instructor you have to be a little older. It’s great that you want to go this direction. The best thing to do is get in good with your local instructors. And Dive Dive Dive. Experience is going to be your best bet. As you get older take the classes as you can. Get your AOW, and then Rescue. Get your Master, and then when you can enter the pro level. Working with some instructors will help too. As you dive more and get to know them more, offer to help out both at the shop and with classes. Offer to be a gopher or carry stuff, if in return you can watch the classes. See if they will let you in on the pool sessions, (not so much to do anything but just to watch) You’ll see how the instructors teach, and how they deal with students that are having a little trouble. Work with / watch different instructors this way you can see the different ways they teach. You’ll see how some keep the groups closer together, so are better at demoing skills, some teach the academics so it’s easier to understand, and some are better at calming a nervous student down. See what works, and what doesn’t work as good, and then when you are able to become and instructor you’ll have a library of knowledge so you can be a very good one!

Good luck!