As a dive instructor I have worked in both New Zealand and Australia. In my job at Jetty Dive Centre we do regular trips overseas and I have had the opportunity to dive on the SS President Coolidge ship wreck in Vanuatu and experience the ultimate Shark Diving experience in Fiji. A normal day diving starts at 7am when we get all the customers and students ready with dive gear and tanks before loading the van and heading down to the marina. Once at the marina, we load the boat (Wildfin - a 12m ridged inflatable with two 350 V8 Yamaha outboards which is very quick!) and make the short trip out to our main dive site, South Solitary Island. After a double dive it's time to head back home and clean up - a task everyone loves doing haha! After all the customers and students have been dealt with and the gear is cleaned and put away, we head back to the shop to do things like servicing regulators for the rest of the day. I love the area - there is plenty to see out at the Solitary Islands as there is a mix of tropical marine species and cold water marine species. The best thing I have seen under water was actually a Sea Lion at the Mole in Otago - AMAZING!! The second best would be diving with about 25-30 Grey Nurse Sharks - ya can't beat that. Best job on earth EVER!!! Get in to it!
The Dive Master training at Dive Otago has helped me a great deal with my commercial diving career. It has provided mea lot more confidence in many different situations, especially working in tight places underwater and in zero visibility. It taught me to trust my gear and provided me with the skills to look after it properly so that it looks after you.
After my Diploma I headed to Mexico’s Riviera Maya where I worked in a resort in Tulum teaching Discover Scuba Divers, Open Water, Advanced Open Water and took snorkelling tours to both the ocean and the amazing cenotes. I now work directly for PADI Asia Pacific as Regional Manager for Indonesia.
At the start of 2010 I thought that I needed a little excitement in my life so I decided to enrol in the 36 week Diploma in Professional Scuba Instruction course at Dive Otago in Dunedin. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. "If you are looking for a change then head to Dive Otago and sign up for the instructor course., I highly recommend it.
