Matt Pearson

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. I entered the course having zero experience at all; I was even almost afraid of the sea and had only ever been snorkelling a few times in my life. 

Within a few weeks from the start of the course, I had already racked up over ten open water dives and had achieved my first certification as a PADI Open Water Diver and loved it! We were taught all about the diving hardware and how to maintain and service most of it; First Aid right through to the level of a First Aid Instructor; Rescue diving and underwater navigation; these among others were only some of the skills that greatly enhanced my confidence and abilities to dive as well as standing out from the others when I eventually applied for a diving job in the Whitsunday islands of Australia. 

Within 4 weeks of graduating as a PADI Open Water Scuba Specialty Instructor I had acquired a job taking people out on 3 or 4 day sailing cruises, taking clients diving all through the World-Renowned Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier reef – DREAM JOB – Doing nothing but diving in 30 degree water with turtles and huge tropical fish while hanging out with a whole bunch of different exciting new people.

"IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A CHANGE THEN HEAD TO DIVE OTAGO AND SIGN UP FOR THE INSTRUCTOR COURSE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!"