MY DIVER STORY
I never thought about scuba diving.
I was never able to equalize my ears while freediving, whether in a pool or at sea.
Plus, a cousin had a diving accident in the early 80s and became a paraplegic... It happened in Israel. The family legend says it was a matter of language, they didn’t understand the briefing correctly, and the visibility was so good they didn't realize the depth they were diving to. His friend died on the spot, my cousin was taken to the hyperbaric chamber and was saved by a doctor who was "passing by" ...
Then I went to work in the Philippines in 2009.
All my colleagues had started diving there.
One of them "convinced" me that if I equalize very often, I could be able to dive ...
So, during a weekend at a beautiful hotel near Davao, I tried a "Discover Scuba Diving". My instructor was nice, we did pool exercises and then dove.
Surprisingly, I didn’t feel anything, I equalized often, and then I looked at the depth gauge... 9m! I was very surprised.
Sure I loved it, I even went online immediately and bought myself a regulator, a mask ...
I then found an instructor, Gigi Santos, and started the PADI Open Water classes while continuing to buy my equipment.
At the end of November 2009, I was Open Water certified.
A month later, at the end of December the same year, I did a wreck specialty (TDI) in Subic with George Ang Dy Pay.
In just a few months, I became Advanced Open Water and Nitrox certified, all with Gigi Santos.
In the summer of 2010, I did Rescue with Adrienne Salcau in Moalboal.
At the end of 2010, 13 months after starting diving, I did my 100th dive... in Komodo, Indonesia.
For work, I went to Haiti, and of course, I dove in Haiti!
Having always dived with a wing (thanks Gigi), and a "DIR" inspired setup. I also now have a "normal" BCD for PADI teaching.
The next logical step was to take (and pass!) the Global Underwater Explorer (GUE) Fundamentals course with Graham Blackmore in Jakarta in September 2011...
Then, I thought about becoming a professional diver...
I passed my Divemaster in July 2011 with Guy Faisnel, in Bali.
After that course, I did the Instructor Development Course, also in Bali, with Course Director Mohamed R. Bagherian...
And at the beginning of August 2011, I became a PADI Open Water Instructor.
I took courses with the Platinum Course Director S. F. Chong to be able to immediately teach the following specialties: deep diving, wreck diving, night diving, peak performance buoyancy, Nitrox, emergency oxygen provider, and equipment specialist.
Since then, I have been working full time as an instructor...
Since early 2012, I became a Master Scuba Diver Trainer.
February 2014, the eye-opening experience when I updated my GUE Rec pass to Tech pass. Discover how diving with twin tanks is so peaceful.
The more I dive, the more the DIR diving style is the way I like and enjoy teaching, no matter what name the agency gives it.
So from the start, plate and wing diving, learning neutral buoyancy, trim work, finning, gas management.
And then, where have I been diving? I’ve dived in:
Philippines: Davao, Anilao, Subic, Malapascua, Moalboal, Panglao, Guiuan, Coron, Sogod Bay, Puerto Galera, Cebu...
Indonesia: Komodo, Bali, Thousand Islands...
Haiti: Côte des Arcadins...
UAE: Dibba
Oman: Musandam
Greece: Crete (Elounda), Milos, Kimolos, Poliegos
France: Menton
Spain: Aiguablava