I am a PADI Course Director travelling across Maldives, conducting Instructor Development Courses in different parts of the country, making the dream of becoming professional level divers accessible for more young people despite the geographical dispersion of the population. Every time I get an opportunity to go to new islands, I take the chance to meet the school students to talk about scuba diving.
The first time students hear the world "scuba diving", they tend to associate it with tourism. This is why I try to highlight when speaking to Maldivian youth that working at resorts and safaris is not the only option for scuba-divers. Scuba diving opens doors to many other fields like marine biology, marine research, climate change and climate adaptation studies, underwater videography and photography, commercial diving, engineering, and many other fields.
Having worked as a dive professional for the past 20 years has given me the chance to teach hundreds of locals. During this time I have witnessed firsthand how choosing diving as a career have changed the lives of countless individuals. I am really proud to see my students leading dive centers and live-aboards and really happy to meet them working in different fields where diving is required. I have met so many of them working as marine biologists, underwater welders, photographers, filmmakers and young entrepreneurs setting up there own dive centers.
Our reefs and marine life is our biggest resource and we locals should benefit the most from it. Scuba diving plays an important role in our development since Maldives is 99% water. After I share my past experiences and how I earn and enjoy my job as a dive educator, I give them time to ask me questions and the most often asked questions were how to get started with diving, how much it costs and how much will be the return.
To become a dive professional, simply contact the nearest PADI dive center and start with basic Openwater Diver Course and continue with Advanced Open Water Diver Course, Emergency First Response course, Rescue Diver and finally Divemaster to become a dive professional. Our dive center Dive Desk based in Male' offers all levels of PADI scuba diving courses, starting from the very basic right up to the Instructor level. Prerequisites of becoming a PADI instructor is being a diver for 6 months, being a certified Divemaster, and having logged 100 dives which normally takes a year. If you are healthy and fit you can dive for many years.
We are happy to have the opportunity to speak at A.Dh. Education Center and A.Dh. Omadhoo School in February 2023. And we are happy to extend the opportunity for lucky draw winners, a boy from Omadhoo School and a girl from AD. Atoll Education Centre to do PADI Openwater Diver Course at Omadhoo Drift Divers Dive Center. Thanks to the team at Scuba Inn for the support in developing future dive pros, and for everyone who helped make it successful events.