From Recreational Diver to Dive Professional: My Diving Journey
When I first started diving, I don't think I fully appreciated where it would eventually take me.
Like most divers, I began with the simple enjoyment of being underwater. There is something about diving that is difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced it. The moment you descend, the noise and distractions of everyday life disappear, and you enter a completely different environment.
My first dive was in Lanzarote in 2010 with Dawn Dive Academy. The instructors have since become personal friends, and every year I meet up with my dive buddy, who is from France. We talk about our children and how our year has gone before diving and exploring as much as we can.
From that first experience onwards, I wanted to dive whenever I was on holiday.
During a trip to the Maldives in 2024, my wife had the opportunity to take her Open Water course but decided not to. On the flight home, she said she regretted not at least trying diving. I immediately called my friends at Dawn Dive Academy and booked her a Try Scuba experience. Unfortunately, it wasn't what she had hoped for, and she decided to stop the dive. However, on the flight home, she said she wanted to give it another go. Her change of heart also inspired me to take my own diving further.
When we returned home, we began researching local dive centres. We called several and visited a few, looking for a group that could accommodate our different levels of experience. After searching, we found Dorset Diving Services. Leon and his team were like-minded people who welcomed us immediately, and we knew we had found our dive home. I booked a Try Scuba session for my wife with Dorset Diving Services, where she had a wonderful instructor called Nick. He was patient and accommodating, helping her work through her fears.
Right to Left: Martin, Lezlee (Wife) and Vic (Daughter)
At the same time, I wanted to become a better diver. I wanted to understand more about what was happening around me underwater, improve my skills and eventually be in a position to help other people experience the same sense of discovery. To do that, I needed to dive in the UK. After speaking with Neil from Dorset Diving Services, he advised me to start with a drysuit course. I was amazed by the amount of life in UK waters, and wearing a drysuit meant I could stay warm while exploring them. That decision marked the beginning of my journey towards becoming a professional diver.
Taking on the Dry Suit diving at Vobster Quay
Taking the Step into Professional Diving
Moving from recreational diving into professional-level training changes your outlook completely.
As a recreational diver, much of your attention is naturally focused on yourself and your buddy. Once you begin professional training, your awareness expands to the entire dive:
Where are the other divers?
What is the environment doing?
Is somebody becoming stressed?
Has their breathing changed?
Is their buoyancy deteriorating?
Is the weather changing?
What is the safest way into and out of the water?
You begin to understand that being a dive professional isn't simply about being a good diver. It is about being responsible for other people. My Divemaster training was a major part of that transition. It developed my leadership, rescue awareness, dive planning and ability to supervise other divers. More importantly, it changed the way I thought underwater. Instead of simply participating in a dive, I was learning to manage it.
The Next Goal: Becoming an Instructor
After becoming a Divemaster, my ambition grew. I wanted to teach.
There is something incredibly rewarding about watching somebody learn a skill that initially frightened or frustrated them, then seeing the moment when it finally clicks. Instructor training also showed me how high the standards need to be. It isn't enough to know how to perform a skill yourself. You need to explain why it matters, demonstrate it clearly, recognise when a student is struggling and correct problems without creating additional stress. Above everything else comes safety. I learned that lesson in perhaps the hardest way possible.
During my instructor evaluation, I successfully passed the other elements but failed the open-water evaluation. That was difficult to take. When you have invested significant time, effort and money into reaching that point, being told that you haven't passed is a major disappointment.
I had two choices.
I could allow one unsuccessful evaluation to define the journey, or I could learn from it.
I chose the second.
Looking back, that experience may ultimately make me a better instructor. Diving doesn't give you the luxury of ignoring mistakes. When something doesn't go as planned, you analyse it, understand what happened and make sure you are better prepared next time. That is exactly what I intend to do.
Qualifying as an SSI Professional
More Than Collecting Qualifications
Throughout this journey, I have realised that becoming a professional diver isn't about collecting certification cards. The qualifications are important, but real development comes through experience. It happens during difficult dives, when conditions aren't perfect or when you have to make a decision rather than simply follow somebody else. It happens when another diver looks to you for reassurance and sometimes it happens when something goes wrong.
Every course, dive and setback has added another piece to the diver I am becoming. I've developed my knowledge of dive planning, rescue and emergency management, equipment, environmental awareness and, increasingly, the responsibility involved in teaching and supervising others. But I also know that becoming qualified doesn't mean you have finished learning. If anything, becoming a professional means accepting that the learning never stops.
Why I Want to Do It
For me, this journey isn't simply about putting the word "Instructor" next to my name. I want diving to become a genuine part of my future. I want to introduce people to the underwater world, help nervous students overcome their fears and support qualified divers as they develop their skills and confidence. I also want to continue developing myself.
There are always more environments to experience, more courses to complete and more knowledge to gain.
Perhaps one day, what started as a hobby in the UK could take me much further afield.
The idea of working professionally somewhere such as the Red Sea or the Canary Islands, spending my days introducing people to diving, is no longer something I see as an impossible dream. It has become something I am actively working towards.
Dive briefing his students
The Journey Continues
I haven't reached the end of my diving journey. In many ways, I think I'm only just getting started.
There have already been some fantastic experiences and difficult moments, and there will undoubtedly be more of both. But that is part of becoming a professional. You don't become a good dive professional because every dive, course or assessment goes perfectly. You become better by learning from each one.
My goal now is simple: keep diving, keep learning, complete the next stage of my professional training and become the type of instructor that I would want teaching me.
Safe, knowledgeable, approachable and always willing to learn.
One day I may look back at the point where diving changed from something I did in my spare time into something that shaped the direction of my life. I think I'm already at that point. And I'm excited to see where the next dive takes me.
If you want more out of your diving, have a chat with Dorset Diving and see where your diving can take you. You won't regret it!
