So today is the day…
Excitement and tension are high, after the next 2 days of examinations I will finally be a Scuba diving instructor and doing what I really love to do from the bottom of my heart, Teaching others diving and introducing them to this world underwater which has been capturing me for all my life.
But stop, how did I even get here?!
So, this is me, Magdalena, 36 years old, from Frankfurt Germany and I have been dedicating the last 1,5 years to start my career path in diving.
In 2017 I went on 5 days liveaboard trip in Thailand to the Similan Islands and fell in love with the country on land and underwater. On the second day on the boat, after seeing me diving, briefing my buddy and talking about the fish we saw during the dives, the trip leader approached me asking, if I ever thought about turning my hobby/ passion to a professional job. Well, the idea has been swirling around in my head already, but I had my concerns and doubts. I was in my mid-thirties, having a good social network back home and working as a Financial Controller in the automotive industry making good money. During the next days, we had a lot of conversations and I found out that there were many similarities in our life stories and the doubts started to get less. Returning from Thailand back to my “old” life in Germany was hard. Knowing what is awaiting me just a 10 hours flight away. So I decided to make a “light” life change. I planned to spend the next season (7 months) in Thailand, doing my divemaster training and working afterwards. 7 months is not that long, and it made it easier to process for my friends & family. So, I saved up some money, quit my job and apartment, knowing I could come back to it after the sabbatical, and booked a flight to Thailand.
DM Training was not always easy. This job is both physical and psychological challenges. Being continuously on a boat for 5 days/nights, having only 24 hours off in between the trips and then helping out in the dive shop as well. Some guests need more attention than others and although they are on vacation, you are not. But there is the other side of being able to dive every day in this wonderful tropical ocean, showing the guests this underwater life they might not have experienced before, meeting different people from all over the world having the most interesting conversations and the family feeling you develop throughout the month bonding with the crew on board. After 3 months I knew already that this is what I want. Although I felt a little drained after the entire season of 7 months, it could not as much as I felt content. 5 weeks after returning to Germany I took my next dive job in Mauritius.
After 1 year working as a Divemaster, I applied for my second season in the Similan Islands with Khao Lak Scuba Adventures as they could offer me to do the Instructor Development Course there as well. I arrived 3 days before the course starts and which I used to acclimatize to the tropic temperatures and the time zone change (6 hours ahead of German time).
The 14 days of the IDC were like a rollercoaster ride. A lot of highs and lows. Together with 8 other students, we studied, we laughed, we helped each other with the presentation in and out of the water and the bond we made, will stay for always special.
The diving skills I’ve learned in my DM time were profound, so I used the time to concentrate on my teaching skills. My Course Director, Mark Soworka, made sure we not just only passed our Instructor Exam, no, his focus was on becoming good dive instructors. He showed us, how to involve our future students in their learning process.
And here I am now on my Instructor Examination Day and guess what, I passed.
And this is now my life as a PADI dive instructor at Khao Lak Scuba Adventures.
Diving…
Teaching…
Entertaining and enjoying...
To know more about or various courses and packages, write to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To browse through all IDCs of 2020, click here - https://www.dive-careers.com/idc-dates-2020
Our contact details - https://www.dive-careers.com/contact-us
➡️ Tell us a little bit yourself:
Hi! My name is Aaron Puttawong, I’m 21 years old, I have a twin brother and an elder big sister, I’m half Thai, half Australian. I can speak both Thai and English, and manage to speak very little Chinese. I grew up in Thailand and when I was 13, I moved to Australia and stayed there till I finished high school. Now I’m a scuba diving instructor and travelling around the world to teach diving.
➡️ How old were you when you started diving?
I started diving when I was 6 years old. It was cool.
➡️ What was your diving journey like? Give us some highlights.
In my opinion, my journey has just begun as there is so much to see and learn, but one of my best things about my job is that I get to teach so many people how to become a scuba diver. I get an amazing opportunity every day, to open them up to a whole new world, and for some, new career opportunities as well. Or at the very least, make their holiday a memorable one.
➡️ How does it feel to be the son of the dive industry's legend? Was there always an unsaid pressure to become an instructor?
Hahahaha! I may not see him as a legend (the way others do) but to me, he has always been someone who really understands diving as a concept, what is diving all about, and what one must take home from a dive. (He has always said he is a God but I don’t see it.. haha!)
There may have been a slight pressure on how I do as an instructor/teacher, but the diving was never a pressure. I have grown up loving the underwater world and it only comes naturally to me to embrace being in the dive industry.
➡️ How is the experience of working with your father or assisting him during IDCs? How is your work rapport with him?
The experience of working with my dad is pretty amazing because I get to travel the world with him and see how he works and runs a corporate dive company. I love to absorb the first-hand knowledge that I receive. I have learned so much just by being in the same room as my dad.
➡️ What are 3 things you have picked up from Mark and would want to imbibe or learn?
Actually, there are many things that I have picked up from him over the years (drinking, for example). Just kidding! I think it is always great to learn new things from him - how to be a good teacher/instructor/mentor because to educate others on becoming a good diver, you always need to educate yourself first.
➡️ So, what next? What are your plans for working together like in the next 2 years?
My plan as of now is to keep working and for the next 2 years try and gain as much exposure and experience as I can before I take that big step of becoming a Course Director. Once I achieve those goals, eventually I would like to become a monk.
➡️ Tell us a little bit about how your dad has made an impact on your work and life generally!
I can’t really quantify the impact my dad has on myself and my work life, because I literally grew up diving with him. And I can’t imagine what it would be like not to dive or how my life would have been if it wasn’t what it is. I am very grateful towards my father to have introduced me to diving so very early on as that has really shaped my life in a beautiful direction and helped me find what I love to do most.
Nick completed his PADI Dive Instructor trianing in Sri Lanka with Dive-Careers.com then returned to work weekends as a dive instructor in Dubai, maintaining a real job during the weekdays. Now plans are full in motion to make teaching diving his full time career.
