Maldives’ first and only PADI Five Star Career Development Center, the Maldivian Academy of Diving, has officially opened its doors in K. Himmafushi. This new academy signifies a major step forward for professional dive training in the Maldives.
The Academy is dedicated to providing top-tier, professional-level dive training programs that meet the most rigorous standards set by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). They recently concluded their inaugural PADI Instructor Development Course on March 3rd, and their next PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor Course is scheduled for July 29th to August 13th, 2024.
Leading the Academy is Adam Ashraf, a PADI Platinum Course Director for both 2022 and 2023. For the past decade, Ashraf has been running Dive Desk, a highly successful dive center in Malé. In fact, Dive Desk was the most successful PADI professional development center in the Maldives in 2023, earning the prestigious PADI EMEA Platinum Professional Development Excellence Award. This award recognizes the center’s exceptional performance in training new dive professionals, with Dive Desk being the only Maldivian center and one of only ten in the entire Europe, Middle-East & Africa (EMEA) region to receive this recognition.
Platinum status for both the Course Director and the Dive Center is not given lightly. It’s awarded based on a strict criteria of the number of professional-level certifications issued by PADI. Adding to Dive Desk’s accolades, they were also awarded the PADI Outstanding Contribution to People and Humanity Award last month for their dedication to fostering opportunities for Maldivians in the diving industry.
Despite a decade of success and consistently running the top PADI professional development programs in the Maldives for the past seven years, Dive Desk faced challenges. Limited space at their facility and the high cost of accommodation for students staying in Malé for extended periods were significant hurdles.
The Maldivian Academy of Diving was established specifically to address these issues. Located in Himmafushi, the Academy offers a more spacious learning environment and affordable accommodation options for students, all within close proximity to the capital city. The Academy will soon be offering on-site dorm rooms as well.
The Academy caters to all levels of diving experience, from those just beginning their underwater journey to seasoned divers seeking to become instructors. They offer a comprehensive range of courses and certifications to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to achieve their diving goals.
The opening of the Maldivian Academy of Diving represents a significant milestone in Adam Ashraf’s ongoing mission to empower Maldivian youth to pursue careers in the diving industry.
visit M.A.D for Diving website for more info and our PADI IDC schedule for Dive Careers Maldives.
The Maldivian Academy of Diving has been awarded the classification of an PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Career Development Centre – the first of its kind in the Maldives.
The academy, located in K. Himmafushi, was presented with the title last Monday by the PADI Europe, Middle-East & Africa (EMEA) Resort and Retailer Association.
The designation of PADI Career Development Center (CDC) is bestowed annually upon PADI Five Star Instructor Development Centers and Five Star Instructor Development Dive Resorts. They are distinguised by going above and beyond conventional scuba instructor training, and fulfilling rigorous criteria set forth by PADI.
Additionally, these centers offer invaluable job placement assistance to graduates of their programs, further facilitating the transition from training to professional practice.
In a press release shared today, the academy highlights its commitment as a PADI Career Development Centre, the academy is committed to upholding the highest standards of the diving industry, delivering top-quality, professional-level training.
Having concluded its first PADI Instructor Development Course on March 3rd, the academy reveals that another course session is slated from July 29th – August 13.
The leading Course Director is Adam Ashraf who has held PADI Platinum Course Director status since 2022, and has a decade-long tenure operating Dive Desk Pvt Ltd – a dive center in Male’.
Dive Desk’s notable achievements include the 2023 PADI EMEA Platinum Professional Development Excellence Award, and the PADI Outstanding Contribution to People and Humanity Award.
According to the press release, challenges facing the academy consist of space constraints and logistical barriers for students, particularly the high costs associated with extended stays in Male’,
Addressing these concerns head-on, the Maldivian Academy of Diving stated that the school’s location was strategically established to mitigate space limitations, with Himmafushi offering affordable accommodation options conveniently located within close proximity to the capital.
With plans underway to introduce dormitory facilities for students, the academy is poised to enhance accessibility and affordability, ensuring that aspiring divers can pursue their passions without financial constraints.
visit M.A.D for Diving website for more info and our PADI IDC schedule for Dive Careers Maldives.
Maldives’ first and only PADI Five Star Career Development Center, the Maldivian Academy of Diving, has officially opened its doors in K. Himmafushi. This new academy signifies a major step forward for professional dive training in the Maldives.
The Academy is dedicated to providing top-tier, professional-level dive training programs that meet the most rigorous standards set by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). They recently concluded their inaugural PADI Instructor Development Course on March 3rd, and their next PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor Course is scheduled for July 29th to August 13th, 2024.
Leading the Academy is Adam Ashraf, a PADI Platinum Course Director for both 2022 and 2023. For the past decade, Ashraf has been running Dive Desk, a highly successful dive center in Malé. In fact, Dive Desk was the most successful PADI professional development center in the Maldives in 2023, earning the prestigious PADI EMEA Platinum Professional Development Excellence Award. This award recognizes the center’s exceptional performance in training new dive professionals, with Dive Desk being the only Maldivian center and one of only ten in the entire Europe, Middle-East & Africa (EMEA) region to receive this recognition.
Platinum status for both the Course Director and the Dive Center is not given lightly. It’s awarded based on a strict criteria of the number of professional-level certifications issued by PADI. Adding to Dive Desk’s accolades, they were also awarded the PADI Outstanding Contribution to People and Humanity Award last month for their dedication to fostering opportunities for Maldivians in the diving industry.
Despite a decade of success and consistently running the top PADI professional development programs in the Maldives for the past seven years, Dive Desk faced challenges. Limited space at their facility and the high cost of accommodation for students staying in Malé for extended periods were significant hurdles. The Maldivian Academy of Diving was established specifically to address these issues. Located in Himmafushi, the Academy offers a more spacious learning environment and affordable accommodation options for students, all within close proximity to the capital city. The Academy will soon be offering on-site dorm rooms as well.
The Academy caters to all levels of diving experience, from those just beginning their underwater journey to seasoned divers seeking to become instructors. They offer a comprehensive range of courses and certifications to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to achieve their diving goals. The opening of the Maldivian Academy of Diving represents a significant milestone in Adam Ashraf’s ongoing mission to empower Maldivian youth to pursue careers in the diving industry.
visit M.A.D for Diving website for more info and our PADI IDC schedule for Dive Careers Maldives.
From Adam Ashraf Maldivian PADI Master Instructor and owner of PADI 5 Star Dive Center, Dive Desk in Male.
As a Master Instructor, I have had the priviledge of staffing at Instructor Development Courses led by Platinum Course Director Mark Soworka of the Dive-Careers.com, based at Maldives' pioneer Dive Centre in the resort-island of Bandos Maldives, since 2017. Maldives February 2021 IDC posed many challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic: From having to relocate IDC to an inhabited-island guesthouse, losing candidates from travel restrictions to 10 out of 14 participants having to undergo a 12-day quarantine that doubled the time and expense for them; Maldives' first IDC of the year was an unprecendented commitment to professional level training by all participants involved with all ten instructor candidates making it through with flying colors!
To my team of Dive Desk staff instructors Bob and Jumba, to the now certified PADI Instructors YD, CJ, Athti, Aiman, Immy, Arif, Sharif, Caro, Modu and Mippu, to the most patient, down-to-Earth and knowledgable Course Director and mentor Mark Soworka, and to the Examiner Matt Wenger, a very big thank you for making it a memorable and successful IDC/IE. A very special thanks to Maamigili Council and our host Shamoon at Shamar Dive and Guest House for the warm hospitality and logistical support.
Looking forward to our second IDC of the year scheduled for 18 May 2021. I am proud of seeing dedicated young people taking up diving as a career, and I feel honoured to be part of their PADI journeys. To join our IDC experience in the Maldives contact either
Ashraf on +960 7937738 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Mark directly on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
➡️ 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.
The year started for me already the first week of January in:
El Nido, Palawan
We yearly run 5 IDC’s per year with Deep Blue Safari and I am lucky to travel there and enjoy the stunning sceneries, sunsets and of course great diving
After the IDC it’s time to say goodbye to Palawan and on my way home to:
Panglao, Bohol
This is where my whole adventure in the Philippines started. We are working with Sierra Madre divers and having great facilities to make the IDC even more relaxed.
Having the Dive centre on the beach is a fantastic and easy way to organize the open water presentations and the speciality dives.
And having the IDC centre 5 minutes away in a nice and quiet environment makes it great to do lectures and focus on the practice exams and of course a massive pool for training as well!!
After some programs in the Philippines, it’s time to go and see some SHARKS!!!!
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
In peaceful Port Elizabeth, we are teaching at Pro Dive.
In Port Elizabeth, the IDC is not only to become an instructor but also for most of the candidates the last step of a long internship from scratch to OWSI but also experience in compressors, service gear and becoming a skipper.
Diving with Seals, penguins and of course sharks is part of a daily job when diving there.
I am about to leave home to go to PE again this month and can't wait to finally see what summer is like hahaha.
When we are diving we all wanna see fish, plants and corals, but there is more to see like WRECKS and than we have to go to.
Coron, Palawan
Coron is the Mekka of wrecks in the Philippines where we conduct the IDC’S at
REGGAE DIVE CENTER.
Not only the relaxed atmosphere in the centre but Coron itself is a great place to visit and of course dive one of the many wrecks they have there. Its all WWII wrecks and all the guides and instructors will tell you everything about the history of the wrecks.
Maybe you even luck to do the mock IE on a private Island as we did on the last IDC!!
But also one of the weirdest dive I did in my life was in
Barracuda Lake
You go out with the boat for about 10 min and then jump in with just scuba and swimwear. And yes I think its cold but in about 5 minutes I would find out why…
After a 2 minutes swim at the surface we had to climb up the shore and take some steps up over a little cliff and then you will see the lake. Looks normal at the start but far from that when we jumped in and yes still cold for me 27 degrees, till we dropped down to 14 meters and there the temperature was 36 degrees WWWHHHAAATT??
Yes, it was a crazy experience!!!
Overall 2018 was a great year with lots of new friends, instructors and adventures.
If you would like to have some more information about one of these locations or anywhere else where Dive Careers is conducting IDC’S please don’t hesitate to contact me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
