CC - Success Stories and Testimonials

I have been working at Mamanuca Region of Fiji, at Subsurface Fiji which is the main dive shop that operates from Musket Cove and i lived at Plantation Island which was just a 20 minute walk away! I was employed as a dive instructor and i was in charge of a lot of the marketing and admin for the dive center. On a typical day my day would start at 8am with a walk down to Musket Cove to check the roster and loading the boats. At 8:30 we would go out for two boat dives and the one more at 2pm. On these dives I would be either taking someone on their first ever dive, teaching courses or just showing people the amazing reef life. Finding this job was easy, it was posted on the Dive Otago job board, I applied I found out I had the job the next day and i was there within four days! Transitioning straight from study to to working life was easy, I was really well prepared! I went straight from training to work and was complimented on how professional i was which was nice. They couldn’t believe that it was my first dive job. Training in Otago's rugged conditions meant that I felt prepared for anything also the teaching at Dive Otago was really thorough so i was confident in my skills. What is special about Fiji is the culture, the location and the diving were all amazing. Getting welcomed into the fijian family was so special I had a lot of adjusting to do moving into island life but the people around me were just great.My favorite memory above water is seeing people fall in love with diving on a discover scuba session or handing them their first certification. I was also lucky enough to also train a student to be a professional divemaster which was really cool. Underwater - My favorite memory underwater was definitely my total amazement on my first dive in fiji in 32 degree water the colours and the marine life just blew my mind! Turtles are just incredible to dive with and to get paid to see them is pretty amazing.

As a dive instructor I have worked in both New Zealand and Australia. In my job at Jetty Dive Centre we do regular trips overseas and I have had the opportunity to dive on the SS President Coolidge ship wreck in Vanuatu and experience the ultimate Shark Diving experience in Fiji. A normal day diving starts at 7am when we get all the customers and students ready with dive gear and tanks before loading the van and heading down to the marina. Once at the marina, we load the boat (Wildfin - a 12m ridged inflatable with two 350 V8 Yamaha outboards which is very quick!) and make the short trip out to our main dive site, South Solitary Island. After a double dive it's time to head back home and clean up - a task everyone loves doing haha! After all the customers and students have been dealt with and the gear is cleaned and put away, we head back to the shop to do things like servicing regulators for the rest of the day. I love the area - there is plenty to see out at the Solitary Islands as there is a mix of tropical marine species and cold water marine species. The best thing I have seen under water was actually a Sea Lion at the Mole in Otago - AMAZING!! The second best would be diving with about 25-30 Grey Nurse Sharks - ya can't beat that. Best job on earth EVER!!! Get in to it!

I was hooked right from my first Open Water Dive when on a working holiday in Oman in the Middle East. I was treated to crystal clear, warm water and the marine life was stunning - there was not even a chance of looking back. After a dozen more dives in Oman, and a handful in Samoa, I enrolled into the February Diploma of Professional Scuba Instruction at Dive Otago and have been working and living the dream at Dive Otago ever since graduating. In 2013 I was lucky enough to dive with around 60 Bull Sharks in Fiji, an awesome adventure that tops my list of the most epic things I have ever done in my life. With the certification to not only have experiences like this, but to teach others to be able to have them for themselves is an awesome feeling. What we do changes lives! "Our local marine life here in Dunedin amazes me with its sheer abundance. Even after doing over 400 dives in Otago I still stumble across new species of animals I have never seen before. The underwater world is such a diverse place and it’s fantastic to be in such an unexplored environment which doubles as my office - every day is a brand new adventure.