A Married Couple's Journey to Become Dive Instructors

By Simon & Sally Rathbone

After years of dreaming about it, we made the decision to become dive instructors when we were in the Maldives on our honeymoon last year. We immediately started looking up dive companies that may be able to accommodate us. Not having any particular destination in mind, we looked around the world to find a company to suit us, including companies in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, America and others in Thailand, including Koh Tao and Phuket. However there was one company we kept coming back to.

Having studied their comprehensive website, we emailed the company and received an immediate call back from one of the partners, Bob James. Bob talked us through all our many questions and equipment choices and confirmed that Aquanauts was the right choice for us.

Four months later we arrived in Thailand, and were immediately both out on the boat diving everyday and experiencing Pattaya’s wrecks, marine life and Wii the cook’s fantastic cooking. Having arrived as Advanced Open Water divers, we soon started our Rescue Diver course and then completed our Divemaster course under the direct tutoring of Gary Tytler, a Master Instructor and co-owner of the company. After what had seemed to be only a couple of months – in fact it was four – we were starting our IDC.

The Instructor Development Course

Our Instructor Development Course group consisted of Sally and I, Meg (Smith) and Laura (Meikle): three girls and one boy … ouch! Under the direct tutoring and mentoring of Course Directors Roger Smith and John Taylor and Gary we passed our 10-day IDC. It is very tough, but it prepares you so well for your final Instructor Exam that it almost seems simpler by comparison!

All four of us were so pleased with our internship at Aquanauts that we are all staying to do our MSDT course, and furthermore Sally, Meg and myself are also doing our IDC Staff Instructor here. We feel that we will get the best possible instruction by staying with Aquanauts.

Living in Pattaya is interesting and really is mad! However there is something for everyone, whether you want to go out for drinks, go to a movie or just stay in and relax. Sally and I were easily able to make time for ourselves, but also had no problem making great friends with the other interns.

Aquanauts are great and we cannot thank them enough for making our internship so fun and rewarding.