Storm Diving and Finding My Calling: From Student to Future Instructor

What made the difference for me

I would never forget the day I started my Open Water course. It was mid-July in Greece, and for unknown reason, the weather had decided it was a great time to bring out a tropical storm! I was looking forward to my Open Water course for nearly 9 months since my Try Scuba, and nothing was going to change the plan for that day. My instructor looked at me and asked me if I was sure that I wanted to go in the water with the waves and the stormy conditions that were in front of us – I didn’t even think twice about it, and we were in the water. The feeling of safety, freedom, and joy came back to me – along with a school of jack fish. I remember reaching my arms out to touch them and my instructor holding me back, thinking I was scared. And all I was, was excited more than ever in my life.

Day two of Open Water was the moment I realized scuba diving was “my thing” – I genuinely wanted to be able to share the experience with everyone. I wanted to become an instructor as I believed everyone should try this amazing experience and explore the superpower of breathing underwater and flying. Back at the shop, I asked them if there was anything I could do to become a Professional, and they invited me to do an internship the following summer!!! I couldn’t believe how it was all flowing (pun intended hehe)!

Becoming dive professional

The coming summer was the best summer I ever lived to this point. The amount of beautiful people I met, the experiences we shared, the life at the beach – I was beyond stunned by the life scuba diving was giving me.

Not all started easy though! I lived through a lot of lows and highs as I struggled with social anxiety, low self-esteem, and panic attacks. Yep, you heard right! The only place I didn’t panic was underwater. Outside – I had to fight, negotiate, and make deals with my demons who kept telling me this is not for me. I used to hate being watched – and guess what – teaching diving involves approximately 90% of the course with the students watching you haha! So when I started that first summer, I would start showing setup of equipment, feel at fault, run to the toilet to cry for like 5 minutes, and then come back to resume with joy the setup with my divers.

What I learned this summer is that you can do hard things. And that joy is in the expansion of the comfort zone. And that the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know, and this is ok. Every day is a school day!

But my biggest lessons were still to come – when I started teaching my closest friends…