March 2007 I moved from Melbourne to Sydney. I knew 2 people in Sydney and wanted to expand my range of friends. I had also heard a lot about this activity called Scuba Diving. A friend of mine was a member of Abyss and introduced me to the club - and 1 month later I had completed my Open Water. Nearly 3 years later my life has changed immeasurably!!
My main focus in the early stages of Sydney life was to build on what was shaping up as an impressive career in International Freight and Logistics. Diving was there as something to relax with on the weekends and make a few friends. Friends I definitely did make, but little did I know the impact this step would have on the rest of my life.
For the next 2 years I worked conscientiously at my career, working my way up through the ranks at a fast pace and eventually taking over the Management Role for our NSW office - all the time diving on weekends, long weekends and holidays. My experiences gained through diving fed my desire to continue with the expanding interests in diving, completing as many courses as I could fit into my already busy schedule. Approximately half way through last year I put down a deposit on what was to be my first international dive trip and first overseas trip since 2000.
My focus now was to complete my Master Scuba Diver Cert before I left. This focus on a specific diving related goal changed everything. Needless to say I achieved my goal, and come May 2009 went on the most amazing trip of my life. Whilst I was away I kept looking around, seeing what was happening, talking to the dive instructors, talking to the owner of the dive retreat we were staying at and basically asking myself "how great would this life be".
April 2009 I signed up for the Dive Masters Course. June 2009 I signed up for the Dive Instructors Course. The last 2 moves seemed natural. I had a vested interest in diving, and following extensive soul searching and conversations with many others who had done similar to what I was planning, I had decided that perhaps the corporate life was not for me. The skills I learned from both the Dive Masters and my PADI IDC helped to clarify in my mind that I was on the right path - cracking the dive industry was my new goal.
Today I live on Hamilton Island. The sun is shining and it is 27-30 degrees most days. I gained employment with H20 Sportz in order to earn experience in this very exciting industry. I have been introduced to the world of Tourism and the REAL world of diving!! I have the pleasure of making someone's holiday an experience to remember, and also the opportunity to introduce new people to Scuba. This is a very challenging role but one from which I gain immense pleasure. The satisfaction I feel after giving the final farewell presentation on the boat after a day on the water, having a round of applause and smiles all around the boat and the a little pat on the back from the Skipper because everyone is leaving the boat happy is something I am very glad to have experienced. It is the same feeling you get after giving the final hand shake and "Congratulations, you are now a diver" to a newly certified student.
My role varied from day to day - Dive Supervisor, Dive Instructor, Snorkel Supervisor or tour guide. Each day brings something new and exciting and each day brings the positive energy you get from being around people happy to be on holidays. All teachings have been very relevant to the real world of the dive industry, with Abyss striving to turn out the best possible Dive Masters and Instructors. All of the training I have had to put me in this position, from Open Water through to Instructor, has been provided by the staff at Abyss Scuba. I have no problems at all in recommending Abyss to either the new diver or those who are considering a career change. At the very least, I strongly encourage all who are interested to listen to what the team at Abyss have to say about a career change to diving.
David Ellis
OWSI
H20 Sportz, Hamilton Island, QLD