Meet the Team
Darren Gaspari
Owner and PADI Course Director
Languages: English
Darren Gaspari, originally from Australia, traded his badge for bubbles when he fell in love with diving in Phuket. With over 3,000 dives under his belt, Darren possesses an intimate knowledge of the local dive sites. He’s also a PADI Course Director, the highest instructor rating achievable, making him qualified to teach everyone from complete beginners to aspiring dive professionals.
In his time at Phuket, Darren has shared his passion for diving with many happy students from across the globe. Whether you’re taking your first plunge or aiming for instructor certification, Darren’s expertise and enthusiasm will guide you on your underwater adventure.
PADI Specialties:
- Enriched Air Nitrox
- Deep Diver
- EFR
- Night Diver
- Search and Recovery
- Wreck Diver
- Digital Underwater Photography
- Diver Propulsion Vehicle
- Aware Shark Conservation
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- PADI Aware
- Emergency Oxygen Provider
- Aware Coral Conservation
- EFR Care for Children
- Underwater Navigation
- Distinctive Seahorse
- Boat Diver
- Gas Blender
- Adaptive Techniques
Ashley Walker
General Manager and PADI Master Instructor
Languages: English
Ash Walker is a country Australian, with a passion for the water. This is surprising since Ashley was born in the middle of a 10 year drought, in the same small country town as Darren Gaspari, Mildura. Moving to Ballarat as a young kid, with regular weekend trips to Geelong and Torquay back beaches is when Ash found his craving for salt water, this only grew stronger with a move to the sunny Gold Coast and living a life on the beach in his teenage years.
Its surprising that it wasn’t until the age of 26 that Ash did his first DSD dive in Thailand and found his passion for Scuba Diving and Thailand. After that trip to South East Asia Ashley went home and enrolled in the PADI Zero to Hero program, changing his career path from retail & business management to PADI Pro in 2010. With a strong background in retail Ashley entrenched himself into the dive industry working as a Sales, Marketing and Technical Manager for Mares Asia Pacific. This is how he met Darren G. promoting Aussie Divers at ADEX in 2012, amazing since Ash and Darren both originate from a town with a population of just 30,000 people.
PADI Specialties:
- Enriched Air Nitrox
- Equipment Specialist
- Deep Diver
- EFR
- Night Diver
- Wreck Diver
- Drift Diver
- Digital Underwater Photography
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Diver Propulsion Vehicle
- PADI Aware
- Emergency Oxygen Provider
- EFR Care for Children
- Underwater Navigation
- Mares LAB Technician
- ScubaPro Technician
- Aware Shark Conservation
- Aussie Slang
Guy Allen
PADI Master Instructor
Languages: English
Hailing from Tasmania, Guy Allen boasts over 30 years of diving experience. A certified PADI Master Instructor, Guy has the knowledge and certifications to guide divers of all levels, from complete beginners to seasoned adventurers.
Passionate about sharing his expertise, Guy has trained hundreds of divers and joined the Aussie Divers team in 2021.Now in Phuket, he continues to equip students with the skills and confidence to explore the underwater world safely.
Guy’s teaching style is known for being both relaxed and thorough. He prioritizes ensuring his students not only understand diving principles but can also apply them in real-world scenarios. Learning from Guy promises to be a fun and rewarding experience, preparing you for a lifetime of diving adventures.
PADI Specialties:
Eamonn Pickett
PADI Specialty Instructor
Languages: English
Eamonn, a PADI instructor (USA), swapped his business background for an underwater life in Phuket. A snorkeling trip ignited his passion, leading him to explore the Andaman Sea (Racha Islands, Koh Lanta, Similans). After teaching English, he became a diving instructor, teaching from Discover Scuba Diving to Divemaster.
Eamonn loves sharing his knowledge as a “fish geek” and enjoys exploring the Andaman Sea on liveaboards and private tours. Joining Aussie Divers in 2023, he now focuses on teaching and diving adventures. Catch him diving, watching football, or relaxing on a Phuket beach.
PADI Specialties:
Frank Degousée
PADI Staff Instructor
Languages: English, French
French PADI Staff Instructor Franck Degousée boasts 20+ years of diving expertise. For the past decade, he’s graced Phuket’s waters, sharing his passion with hundreds of divers (beginner to advanced). Franck’s calm, thorough instruction (safety first!) and love for the ocean make him a respected leader in Phuket’s diving community. (Joined Aussie Divers in 2021)
PADI Specialties:
Zoe Jieyu
PADI Staff Instructor
Languages: English, Mandarin, Thai
Zoe, a PADI scuba diving and free diving instructor from Kunming, China, brings five years of Thai experience and fluency in Chinese, English, and Thai to Aussie Divers in Phuket.
Prior to becoming a diving instructor, Zoe spent six years as a flight attendant, fostering a love for safety and customer service. However, her passion for nature and animals led her to pursue a career underwater.
Zoe is known for her engaging and safety-focused diving courses. She is dedicated to ensuring students not only enjoy diving but also develop a respect and awareness for marine life.
大家好我的名字叫 Zoe 来自中国云南昆明，我是一名 Padi 水肺潜&和自由潜教练。在泰国生活了五年所以可以流利使用中文，英文和泰语。
我在成为潜水教练之前在航空公司作为乘务员工作六年，工作包括负责管理客舱服务和安全。尽管我也非常喜欢这份工作但我始终认为自己不会止步于此。作为一名狂热的自然和动物的爱好者使我成为一名潜水教练。
我也非常享受潜水教学过程，在教学过程中非常注重学生安全潜水的重要性，认真细致耐心的完成每一次潜水活动。我也希望通过正确教导学生和进行最安全的潜水方式和观察海洋生物的技巧，让更多的人对海洋生物保护产生浓厚的兴趣和意识。希望我们能够一起通过潜水的方式探索蔚蓝的海洋，我在普吉的 Aussie Divers 等您
PADI Specialties:
Mattia Ciampagna
PADI Specialty Instructor
Languages: English, Italian, Spanish
Mattia joined the Aussie Divers Phuket team in early 2024, bringing with him a wealth of experience from his native Italy, where he began working in the dive industry in 2018. During his early career, Mattia honed his skills both on luxury superyachts and in dive centers around Italy, gaining invaluable experience across various environments. His passion for diving and adventure led him to Phuket, where he now calls home.
As an enthusiastic and dedicated instructor, Mattia is known for his unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and safety. He ensures that every diver feels confident and secure in the water, making their experience not only enjoyable but also safe. With his energetic approach and meticulous attention to detail, Mattia is a valued member of the Aussie Divers team, helping divers create unforgettable memories beneath the waves.
PADI Specialties:
Isara Srithammarach (Gong)
PADI Specialty Instructor
Languages: English, Thai
Meet Isara “Gong” Srthammarach, Aussie Divers’ superstar instructor. A multi-agency pro with a passion for diving, Gong has trained countless divers globally (joined 2022). Certified PADI & IANTD, he expertly calms anxieties and educates with enthusiasm. When not teaching, Gong explores the underwater world, eager to share his discoveries. His warmth and welcoming personality make him an Aussie Divers favorite. For a phenomenal Phuket dive experience, choose Gong and the Aussie Divers team!
PADI Specialties:
Nikki Hensley
PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer
Languages: English
Nikki is from London, and joined the Aussie Divers Phuket team in October 2024 after completing her PADI IDC program with Darren. She has over 20 years of diving experience, getting her Junior OW cert when she was just 11 and has dived in over 30 countries across the world (although she is still working on getting her sea legs…).
Phuket was meant to be a pit stop on her journey to Australia, but she just couldn’t bring herself to leave and decided to say goodbye to the corporate world and hello to a life underwater.
Her teaching style is summed up by patience, enthusiasm, and a focus on creating a fun and relaxed learning environment. She believes that learning to dive should be a wonderful adventure, and has an infectious passion for sharing her love of the underwater world with others.
PADI Specialties:
Lai Yi Xue (Bob)
PADI Specialty Instructor
Languages: English, Chinese, Hokkien, Cantonese
From Singapore, also known as “The Little Red Dot”! Currently the only Singaporean scuba diving instructor in Phuket. Formerly a chef & restaurant owner for over a decade, while also running a joint venture in automobile detailing, before deciding to start a brand-new chapter as a PADI Scuba Instructor. Now, instead of kitchens and garages, it’s all about teaching and sharing the passion for scuba diving in Phuket.
First discovered scuba diving in 2011 in Malaysia (Redang) with a PADI Discover Scuba Diving program, later completing the PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water in Semporna. From there, diving became a true calling, exploring Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand before finding Aussie Divers Phuket, the top-rated PADI dive centre with some of the best reviews on Google. Initially joining just for fun dives, being guided and taught the right way by the team soon inspired a deeper commitment. That journey led to completing some PADI Specialty Courses, the PADI Divemaster program, and the full PADI IDC (Instructor Development Course) & IE (Instructor Exams) with Aussie Divers Phuket.
“Do it once, do it right” is the motto. Teaching scuba diving the right way not only ensures safety and peace of mind but also makes it fun, rewarding, and fulfilling. Passing on knowledge and skills so more people can enjoy the incredible world of Phuket scuba diving is what it’s all about.
PADI Specialties:
Rishabh Mishra
PADI Specialty Instructor
Languages: English, Hindi
Meet Rishabh originally from Delhi, India. Rishabh swapped his corporate career for a life underwater to follow his passion for the ocean and becoming a PADI Instructor in Phuket. Like a lot of Instructors in Thailand, Rishabh came to Phuket for a dive trip and never left and aims to inspire others to do the same.
As part of the Aussie Divers Phuket team, he loves introducing people to the underwater world and watching them fall in love with it just like he did. Teaching PADI courses is what drives him most, seeing his students experience the same sense of wonder that drew him to diving.
When he’s not teaching and guiding dives he’s behind a camera capturing the ocean, and just a heads-up, he cannot stop talking about octopuses.
PADI Specialties:
Adam Suddarth
PADI Specialty Instructor
Languages: English
Adam hails from the land of fried chicken, Kentucky, USA. Growing up landlocked with sub-par diving options, he first discovered the underwater world in 2021 with the PADI Open Water course in Mexico. From there, he explored sites across the Caribbean (including Bonaire, Turks & Caicos, and Belize) and quickly realized that diving was more than a hobby.
Switching gears from his career as a mechanical engineer working in the fluorescent glow of industrial factories, Adam traded blueprints for blue water and set out to explore the ocean in every corner of the world. Since then, he’s gained experience diving in Indonesia, the Maldives, and both sides of Thailand, encountering a stunning range of marine life and conditions along the way.
Adam brings a vibrant, upbeat energy to the dive deck and a genuine passion for sharing the underwater world with others. He keeps things relaxed and fun, but makes sure every student leaves with sharper skills and a deeper grasp of dive theory. Adam’s mission is simple: to spark curiosity, build confidence, and share the incredible world beneath the waves with every diver he meets.
PADI Specialties:
Sabrina Di Folco
PADI Specialty Instructor
Languages: English
Hailing from the Emerald Isle ☘️ with an Irish–Italian background, she spent years teaching in classrooms before deciding to take on a new challenge, trading the whiteboard for the underwater world and leaving her old life behind.
Her first scuba diving experience came in 2017, and since then she has explored the waters of Indonesia, the Maldives, and Thailand. But once she started diving in Phuket, she never looked back. What was meant to be just a three-day diving trip turned into something much bigger, she went on to complete her PADI Divemaster and PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) with Darren and the Aussie Divers Phuket team, and she’s been here ever since!
“Safety first” is always her guiding principle, but once you’re safe, she’ll make sure you have the most fun possible in a relaxed and supportive environment.
She also loves to “have the craic” (Irish for “good fun and jokes”) — if you can keep up with the accent!
PADI Specialties:
Gingernuts
Sleep Specialist
Languages: Feline, Meows, Purrs
Gingernuts: Aussie Divers’ mascot & napping champion (joined 2023). This ginger tabby greets customers & loves a good sunbeam. A master of relaxation (dive bags beware!), he keeps the team on their toes. The ultimate chill dive buddy!
Feline Specialties:
- Sleeping On the Sofa
- Sleeping On the Dive Bags
- Sleeping in the Sun
- Chasing Pigeons
- Getting Pats From Customers
- Sleeping
The Crew On MV Kepsub
Meet the incredible Aussie Divers crew aboard MV Kebsub! From our experienced captain and knowledgeable tour leaders to our hardworking deck crew and talented onboard cook, this team works seamlessly to ensure your diving adventures are safe, enjoyable, and unforgettable. Take a moment to get to know the friendly faces behind the scenes who make every trip special.
