Changing Careers & Becoming a PADI Pro

Working in a very stressful environment, I decided to take a long break (1 month, which I considered very long:)) in December 2018. Being passionate about scuba diving, which I discovered with my Open Water Course 7 years ago, I wanted to take a first step into professional diving and do my PADI Divemaster course.

South East Asia & Thailand has always been a region that I loved. I therefore started to look at where I should do my PADI Pro journey. I always heard that finding the best PADI Instructors, and a team that you get along with, is the key in professional training, I hence looked after who would be the best.

After reading few online reviews, I came across PADI Course Director Darren Gaspari, who was one of the most recognised course directors in Phuket, Thailand. I reached out to few PADI dive centres in Asia and Darren was not only the first to answer me, but his answer was not a generic one, was really personalised and with great attention to details I needed. Aussie Divers was then the team with whom I would do my PADI Divemaster and professional courses.

The Divemaster course was amazing: I was welcomed warmly, all the Aussie Divers Phuket instructors were involved, even if this were not on their duty, the team is so passionate and highly skilled and professional, they do not count hours they spend with you afterwork to give you advice. Not only I have been trained, but have been welcome in the Aussie Divers Phuket family, a very solid team: instructors, owner & course director, as well as all of the shop staff.

I therefore decided, after my Divemaster “snorkel test”, this is the life I want, time to become a PADI Instructor. Forget about 9-5 office work, P&L, shareholders, mergers, daily meeting’s, redundancy plan’s…. I want to be an instructor, and I decided to train by the “best-in-class” PADI Course Director: Darren Gaspari.

The two weeks IDC is not a piece of cake, Darren trains you at the highest standards, along with his team of PADI Staff Instructors. He is so passionate, caring and pedagogue that you quickly get it and forget this is hard. Darren is adjustable to your weaknesses and always have a solution, and will spend all extra hours you need to be successful. In addition, you still have a full support from Aussie Diver team during these two weeks, all helping to get you through the IDC & IE weekend & supporting you very kindly.

I only know Aussie Divers Phuket for professional training, but I can’t imagine any other PADI 5 Star IDC center being better…