A PADI instructor short story – dive professional Jill from Blue Season Bali

Are you curious about becoming a PADI professional? You’ve probably already been to different areas to dive and experienced all sorts of diving! So have a lot of our interns and instructors at Blue Season Bali. In this series of blog posts, our PADI professionals will tell you all about their path to professional diving, why they became a PADI Pro and where they enjoyed diving the most. We hope those stories help you choose your own path to becoming a dive professional, maybe even a PADI instructor!

This time our PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer Jill tells us all how she ended up becoming a PADI Pro:

I started diving when I was 24 and it was a Discover Scuba Dive in Puerto Rico. Ever since then I couldn’t stop thinking about it! I’ve seen a Sting Ray during my first dive and it was stunning! After my first dive I had a short break from diving though until I finally got back into the water. It was in 2006 and I did my Open Water Course in Minnesota. You’ve read right! I did it in Minnesota! And yes it was in a dry suit in a lake and the visibility was… let’s say not so nice! Still I loved getting back to diving so I finished my Advanced Open Water Course straight afterwards, same with my Rescue Course. I also started thinking about becoming a dive professional for the first time…

As I grew more and more into diving, I grew more and more out of my old life. I went diving in Australia, South Africa, Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas and ended up diving in Sulawesi. This was when I really discovered I wanted to be a dive professional. My instructor in Sulawesi became my idol! Then when I got 40 I had already achieved all my professional goals and I finally wanted to challenge myself again; continue my education. So I started researching about becoming a PADI divemaster. The first plan was to slowly finish my divemaster at weekends while I was still working. Just until I read this blog from PADI which informed about divemaster internships abroad. That was it. I knew I wanted to do that from the first second I saw the opportunity. It combined my two favourite things: diving and traveling.

The next research began. I was looking for a place I hadn’t been to yet including great dive sites. I found Bali! It was supposed to be one of the best dive sites in the world and I wouldn’t have to fear diving in a dry suit again! This was when I first got in touch with Blue Season Bali and I had no idea my time with them would end up being one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

My trip as a dive professional finally started. I got to know the team from Blue Season Bali and was part of their family from day one. When I first went diving in Bali I was fascinated! I’d been diving in so many places before but this was something different! Every dive site around Bali has so much to explore and still varies from one another. I especially love the dive site Nusa Penida. It’s not only beautiful but also a bit challenging because there can be quite strong currents. This was exactly what I was looking for when I decided to become a dive professional. Now I didn’t only finish my divemaster with Blue Season Bali, I became an instructor and I just finished my MSDT! The plan to challenge myself succeeded!

I am so happy I took the step towards a whole new life and I can’t wait to teach others what I love the most – diving. It’s like meditating and flying on a different planet!

What does diving mean to you? Is it as life changing as for Jill? Let us know all about it in the comments!