MY JOURNEY TO BECOME A PADI DIVEMASTER IN HAWAII
Recap of my first day as a Divemaster Intern for Hawaii Eco Divers on Oahu
After getting scuba certified almost two years ago, I knew I wanted to continue growing as a diver and work towards my divemaster certification so I could work in diving. Becoming a diver allowed me to become an ambassador for the ocean. My passion for ocean conservation drove me to become certified in the first place, and now I want to grow as a diver as much as I can so I can create a positive impact on the ocean and the inhabitants.
To work towards my PADI Divemaster certification, I began my divemaster internship with Hawaii Eco Divers on Oahu. On my first day of the internship, we started with a deep dive to the YO-257 wreck dive on San Pedro and then a second dive on Horseshoe Reef. My first dives on Hawaii didn’t disappoint! I enjoyed my first underwater wreck, seeing multiple turtles, sharks, octopus, colorful coral, endemic fish, and a ray.
A Day in the Life as a Divemaster Intern
We started out the morning loading up the gear and tanks, then traveling to Honolulu from North Shore to dive from the Kahala Kai boat. The gear was transferred to the boat and all set up for our customers for the day. Once they arrived, we gave them a briefing where we emphasized the safety procedures for the dives, as that is our main priority – keeping our divers safe while having an unforgettable experience.
We are Ambassadors for the Ocean
In addition to safety, we also told them about some of the of exotic marine life they would see and how many of them are endemic to Hawaii. It is important to take care of our marine life and to remind divers of this. We are ocean ambassadors, not everyone can dive and experience the underwater world.
Divemaster Candidate Mikena Shay at Hawaii Eco Divers
Being an advocate for the ocean, I deeply value educating our customers about the marine life and spreading awareness about the threats they face.
It’s important to respect the animals and their space, as we are visitors in their home and are responsible for giving them the protection they need. To join me on this fight for our ocean, follow along my Instagram @mermaidmikena where I talk about the various species, threats they face, the plastic crisis, and how we can protect them with new daily habits!
Upon completing my divemaster internship, I am looking forward to working as a PADI Divemaster where I can encourage divers to have a diving mindset devoted to safety, as well as educate them about ocean conservation because the first step to creating change is awareness.
Written by Mikena Shay