12/08/2022
Thank you Arjun Thimmaya for this amazing review of your experiences becoming a PADI Diving Instructor with us at Sairee Cottage Diving! 🙏❤️
"Zero to Hero (A True Story) - So, back in December 2021, I decided to begin my career as a Scuba Dive Professional whilst sitting in my room dreaming of a path, less worn out by my peers. After some thorough research online and talking to some friends who had trained at Sairee Cottage Diving, there was no doubt in my mind that Marcel Van Den Berg was the person I needed to guide me towards making my day-dreams a reality. As I got in touch with him via email, the picture of travelling to a distant island called Koh Tao all the way from Bombay became distinctly clearer. I reached here and checked into the Go-Pro rooms, where I met the most fantastic bunch of people whom I'm lucky enough to now call my friends. My first Instructor at Sairee Cottage was Isabelle Levy, who went above and beyond to make sure I got the right skills to become a confident Diver. After that, I met my Divemaster Mentor, Nicolas 'Flav' Sleutelaar, a Dutch diving legend. My time under him as a Divemaster Trainee goes beyond the boundaries of this review. His knowledge and command over Diving, Art, Cinema and everything else under the Sun is unparalleled. As I completed my final task towards completing my Divemaster training, i.e., the legendary 'snorkel test', I was finally ready to be trained by the one who was the reason I came to Sairee Cottage, which is of course, Marcel. My IDC and IE went by like a flash as Marcel, ably assisted by Julian, trained us in a fashion wherein the PADI exams felt like a mere formality. Within a period of 8 months, I went from an Open Water Student all the way to a Master Scuba Diver Trainer. I must mention the motivation and pearls of wisdom Baz gave me throughout my training time. The ever smiling faces of Bear and Denja in the Dive shop along with their epic playlists always going on in the background would make a bad day turn all the way upside-down. Perry is a true master of his craft, and I still have so much to learn from everyone involved in the Dive-Training program. The support staff at Sairee Cottage is phenomenal. Their two boats have an intangible charm you can experience only once you set sail upon them. The pool bar, the crazy longtail parties, Songkram madness, George's (resort dog) insatiable need for belly rubs, the laughter...I could go on forever. Lastly, I'd like to thank Trevor for having created this paradise within Koh Tao, where dreamers like me can witness a new reality be born! Much love, Arjun 'Timmy' Thimmaya".
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Would you also like to join our PADI Divemaster and/or IDC course?
Then send me a PM or email to: [email protected] and I would love to chat with you about your future 🤙
Our next PADI IDC course starts on 29 August and we have a few spaces left.
More information: https://www.saireecottagediving.com/padi-idc-course-koh-tao/
