As our resorts continue to grow, our team must grow with it. Just like his earlier exploration days, Max and his team traveled to the remote areas of Raja Ampat, close to Wayag, to find locals interested in becoming dive guides.
These villages are located far from the center of tourism in the region, offering less career opportunities beyond their island. With enthusiasm, two young locals from these remote villages and six people from our existing staff (across waitressing, construction and boat crew), rose to the challenge.
Our group of eight dive guide trainees embarked on an unforgettable journey to becoming divers.
Over a course of three months, they learned how to assemble their scuba gear and maintain it, respond to emergency situations, identify marine life, understand and recognize the changing currents and tides in each dive site, and how to create an enjoyable experience underwater for our guests; earning them their Open Water certifications all the way through to Rescue Diver. And for our two trainees from West Waigeo, Mina and Tiara, they are the first in their villages to breathe underwater as divers and dive guides.
The training didn’t come easy. They struggled to breathe through the regulator, stay calm when they had to take their masks off, and properly deploy their SMBs.
Although they understood the currents and winds from above, they had to learn what that means underwater. They experienced the Dampier Strait’s raging currents, learning how to navigate them underwater, and identifying when and where it’s best to jump at each dive site.
But soon, they mastered each skill, blowing bubble rings during their safety stop.
Our group of eight trainees is also made up of four young women, who would have had a completely different life if they didn’t take the chance to join the training program and become dive guides. In a male-dominated industry, we wanted to see more women, especially the local women, take charge of their home, explore how beautiful it is, and be able to share it with others.
We believe this is just the beginning of more local women dive guides leading the path to more underwater exploration in the region. Hear their stories here.
Our trainees have officially graduated to Junior Dive Guides, and we can’t wait to see all the ways they will continue to grow. It has been a long three months, but this is just the beginning as they explore our dive sites, experience the currents, and discover more wildlife in the diverse habitats of the region.
See more of their journey here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da6qvlNDewM/
