We asked Steve, one of our brilliant PADI IDC Staff Instructor’s, and Pavel Lavrinovic, who has just become a Dive Master, to chat and share with us a bit of Pavel’s journey on this 6 months Dive Master Program.
Steve: Well Pavel, congratulations on completing your Dive Master Program, but for everybody out there reading this post, can you tell them what started your own journey achieving your Dive Master. Where did it all start?
Pavel: It all started three years ago when I came into Andark, straight after my trip to Cuba, where I enjoyed Scuba Diving. So I wanted to progress.
Steve: Why did you decide to do your Dive Master qualification?
Pavel: I was looking for some work, a job not in the office, basically, and as much as possible, close to extremes.
So I was looking for Hiking, Climbing, or Scuba Diving, and I tried all of these, and I enjoyed Scuba Diving the most. It was something that melted my heart. I was where I should be.
Cuba was a bit of a strange experience. It was very beautiful but very unsafe. When I came into the UK, I enjoyed the correct systematical way of how things were done here. Very good for my brain, because my brain works systematically.
Steve: So what has your experience been like learning to be a Dive Master with us at Andark?
Pavel: The good part, in the beginning, was who would be my mentor. I met Steve, and I met a couple of other guys. Their experience was important to me. I wanted to work with people who have 10 or 20 years of diving.
I really did appreciate all the benefits that I got from Andark. I could come to dive every time I had spare time, come any other day, join any single course I wanted to join. So it was really really great, to begin with.
That must have taken me half of the year and it was intensive, which was the good part. It was what I was looking for.
Steve: As part of achieving your Dive Master qualification, you also obtained the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating which only about 5% of all divers actually go on to achieve. It’s often called in PADI circles “Ninja level” of training. So how did you feel about achieving that?
Pavel: I am actually a bit cool about that because it was all systematically. Smart in the way it was showed to me.
Steve: Can you tell us what you enjoyed the most? What was the best thing about the program?
Pavel: I would say, I really do love from my side, I just love being underwater, because I find it a bit extreme, and it feels really cool. I feel like I’m in the place I should be, actually, and another good thing which I got going through the Dive Master is the feeling of being helpful.
I was doing what I was supposed to do and helping people also.
Steve: Your Dive Master Program led you to other career options. So, can you share with us the last couple of days and the two weeks before that, what were you doing?
Pavel: I am interested in all opportunities. I am trying to catch up with everything that the Dive Industry offers. I finished last week my two-weeks course in Inshore Commercial Diving (HSE Scuba) and last week I finished by OPITO safety diver training.
Steve: How did you like that training? Did you enjoy that?
Pavel: Yeah! Plenty of examples, plenty of rescue scenarios that will stick with you, and it gave us plenty of thoughts and practice, and that was good.
Steve: You are training to be a Rescue Diver for what?
Pavel: For the scenario of a helicopter crashing into the water, offshore. Helicopter Underwater Escape Training Safety Diver.
Steve: What are you hoping to do next year? Anything special you want to try?
Pavel: Hum… I would like to start my AI (Assistant Instructor) in June or July. It is quite a short course and then I’ll go for Instructors.
Steve: It’s going to be a hard task when it comes to doing your Instructor Training
Pavel: I hope so. It should be intensive.
Steve: What about Diving? Is there any place in the world you fancy going diving?
Pavel: I fancy going to Mother Russia. I really would like to do Ice Diving, Cave Diving, some Deep Diving probably, and Wreck Diving. All extremes, somehow, attracts me.
If you liked or have any other questions about Pavel’s story, please let us know down in the comments.