MY QUALIFICATIONS - 

Dive qualifications 

Open Water Diver
Advanced Open Water Diver
Rescue Diver
Night Diver
Deep Diver
Drift Diver
Fish Indentification Diver
Peak Performance Buoyancy Diver
PADI Aware
Aware Coral reef conservation
Open water SCUBA Me
Wreck Diver
Underwater Naturalist Diver
Enriched Air Diver
Underwater Navigation Diver
Night Diver
Naturalist Diver
Master SCUBA Diver

First Aid

EFR - Care for children Instructor
EFR instructor
Emergency Oxygen Providor Instructor

Instructor qualifications

Divemaster
Open Water SCUBA Instructor
Enriched Air Instructor
Dive against debris Instructor
Boat Instructor
Fish Indentification Instructor
Drift Instructor
Wreck Instructor
Search & Recovery Instructor
Deep Instructor
Naturalist Instructor
Night Instructor
Digital underwater photography - Level 1 & 2 Instructor
Master Scuba Diver Trainer

MY story —

My 14 years of experience as a dive instructor began from humble beginnings and overcoming a fear of the water.

When I was a kid, around 11 or 12, my family had a boat. One day, towards the end of our outing, we pulled up at a beach, and we had to jump out of the boat to go ashore. I jumped out and landed straight into a jellyfish.

The pain was indescribable and confusing at the time, and I had no idea what was happening. I remember my mum carrying me up the beach and dousing me in vinegar. Although it left no visible scars, it mentally scarred me, and I swore I'd never go back into the ocean. Little did I know, this would change in 2007 during a family holiday to the stunning Yasawa Islands in Fiji. We stayed at the incredible Octopus Resort on Waya Island, and it was simply divine.

On this trip, my dad was with me along with some close friends. After a few cocktails, we came up with the idea of getting our SCUBA certification while on the island. The next day, after a lot of thought, I decided it was the perfect opportunity. Despite my previous hesitation with swimming in the ocean, I had always been drawn to it. So, we made our way down the beach, sat in the sand, and tackled the SCUBA manual in between meals and other activities, slowly working through the theory.

That part was easy… until it was time for the pool sessions. They were a bit more challenging but still enjoyable, and our instructor was fantastic—so laid back and relaxed. Nothing seemed to faze her. Then came our first dive, and I was excited! But wait a minute…I don’t like the ocean, my inner voice protested. No, Tanya, you’ve come this far; you can’t back out now! So, I took a deep breath, made the giant stride off the boat, and plunged into the great blue.
As the bubbles cleared and I got my bearings, I looked around and knew, right then and there—I was hooked! All my worries faded away as I watched the world from the fish’s perspective. It was amazing, even before we were fully underwater. As we descended, I don’t recall much about that first dive except the incredible feeling I had when I looked down for the first time and the sight of a shark (but I’ll get to that later). From that moment, I knew diving would be a lifelong passion, and I was determined to explore every dive site, everywhere!

So, about the shark—though I don’t remember exactly when it appeared during the dive, I do recall what I was doing at the time. I was performing a mask clear exercise, with my instructor in front of me, holding onto my BCD to give me a sense of security. Even though the water in my mask made it hard to see her clearly, I knew she was there. Picture this: my instructor kneeling with her back to a stunning coral bommie, holding onto my BCD, while I faced the bommie with a mask full of water. As I began clearing the water from my mask, I started to see her clearly again and noticed her eyes were wide—huge, even!

She was looking at something behind me, and as I turned to see what it was, she pulled my BCD to keep me from looking and signaled me with her eyes to focus on the skill. I continued clearing my mask and signaled that I was done. As she gradually released one side of my BCD, I turned around to see a massive shark—still, to this day, I insist it was enormous—swimming around the bommie and passing us. Despite what you might expect—panic and fear—not a single flicker of either crossed my mind. I was in awe, still trying to clear the water from my eyes to fully take in the incredible sight.

The only thought that crossed my mind was, holy sh*****t!* We sat on the bottom, watching this incredible creature glide around and check us out for a while before it swam off into the distance. I was utterly gobsmacked and in awe. It was so huge, yet it moved with such grace—it was simply phenomenal.

I later discovered that the shark was a Tiger Shark, and to this day, after 6,000 dives, I’ve never seen one again. Although I don’t recall much about that dive, I remember three things vividly: the sensation I had when I first looked underwater, the sight of my instructor’s eyes smiling at me, and the awe I felt when I saw that shark. From being a kid with a fear of the ocean, that trip changed the course of my life, and diving quickly became a top priority.

In 2008, I took a job and moved to Townsville with SCUBA diving in mind. Having earned my Open Water certification in 2007, I was eager to live by the water and dive more. Just two days after arriving in Townsville, I sought out the local dive shops, gathered as much information as I could, and arranged a trip with a dive operator.

I completed my Advanced course and dove the Yongala wreck, then moved straight on to my Rescue course. After a long day of practicing rescue scenarios, I sat on the roof of the boat watching the sunset over the mainland and thought to myself....

 “I’m going to go pro—this is going to be my office!”

By the end of 2008, I had become an instructor and was working full-time in a dive shop, diving every day—it was magical! Over the next decade, I worked my way up the PADI ranks to achieve the level of Master Instructor.

I'm a school teacher who’s always been drawn to working with kids, especially those who find learning challenging, whether it’s in the classroom or underwater. I’m very patient with diving students and take pride in never having had a student fail to complete the course. If a student can get through the medical, I’m confident I can help them overcome any fears or concerns from there.

meet tanya

MY story —