So, Aaron... a little information on the Algarve! It's a great place to further your dive training, (perhaps not as warm as you think it'll be - it's the Atlantic, after all!) but there's an interesting variation in the underwater topography from one end to the other, a few small wrecks, and a fair amount of life... although you'll have to keep an eye out for it, as much of it is adept at blending in with its surroundings - the tropics, it is not. There are quite a few centres up and down the coast (mostly PADI), so you'll likely be able to find one in a town that suits your idea of a holiday paradise... as a general rule, the further west you venture, the quieter life gets. I don't know of a 'standardised' internship on the Algarve (like that one you found in Cyprus, for example) so, you'll see that what's on offer varies greatly from centre to centre, based on what you want to learn and the services they can conveniently offer. Two names I can drop are: billy@algarve-scuba-diving.com - Billy is a old friend of mine and the guy responsible for introducing me to this sport many moons ago... but please, don't hold that against him. He runs DM Internships every year from his centre, based within a cliff-top hotel complex with private beach access... here, you'll spend a lot of time guiding shore-dives on their pretty 'house-reef'. This is a young, sociable, multi-national team - last year, all the staff were living together in a large villa with transport, basic meals, course materials and use of rental equipment included for all the trainees. martyn@dive-time.net - Martyns' team is smaller but more experienced and, as it's a 5 Star Instructor Development Centre, you can train all the way to OWSI and beyond... Tech and Rebreather courses are also available, so it's a very interesting place to work, as you will often be surrounded by more experienced, specialist divers. These guys do 99% boat-diving from their Marina-based centre, so you'd get to dive a much wider range of varied spots. However, I believe this centre has changed ownership since my time there, so I can't guarantee what's on offer as far as internships are concerned - won't hurt to ask, though! If you are interested in the Algarve, my advice would be to get in there now before the season kicks in, as staff/trainee positions fill up pretty quickly. Also, things are a bit tight in Portugal economically right now, and as nobody can really predict how the summer season will perform, centre owners will understandably be in no rush to hire a large amount of staff until they're confident there's enough business to support it. One thing about both centres is that you will be considered an integral part of the staff team and, as your skills develop, your responsibilities do too - you won't be confined to the classroom and the equipment cleaning... everybody does their bit of the grunt work and you are only limited by your enthusiasm and effort. For example, I expressed an interest in Boat-Handling and Gas Blending and negotiated for these additional courses to be included as extras to my OWSI training. There are other centres I could mention, but best to start with those I can recommend from personal experience. Let me know if you'd like to know more! If the Algarve interests you, start by dropping an email to either of those guys and ask them what they have on offer... if you like, tell them JJ sent you - but don't take anything they say about me too seriously.
That is a phenomenal reply! Thank you ever so much i shall look into that today! Diving in the Atlantic is totally fine as its the only Sea/Ocean ive been in upto now and it is quite nippy in there haha! I'm awaiting more reply's from people now to see what the have on offer... Koh Tao appears to be a real popular area to go that isnt to expensive but im very hesitent to venture within that part of the world at the moment So many lovely places to choose from! just need to find somewhere, so excited at the prospects! Regards Aaron
And if you stay here the nice owner'll do you a deal: www.holidayinalgarve.com I dived with these: http://www.indigo-divers.pt/
No problem at all, Aaron - why use one word when I can use twelve? Best of luck with your enquiries! Nice thing about the Algarve is the amount of regular flights to and from the UK... I'm sure Koh Tao is fantastic, but you can't get further from the UK than Portugal and still only be a 2 hour flight home. Handy if you need to get back in a hurry... but more likely handy for all your mates who'll want to come visit you! Depends how much you want to 'get away from the UK', I guess. LoL... you know Jo, then? She's excellent fun and doesn't limit herself to the dive spots on her doorstep like a lot of centres would. You could always ask if she's after an Intern, Aaron - Phillipa was her DM last year, but I think she might be off finishing her studies outside of diving... so, maybe Jo will be on the lookout for a replacement!
superb replies only advice i can give is,get out there and do it mate wish i was young free and single again
I've sent out lots of emails and upto now 1 place in the algarve and 1 in cyprus have been the best i can find! Going to weigh up the costs etc and see where i end up!
