(As they would like you to believe)
A Day in the Life of a Divemaster at DP Diving
If you drop by Mare Monte Beach in Alsancak and head toward the sound of laughter, rattling steel, and the hum of a compressor, you’ll find DP Diving. Run by Pete and a crew that feels more like an extended family, it’s one of the friendliest IANTD Technical and Recreational dive centers in North Cyprus.
Being a divemaster here means my daily schedule is a chameleon. On any given day, I’m split between acting as a boat captain, an introductory psychologist for nervous first-timers, and a synchronized performer at a local resort pool.
Pull up a chair, grab a coffee, and step into a high-octane day in my life with the DP crew.
08:30 – The Sunrise Stamina Swim
My morning begins straight in the water at 08:30. To maintain the fitness, lung capacity, and stamina needed to manage operations all day, my very first order of business is a serious 550-meter open-water swim around Mare Monte Island. The Mediterranean is glassy and beautiful at this hour, and pushing through that distance kicks my metabolism into overdrive. It’s the ultimate wake-up call—better than any double espresso.
09:30 – Skipper Mode: Drop-Off & Reef Track
The certified divers have arrived ready to dive by 09:30 AM, caffeinated and eager. After a quick huddle with Pete to lay out the whiteboard schedule, it’s time for me to step into my primary role for the morning: boatman.
While Pete helps the divers map out their gear, and outlines the dive plan, I’m down at the boat running through my safety checks, inspecting the RIB, and securing the waterproof kitbag. Once everyone is on board, and their kit is secured, I guide our custom dive boat down the boat lane, out of the bay and throttle up, cutting through the glittering blue waves.
Today’s dive is a classic one-way drift between dedicated site markers. I maneuver the boat right up to the drop-off point at The Wall, a massive vertical drop that plunges into deep turquoise water. The divers gear up, carry out their buddy checks, and get the green light to enter the water.
As they disappear below, my work really begins. I track the bubbles from the surface as the team cruises along the main stretch of the reef. I follow their progress down the line, maintaining a vigilant surface watch.
Because we have permanent marker buoys laid out at our main sites, there’s no need for them to deploy an SMB from depth. Instead, I steam ahead to the exit marker at the Rock Garden, tie the boat off directly to the marker buoy, cut the engine, and wait. Right on cue, the team ascends directly up the line under the buoy, hand over their gear, weights first of course, then bcd, and finally jump back onto the RIB with varying degrees of prowess. Having dived myself with most of these guys before, I know that the banter is second to none if somebody needs multiple attempts to get back on the boat, but as they say, if you can’t take it, don’t dish it out!
11:30 – Turnaround Time & Charles’ Law Presentation
The second the boat ties up back at the beach, our efficiency protocol kicks in: we rinse and we fill as we go. There’s no putting things off until the end of the day.
While the morning boat gear is stripped down, thoroughly rinsed with fresh water, and hung to dry immediately, the compressor is already humming. The morning divers have filled out their logbooks, packed up their things, and said their goodbyes. They head off to enjoy the rest of their day.
While the tanks are filling, we use the downtime for some core training. Our Divemaster-in-Training, Mike, steps up to deliver his required physics presentation to Pete and me. His topic? Charles’ Law—the physics principle explaining how volume and temperature are directly proportional, which dictates why a hot tank straight off the compressor loses pressure once it cools down in the sea.
Mike pulls out some great handmade visual aids, mapping out gas molecule behavior under heat. He delivers a highly practical, engaging lecture. Pete wraps up the feedback session by marking his evaluation sheet: a very solid 88/100.
12:30 – The Beach Shack Lunch
With the first round of logistics and training safely handled, we head down to the beach shack at 12:30 for a proper local lunch. We load up on grilled chicken, warm, squeaky halloumi, and a massive fresh salad. It’s the perfect surface interval to refuel, talk logistics, and relax in the shade before the afternoon rush begins.
13:30 – “Try Dives” & The Second Round
By 13:30, the atmosphere shifts as our afternoon Try Dives arrive at Mare Monte Beach. This is where I transition from boat captain to instructor-support and guide, with Mike shadowing closely to observe how we handle student safety. These resort guests have never worn a tank in the ocean before.
We use the shallow, sandy bay right in front of DP Diving as our classroom. We walk them into waist-deep water, kneeling in the sand where they can easily stand up if they feel anxious.
The Try-Dive Transition: The magic moment happens about three minutes in. You watch their eyes go from wide with panic to wide with absolute wonder as they realize they are safely breathing underwater, watching tiny silver wrasses dart around their feet.
We take them on a gentle tour around the shallow bay, reaching about 4-5 meters. The moment we guide them back out of the water, we are back on the turnaround line. The beach salt and sand are immediately rinsed out of the BCDs and booties. I turn the compressor line over to Mike – he takes the lead on connecting the afternoon cylinders and managing the fill process by himself. He hooks them up smoothly, putting his own lecture into practice as he keeps an eye on the cylinder temperatures.
Once our afternoon guests wrap up their debrief and head off, the beach operation is fully squared away.
15:30 – The Afternoon Pool Show: Traveling Light
Right after wrapping up the beach turnaround and seeing our happy customers off, I leave the team and head out for our 15:30 show slot at a nearby resort. The best part? We get to travel light. The hotel keeps a dedicated set of DP Diving kit stored securely on-site so I don’t have to haul wet gear with me.
I arrive on site, set up the display stand, and gear up at the pool side while hotel guests watch and wonder what is going on.
The goal is to demystify the gear. I hop into the crystal-clear pool, take a couple of laps under the surface, and show kids how cool it is to breathe beneath the surface. Within minutes, a crowd of curious onlookers has gathered at the edge. I float to the surface, spit out my regulator, and smile: “Want to try it for real in the ocean tomorrow?” By the time I pack up our hotel stash, giving it a quick fresh-water rinse to get the chlorine off, I’ve handed out a dozen flyers and signed up a couple of new divers for the morning beach sessions.
17:00 – The Clean Slate Winding Down
Because we stayed on top of the rinsing, had Mike running a tight ship at the compressor line all afternoon, and wrapped up logbooks early, rolling back into the shop at 17:00 doesn’t mean facing a massive mountain of chores. The center is already organized, the tanks are full, and the gear is dry.
The true magic of DP Diving is this “after-hours” transition. Sometimes it has been such a hectic day that everyone just wants to go home and crash, sometimes you have to say it’s family time at the end of a long day.( For more info on this, check out my wife’s blog, a day in the life of a divemaster widow!) But tonight , the crew choose to sit out on the shaded terrace with a cold Efes beer. My muscles are aching, my hair is stiff with salt, and I am completely exhausted. But looking around at a deck full of laughing friends, I wouldn’t trade this office for the world.
