Bragg Stanley – Best Dive Job in the World 2012

By admin on October 25, 2011 in Bragg Stanley

“I want to die young at a very old age” has become a theme in my life. Having retired from the teaching profession, and looking at a second retirement from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, I am now ready for another adventure.

I have been diving for about 5 years and have come to love the sport. I am currently working on my Dive Master Certification and today just completed my Red Cross first aid, CPR, and AED certification, one of the requirements for certification. Becoming a PADI Instructor would fulfill two of my three passions: Teaching and Scuba Diving. My third passion is bluegrass guitar—a little hard underwater, but you have to do something when you are on shore or on the boat!

In my training with my current instructor I have come to appreciate the importance of good teaching and the importance of helping others learn the skills to be a safe and competent recreational diver. Scuba Diving is all about fun, but there are some inherent risks of which we all must be aware. A good teacher can help ensure (but not guarantee) that students will have the necessary skills to not only be safe and competent divers, but will instill an attitude and excitement for continued learning. An important side benefit, but integral to the instructional process is developing an abiding appreciation for our oceans, lakes, and streams and the fragile ecosystem of our underwater habitats.

As I look to a new career, in many ways I am not changing my life all of that much. I am at a point in life where I am pretty much free to do what I want to do, and I am living my dream and enjoying my passions ( I still teach as an adjunct professor at a small college where I live). I teach, I scuba dive when I can, I play my guitar, and all in all I am enjoying life to the fullest. Being a PADI instructor would allow me to share my passion for the sport with others and hopefully inspire them to become the best they can be in the sport of SCUBA diving.

What has inspired me most to do attempt this has been the outstanding instruction I have received as a SCUBA diver. I could not have asked for more competent and supportive instructors. They have certainly been my role models in exploring this new avenue in

SCUBA diving They say that the best way to stay young is to continually learn, and what better way to die young at a very old age than to become a SCUBA instructor.