Dive The World
About Us - Your Dive Buddies
You sometimes tell us that you find the online booking process a bit impersonal so we'd like to introduce ourselves and give you opportunity to put a face to the name you've been corresponding with.
Like you, we are all enthusiastic about diving and the underwater environment but we also realise that your valuable vacation time should be as much fun as possible. Therefore we take the time and hassle out of finding you the best value trips and diving experiences available.
Dive Buddy (in alphabetical order):
Detlef Sarrazin (Beef)
Nationality: Holding on to German traveling documents
Dive The World position: An important part to the sales and enquiries gang that makes all your dreams come true if possible, and if not he will die trying in front of his computer. Apart from that he also responsible for the artistic outcome of the Dive The World's merchandise, as if he doesn't have enough to do already.
Bio data: Being an avionics engineer by trade, Beef has been lying in front of mantis shrimp holes across the Andaman Sea since 1996. Teaching and guiding people for the past 11 years, his extensive knowledge encompasses the area of the world from Hin Daeng / Hin Muang to Phi Phi Islands, around Phuket, Similan Islands, Sipadan, Raja Ampat and Myanmar.
Language skills: German and English (her Queen's English, that is).
You can contact Beef at Beef@Dive-The-World.com
Enrico Toso
Nationality: Italian
Dive The World position: Enrico is a member of our sales team. Although he does deal with some English language enquiries, he is the primary Dive The World contact for Italian enquiries. Enrico has also been a great help on keeping the Italian versions of our websites up to date.
Bio data: Enrico was "Made in Italy" few years ago. He is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer who wanted to find a way out of the boring life that his studies were offering to him, but now he has found Dive The World instead! He has passed through dives in South Africa and Maldives, and jobs on liveaboards around the Similans Islands, Phuket and Myanmar. He can't stay too far from the sea, and if not wet, he is probably helping you on booking your next diving holiday or playing tennis with Beef.
Language skills: Italian and English.
You can contact Enrico at Enrico@Dive-The-World.com
Gavin Macaulay
Nationality: Born UK, though likes to think he comes from Ireland
Dive The World position: Is responsible for keeping in touch with all Dive The World's operators making sure we have as much of our information accurate and complete as practical. Looks into new diving destinations and also does a lot of the flowery writing you read on the site. Also spends too many hours downloading music from the internet and can be seen sitting at his PC playing air-drums with his headphones on.
Bio data: Gavin is a devoutly warm-weather recreational diver who having done his open water in Australia 10 years ago has since dived throughout Asia as well as in Europe, the Red Sea, the Pacific and South Africa. A qualified PADI Divemaster he is proud never to have worked a day as a DM preferring to dive for fun. He lives and occasionally works in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Language skills: English, French - fluent once, now not so, Spanish - again peaked at schoolboy level. Currently getting to grips with Bahasa Malaysia.
You can contact Gavin at Gavin@Dive-The-World.com
Giorgio Odoni
Nationality: Italian
Dive The World position: Giorgio is a member of our sales team. He specialises in Thailand, Malaysia and the Red Sea for English speakers, and destinations for Italians.
Bio data: Giorgio was born on the beautiful island of Sardinia, where he had his first contact with the sea. He is someone that thinks that he was born in the sea! He has worked as a diving instructor in Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, the Maldives and the last 3 years in Thailand. He loves to dive everywhere and sometimes he feels the need to equalise the ears when he takes a shower.
Language skills: Italian, English and French.
You can contact Giorgio at Giorgio@Dive-The-World.com
Ingo Siewert
Nationality: German
Dive The World position: Sales Team Manager. Ingo's language skills have been instrumental in getting the German version of our website available for the visitor. His extensive knowledge of the region and long hair make him popular with divers, both on-line enquirers and those walking into our shop in Phuket.
Bio data: Ingo is one of the most experienced divers in the company, who still can't wait for his next dive. He has been diving in the Asia-Pacific region as a professional Divemaster and Cruise Director on liveaboard dive vacations in Burma, Thailand and Indonesia since 1999. He knows where to look to find what you want. If you are looking for the vacation destination for something special he's the expert at finding it...
Language skills: German and English.
You can contact Ingo at Ingo@Dive-The-World.com
Charlene Diane (Lyn)
Nationality: Malaysian
Dive The World position: Sales Staff, responsible for finding out all there is to know about our new diving destinations and helping you avoid any pitfalls. Also keeps the Malaysian office in order.
Bio data: A native of Sabah, Charlene has always had dream places like Sipadan and Layang Layang on her doorstep. She discovered diving in 2000 and has been keen to spend plenty of time underwater ever since. With a background in tourism, she knows all there is to know about her home state and was welcomed on board the good ship Dive The World in early 2008. When not helping you book your trip, Charlene can be found playing with her dogs, playing with her blog, or belting out some cheesy tune in a karaoke bar.
Language skills: English and Bahasa Malaysia.
You can contact Lyn at Lyn@Dive-The-World.com
Philippa Gower (Pip)
Nationality: Australian
Dive The World position: Pip is a member of the sales team. She can help you with your enquires regarding Thailand, Australia, Burma and Fiji.
Bio data: Pip went backpacking around Thailand in 1997 and loved the friendly people and warm weather so much that she decided to stay. Her mum still wonders where she's got to. She has been working in the diving industry for more than 10 years and has spent her time in Phi Phi Island and on Phuket. Now is very happy to call Dive The World home. Being a hippy at heart, she will be out saving the planet if she is not answering your enquiries.
Language skills: Aussie mate and some very bad Thai.
You can contact Philippa at Philippa@Dive-The-World.com
Sheldon Hey
Nationality: Born UK, though South Africa is now home
Dive The World position: General Manager and Web-wiz. The founder and inspiration behind the Dive The World concept. Very much the (search) engine room of the business, Sheldon gets things done and likes to stay one step ahead of the rest - to such an extent that he's normally left by the time anyone else arrives.
Bio data: Sheldon is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer - which means he's wasted more money than most on PADI cards. Diving in northern and southern Africa, South East Asia and the South Pacific, his passions are for adventure, adrenaline, (very amateur) underwater photography, animal and environmental issues. Having dived with Great Whites, Tiger Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks and Zambezis, as well as Mandarinfish, Blue-ringed Octopus, and Pygmy Seahorses, he enjoys the big, the bad and the ugly, as well as the minute and magnificent. "I feel it's important that those with a passion for marine conversation do try all they can to protect that environment. After all, we can't expect others that are not interested or don't know to do anything about it".
Language skills: English and all the Thai he would ever want to speak. Also html and java script (written, not spoken).
You can contact Sheldon at Sheldon@dive-the-world.com
Vichai Lamkijja (Vic)
Nationality: Thai
Dive The World position: Vichai is a member of our sales team. He deals with enquiries for Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, the Maldives and Burma.
Bio data: Vic was born in Thailand but he grew up in Singapore. He is most of the time mistaken by people as Japanese or Korean. He fell in love with diving when he was on a snorkeling trip in Malaysia and decided to go for the Open Water Diver course instead. His love for diving and spicy Thai food (which he never gets enough of) grew stronger after a few trips to Phuket and the Similan Islands in 2005. This is where he decided to quit his job in Singapore and settle down in Phuket as a PADI Open Water Instructor. If he is not assisting you with your enquiries you will certainly see him decorating his house or planning for his next diving holiday.
Language skills: English, Thai (spoken only) and Mandarin, plus a few Chinese dialects.
You can contact Vichai at Vic@Dive-The-World.com
Victoria Rolinson (Vicky)
Nationality: British
Dive The World position: Responsible for the management accounts and any other financial issues that raise their ugly heads from time to time.
Bio data: Vicky has been an accountant for the past 14 years, but decided to leave the London 'rat race' in 2006 to go traveling. After spending time in Australasia and SE Asia, she decided that Thailand was the place to settle. She did her first ever open water dive in January 2007, and so taken was she with the underwater experience that she had gained her PADI Divemaster within the year. Whilst she now spends a lot of her time in the office, she looks forward to her days off when she is able to go out and dive the local Phuket dive sites and the Similan Islands.
Language skills: English, limited French, and just about enough Thai to get by.
You can contact Vicky at Vicky@Dive-The-World.com
ScubaZoo - Official Image Supplier
SCUBAZOO is a team of professional underwater cameramen based in Sabah, Malaysia. They have filmed and photographed marine life throughout the world, particularly in South East Asia.
Their photographic work has featured widely in various diving magazines and publications and can be enjoyed in their own book: 'SIPADAN, MABUL, KAPALAI - SABAH'S UNDERWATER TREASURÈ . Their underwater film work has including projects with the National Geographic, BBC and Discovery Channel. Many of the images featured on the Dive The World websites have been kindly supplied by Scubazoo.
If you want to know more about Scubazoo or to take an underwater photography / videography course under their expert guidance, please visit their website at www.scubazoo.com .
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