Dominique | SSI Divemaster

My story at Porto Mari actually began with a bit of gentle coercion. In 2022, I was on vacation in Curaçao with a friend. On the last day, she pretty much pushed me into the dive shop. She was tired of me spending the whole vacation — and actually much longer — daydreaming about a sabbatical in Curaçao and becoming a Divemaster, without ever really taking any practical steps. “Now you’re going to ask, or you’re going to stop talking about it,” she said. So there I was. And it turned out that the opportunities were actually there.

Almost a year later, I actually started my long Divemaster internship, from April to September 2023. The start? Sick for a whole week. I got homesick. What was I even doing here? Was this really such a good idea? I’m a worrier, so my mind was working overtime.

But luckily, that passed quickly. As soon as I was fit again and picked up the rhythm of the dive school, everything fell into place. As an experienced diver — with cold water experience in the Netherlands as well — the DM internship went well for me and I grew into my role step by step. I got to guide countless dives on the house reef, but also go on beautiful trips all over the island, both from shore and by boat. Curaçao slowly became less daunting and more and more familiar.

When it was time to return to Zaltbommel, strangely enough, it felt like homesickness all over again. Only this time the other way around — homesick for a place that had been my home for almost half a year. I really didn’t want to leave yet…

In the summer of 2025, I came back for another month. Simply because Porto Mari and diving keep calling me back. That’s also when I switched to SSI. And at the end of that month? What do you think, homesick again of course! Back home in the Netherlands, I was greeted by my two free-roaming (and house-trained!) rabbits, but a part of me will always be connected to Porto Mari. And luckily, I have a friend who sometimes just gives me a little push in the right direction.