Felix | PADI Divemaster

I came to Curaçao during the pandemic with a large group of friends for an introductory dive—on one of the last days of my vacation. The idea was simple: one last swim before we would fly back to Germany.

But things turned out differently.

After that introductory dive, I knew one thing: I didn’t want to go back at all. So I walked into the shop and asked what else I could learn here. Kasper took me to the career poster and started explaining the whole process. After an intro comes Open Water. Then Advanced. Next is Rescue. And after that, you can become a dive professional through a Divemaster internship.

That’s what I want to do, I said. How long does it take? What does it cost?

The next day, there was a proposal. I didn’t have to think about it for long.

There was just one small problem. I have shoe size 50. And that couldn’t be found anywhere on the island. The rental fins and shoes only went up to size 47, and that was just a bit… too snug. So the solution was simple: barefoot in open-heel fins. Maybe not ideal, but it worked.

My height also had practical advantages. Closing the shop’s hatch? No step needed. While some colleagues still had to stretch even with a step, I could just pull it down. I was literally the tallest on the team.

But underwater, none of that mattered. Down there, I felt just as free as everyone else. Maybe even freer.

I came as a tourist. I stayed as a Divemaster. And what started as “just one more dive” became a whole new chapter in my life.