Romeo | SSI Divemaster
Romeo from Corsica joined Porto Mari as a freshly graduated oceanographer and quickly became a trusted Divemaster — bridging the transition from PADI to SSI before moving on to coral restoration in the Maldives.
Bonjour, I’m Romeo!
I come from the French island of Corsica and trained as an oceanographer. Oceanography is the science of the oceans — from currents and ecosystems to chemical processes and climate dynamics. In simple terms, I wanted to understand how the sea works, from the smallest organism to the largest system.
Before coming to Curaçao, I completed an internship at a marine biology research laboratory in Mexico. I joined Porto Mari from October 2024 until March 2025, arriving just after graduation as only an Open Water diver. Suddenly there were two French speakers on the team — me from France and Ari from Canada — but fortunately I also spoke fluent English, which made collaboration easy.
I quickly grew into my role as a Divemaster and became someone trusted to guide dives independently. Interestingly, I was the very last Divemaster trained under the PADI system at Porto Mari — and at the same time the very first to be certified under the new SSI system. I quite literally bridged that transition period.
What I loved most was the combination of practice and science: guiding guests during the day while observing the reef through the eyes of a researcher. During my time at Porto Mari, I also contributed to coral nurseries — and that’s where I discovered my next professional direction.
After leaving Curaçao, I made a brief stop back in Corsica before moving on to the Maldives. I now work on a coral restoration project as an applied oceanographer and marine biologist. It feels like a natural next step.
Oh — and there was one more detail. During my job interview, I mentioned that I preferred not to rent a car. I just didn’t explain why. I didn’t have a driver’s license. So there was a lot of carpooling. And when that didn’t work out, I would take the bus and hitchhike the final stretch from Grote Berg to Porto Mari. It worked. Most of the time.
The ocean remains the common thread in my life. From Corsica to Mexico, Curaçao, and now the Maldives — I always seem to find my way back to the reef.