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    About Me

    Hi there! My name is Iris and I'm a freelance dive instructor and marketeer. I left my safe but unfulfilling life in The Netherlands behind to travel the world - and found my happy place underwater in the Philippines. On this blog I want to make the ins and outs of scuba diving accessible to everyone: things you didn't know, things you're afraid to ask, or just something for a good laugh!

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    Iris | Scuba Diving
    Spaceship coming in! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A Spaceship coming in! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Aren't cephalopods the coolest creatures ever? After staring me down for a minute or two, this cuttlefish decided to come over to say hi. I was convinced we made a connection, but a fellow diver thinks it was probably just protecting its nest 😐 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Although it's much more plausible, I still prefer my version 😆 What do you think this cuttlefish was up to?
    One of my biggest worries in my early scuba days u One of my biggest worries in my early scuba days used to be if I’d be able to go down. There’s nothing that says ROOKIE more than a diver splashing around at the surface, while all his buddies are already halfway their descent. So to avoid that, I heavily overweighed myself. It worked: I always sank down like a rock before anyone else. It wasn’t great for my ears, and I repeatedly crash landed on some corals, but hey, at least I got there. Besides the destruction of marine life, there are other reasons why this is ALL WRONG. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The first one is that you have to drag all the extra weight around your whole dive. The extra effort this takes will make you go through your air supply much faster than if you were properly weighted. But besides the extra work there’s also a safety concern: if there’s an emergency, the excessive weight will prevent you from getting back to the surface as quickly (and safely) as possible. Depending on how much you’re carrying, you may not make it at all… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As I became more confident as a diver I slowly started to get rid of those unnecessary kilos (on my weight belt - not the other ones). I was amazed by how much of a difference it made! I was less tired and my air consumption and trim improved dramatically. As soon as I ditched the excess weight, my dive skills improved almost immediately. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Before you ditch all your weights: not carrying enough can be equally hazardous! You want to carry enough weight to help you stay down at the end of your dive, with an almost empty tank.
    Last year one of my longtime scuba dreams came tru Last year one of my longtime scuba dreams came true: I became a technical diver. Over the past few months, I posted a lot about the training I did, and the number 1 question I get asked is always ‘what is technical diving?!' ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s usually followed by an apology for not knowing, but it’s not a stupid question at all. For the longest time all I knew about technical diving was that it looked cool and involved a lot of tanks. So for all of you that were (secretly) wondering, here’s a beginner’s guide to technical diving! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Link in bio for the full blog :)
    Never have I ever... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ t Never have I ever... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ touched marine life! Have you? I mean, we all know that we shouldn't touch marine life, but maybe there was a good reason for it, like freeing a turtle trapped in some trash. Or maybe the temptation was just too strong (hello whale shark!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I personally have never touched marine life intentionally. But it has definitely happened by accident - more than once. I have bumped into corals because I wasn't in control of my buoyancy. I have hit a triggerfish in the head with my fin because he kept attacking me. And very recently, I was stung by a sea urchin because I wasn't paying attention. So yeah - definitely guilty! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ How about you: have you ever touched marine life and if yes, what's the story?
    How to become a dive pro - part 6: use social medi How to become a dive pro - part 6: use social media to your advantage! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This step is definitely not mandatory for all aspiring dive pros. I have plenty of friends who are not on any of the social networks, and landed awesome jobs. So if you have no affinity with social media, by all means don't force it. But since you're reading this, I'm guessing you don't hate it THAT much. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We all know that employers google job applicants (this is of course not unique to the dive industry) and it's up to you what they get to see. You can use it to your advantage by positioning yourself as an expert on scuba diving and passionate (aspiring) instructor. The goal is not to become an influencer (unless that's something you want - then go for it). The goal is to show your future employer - and the rest of the world while you're at it - what you're all about, in a way that no resume can. And if you enjoy it and you're good at it, you can even offer to use your social media skills for the dive center you're applying to. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The dive industry is competitive - even under normal circumstances - and the pandemic has only made that worse. So finding a way to stand out from the crowd, whether it's through social media or something else, will make it a lot easier to land your dream job. Yes, I did say that I have friends who found great jobs without using social media, but most of them have some other skill that sets them apart. So if you can't repair boats, speak Chinese or have a PhD in marine biology, I'd say social media is a relatively easy way to differentiate yourself. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Many people don't consider social media to be a skill, and that's all good. But in almost every diving job I've had, both fulltime and freelance, this Instagram account played some role in getting hired.
    That time I left my tank standing up and walked aw That time I left my tank standing up and walked away... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ One of the things you learn in the Open Water Course is to never leave your tank standing up unattended. If you need to leave it, put it down on the floor so it can’t fall over. It’s one of those things that probably makes you think ‘oh well, how bad can it really be?’ Well, I learned that the hard way. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When I started my divemaster training all my gear was brand new. I knew not to leave my kit standing up unattended, but surely a few seconds wouldn’t be much of an issue. Right? So I sprinted to the equipment room to grab some weights, and BANG. I turned around, and saw my tank and shiny new gear lying on the floor. The tank seemed to be fine, although it would need a visual inspection just to be sure. But the first stage of my regulator was badly damaged. The DIN screw was bent, and therefore did not fit the tank valve anymore. I had it fixed, but I kept having occasional problems with leaks for a long time. And my shiny new reg had a major dent in it. Whenever I look at it, it still hurts… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Check out my stories to see the damage :)
    I've heard many technical divers say that they lov I've heard many technical divers say that they love the process of getting ready for a dive. They don't just put their gear on, but take a moment to get in the right mindset. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For me, getting ready for a tech dive is a combination between nerve-wracking (do I really have everything?) and embarrassing (for needing help to walk to the entry point). I feel like an open water student all over again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As soon as I'm in the water, it's fine though. I lean back into my double wing that is comfy like a giant pillow. I take a few minutes to relax my mind (and double double double check - do I really have everything?), then start the descent when I feel ready. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ *On a different note: notice how low my shorts are hanging 🙈 This model was definitely designed for people without asses. Can anyone recommend a good tech short for women?
    You may (or may not) have noticed that I've taken You may (or may not) have noticed that I've taken a social media break for a few months.⁠ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My blog and social media have been my biggest outlet last year, allowing me to teach people about diving when there weren't any courses, and helping me connect with others when socializing wasn't possible. But towards the end of the year a massive wave of demotivation suddenly washed over me. This mini burnout probably had more to do with the never-ending pandemic than with social media, but I just didn't have the energy to post or write anything, or do anything else for that matter. It sounds very dramatic - it really wasn't - I just decided that it was time for a break. I didn't announce it (posting about how you're not going to post anymore seems a little contradictory to me), but I received a few messages - mostly from strangers - asking if I was ok, which I really appreciated.⁠ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Despite its bad reputation I love social media - it brought me so much positivity last year - but I can recommend taking a little break from it every now and then to everyone. Anyway, new year, same me, but with new ideas and motivation!
    Merry Christmas from the Philippines to all our fr Merry Christmas from the Philippines to all our friends and family around the world! We miss you more than you know, and our wish for the new year is for all of us to be together again. We'll spend this Christmas eve like we've spent most of the year: the four of us, good food and nice wine :) Enjoy and stay safe!
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