Earlier this year, we said goodbye to our dive centre management team, Galen and Romina, who we would like to thank for their hard work and dedication during their tenure. They did a great job running the dive centre along with Teddy, and the dive centre team, resort staff, and guests will miss them.
With their departure marks the arrival of Leandro and Leandra, from Switzerland. Both have extensive experience in the diving industry, having previously worked all over the world as dive guides, instructors, and even equipment retail managers. We are certain that with their knowledge and experience, they can continue the legacy passed on from Galen and Romina, and previous dive centre management teams who have made the Siladen Resort & Spa dive experience what it is today.
Leandro and Leandra (known as Leo and Lea, for short) both began their professional diving career in Mexico, where they completed their PADI Divemaster internship, before moving almost immediately to the next step of PADI open water scuba instructor (OWSI).
Upon becoming certified PADI instructors, they began their career in Komandoo, the Maldives, where they would stay for the next two years guiding guests and teaching various scuba courses. There are certain similarities between the Maldives and Siladen when it comes to diving (both are fairly remote island destinations, and both a prone to strong currents), which means Leo and Lea already have a good idea of how they will need to work here. During their time in the Maldives, they both collected enough certifications and speciality instructor ratings to qualify as PADI master scuba diver trainers (MSDT), which means they can offer a variety of PADI speciality programs in Siladen.
After two years in the Maldives, they decided for a change of scenery, and moved to Koh Tao, Thailand, and completed an instructor crossover to SSI (scuba schools international). Lea became the senior sales manager for Siam Diving Enterprises, one of the largest distributors of scuba equipment in Thailand, while Leo worked as a freelance instructor at one of the dive schools on Koh Tao. After a few months as a freelance instructor, he was offered the position of project and inventory manager for Siam Diving Enterprises, which saw him travel around Thailand, supervising Siam outlets.
Towards the end of 2018, they left Thailand for a brief stint in Oman, where they helped out some friends by working as dive guides â which brings us to now.
Leo and Leo are both highly multilingual, which is an extremely valuable skill for us, as we welcome guests from all over the world. Both are native Swiss German speakers, and they can both fluently speak German and English. Leo is also a native Italian and Portuguese speaker, and has a good understanding of Spanish, and a basic understanding of French. Lea has a basic understanding of French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish too, which means together they can communicate with the majority of Europe! We are sure that with their language skills, it wonât take them long to develop a good understanding of Bahasa either.
Between them, they can offer a vast amount of PADI and SSI speciality ratings, including (but not limited to) underwater photography, emergency oxygen provider, enriched air nitrox, deep diver, drift diver, and recreational sidemount.
But most importantly of all, Leo and Lea are passionate divers, underwater photographers, and marine conservationists, who believe that sharing their passion and knowledge of the underwater world is the best way to preserve it for future generations. We are excited to have them here, and we look forward to seeing what they will bring to the dive centre.
âOffering a top guest experience and an excellent customer service is what motivates us and the team everyday. And thanks to the fantastic diving in Bunaken Marine Park and the surrounding area, we love to join the boats as much as we can and spend as much time diving with the guests as possibleâ
Leandro and Leandra
