|

Teaching
all levels of PADI courses and building up an extensive knowledge
of the local dive scene, Matt became Operations Manager in 2003,
quickly developing the Resort into a 5 Star Instructor Development
Center.

During this
period he worked alongside some of the region’s leading
Course Directors giving him a unique insight into various teaching
styles within PADI IDC's.
Boasting a wealth
of teaching experience throughout the PADI System, Matt has conducted
over 80 PADI IDC's and countless more MSDT Prep & Internship
programs.
Matt has certified
over 1,500 PADI Professionals as a PADI Course Director, and a
further 1,500+ PADI student divers.

With 8 years
management experience, Matt has built Crystal Dive Resort into
one of Asia Pacific's premier scuba diving operations. He has
20 Instructor Trainer Specialty ratings as well as being an EFR
Primary, Secondary and Care for Children Instructor Trainer.
Matt
is also the only Koh Tao Course Director to attend the 3 Day PADI
Business of Diving Seminar's, an exclusive PADI Developmental
program aimed at the industry's business leaders.
As Crystal grew
in popularity, Matt employed an Operations Manager and moved into
a new position, concentrating more on the business side, answering
e-mails, devising new marketing strategies as well as new educational
initiatives such as the introduction of the Environmental &
Conservation curriculum and Technical diving at Crystal.
He continues to spearhead the Instructor Development
Programs at the school working alongside fellow PADI Course Directors
Kenji Takahashi & Justin Mayers.
In 2008, after
5 years of hard work both Matt and Crystal began to receive recognition
from within the industry. Invited to the Asia Dive Expo in Singapore
as a guest speaker at the "Business Solutions for the Future"
conference hosted by PADI Asia Pacific Matt was also on hand to
receive the prestigious "Diver Training" award on behalf
of Crystal Dive Resort who became the first, Koh Tao based dive
operation ever to win an award at the PADI Members Awards.

Still to this
day, Crystal Dive IDC Resort is the only Dive Centre in Thailand
to have won this award..!!
Crystal were
also finalists in the "Marine Environmental" award &
the "Instructor Development" award becoming the first
Dive center ever to receive three nominations at one ceremony.
2009 continued
along the same lines as 2008. In January Crystal Dive won the
Project AWARE Worldwide Environmental Achievement Award, presented
annually by Project AWARE, a non-profit environmental & conservation
organization.
Then in May
PADI CEO Dr. Drew Richardson visited Koh Tao for the first time
to present Matt with the 2009 PADI Asia Pacific Members Diver
Retention award.

This award recognizes
a dive centers success and popularity in retaining student divers
due to high levels of training standards & service. Crystal
also received several finalist nominations becoming not just Koh
Tao’s most awarded Dive Center but also Thailand’s.
Matt has also
been recognised at Instructor Development level, receiving the
‘Outstanding Contribution to Instructor Development’
award in 2008 & again in 2010 and in 2011 was awarded the
Platinum Course Director rating for the sixth time in succession.
Matt now belongs
to an elite group worldwide that have received this accolade six
years in succession and is the only ‘6 Time Platinum’
PADI Course Director on Koh Tao, one of only a handful worldwide.
Matt’s
success is well documented and his reputation within the industry
has seen him selected to conduct the first ever PADI IDC’s
in India, East Timor and Oman, with several additional ‘overseas’
IDC’s penciled in for the second half of 2011.
As
Thailand’s longest serving and most successful Dive Centre
Manager, plus being being Koh Tao’s most successful PADI
Course Director, you can be sure to get your PADI scuba diving
career off to a great start by completing the IDC with Matt.
| MATT'S
QUALIFICATIONS |
.PADI Course
Director
.EFR Primary, Secondary and Care for Children Instructor Trainer
.Reef Check Trainer
.Marine Resource Management (MRM)
.BSAC Advanced Instructor |
.
| INSTRUCTOR
TRAINER |
. |
.Enriched
Air Nitrox
.Deep Diver
.Search & Recovery
.Navigation
.Night
.Underwater Videography
.Underwater Photography
.Digital Underwater Photography
.Equipment Specialist
.Wreck Diver
.Multi Level |
.Diver
Propulsion Vehicle
.AWARE Fish ID
.Underwater Naturalist
.Whaleshark Awareness Specialist
.AWARE Sea Turtle Specialist
.Emergency Oxygen Provider
.PADI Oxygen Provider Instructor
.Dive Center Employee Instructor
.Coral Watch Coral Health Chart
.AWARE Shark Conservation Diver |
.
| AWARDS
& DIPLOMAS |
.PADI
Business Academy 2012
.2nd "Outstanding Contribution to Dive Industry"
– Sydney, March 2012
.Conducted FIRST EVER PADI IDC in East Timor – Dili,
July 2010
.1st "Outstanding Contribution to Dive Industry"
– Sydney, June 2010
.Conducted FIRST EVER PADI IDC in India – Andaman Islands
Nov/Dec 2009
.PADI Asia Pacific Diver Retention Award Winner 2009
.PADI Asia Pacific Diver Trainer Award Winner 2008
.Project AWARE Environmental Achievement Award 2008 &
2009 (Worldwide)
.PADI Asia Pacific Marine Environmental Award Finalist 2008,
2009 & 2010
.PADI Asia Pacific Outstanding Business Award Finalist 2009
.PADI Asia Pacific Instructor Development Award Finalist 2008
& 2010
.PADI Platinum Course Director Award 2006, 07, 08, 09, 2010,
2011
.Business of Diving Conference 2005 - Phuket
.Business Solutions & Lifestyle Conference 2008 –
Singapore
.Course Director
Update 2006 - Singapore
.Course Director Update 2007 - Bangkok
.Course Director Update 2008 – Singapore
.Course Director Update 2009 – Bangkok
.Course Director Update 2010 - Phuket
.Course Director Update 2011 - Koh Tao |
click
HERE
to read an open letter from Matt >>
|