In this series of blog posts, we introduce you to our PADI instructors. This week, our resident diving supervisor Fendy Galeang (30) shares some stories with us…

How did you start at Thalassa?
I was one of the first students who graduated from the school in Tongkeina, where I learned a lot from Ibu Simone in terms of diving, environmental protection and the diving industry.

Some time after, Simone offered me a job in 2012 as a guide and in 2013 I successfully completed the PADI Instructor Development Course.

Why do you like diving?
It’s just so much fun to be in the water, and it’s a challenge. For example: I used to be terrified of sharks, but after forcing myself to learn about and a better understanding of the natural world, sharks are no longer the monsters I thought they were.

As diving supervisor, what’s your main responsibility?
Besides guiding and teaching, I keep the diving team functioning as a single unit. I also speak for my team on the boat in case our guests have questions or need a “face” to talk to.

Why did you become an instructor?
Simone basically told me: “You’re going to be an instructor” and that’s that! I’m very happy I made that decision because nowadays I enjoy teaching people something they didn’t know before.

Which course do you like to teach most?
The Open Water Diver course, it’s great to see inexperienced divers be excited about their newfound hobby. Besides this I like to teach the Photography Specialty course, and I have worked with photographers such as Wahrmut Sobainsky, Paul Vingerhoets and Volker Lonz.

Why is Thalassa a great place to learn diving?
We focus not just on the fun but on safety and responsibility for the environment.

What is your ambition for the future?
I want to keep diving as my career for as long as I’m still breathing air or until I grow gills.

How many dives you have logged?
I stopped counting after 100, but I guess 3000 by now…

Tell us a good story…
One day I was teaching a Rescue Diver course to a guest, and the training scenario involved taking a an unconscious diver from the water to the shore. My friend Evan was the “victim”, so after getting him on dry land he was just lying there, acting unconscious, eyes closed.

I told my student to perform rescue breathing on his victim, and so he did, right on the mouth. I have never seen a victim jump back to life so fast! (laughs)

What do you like about Thalassa most?
We’re a great team, and a lot more than friends I would say — more like a family. The place is like my second home, both for my team as well as our returning divers!

Photography: Wahrmut Sobainsky

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