Mark Filipiak

The first time actually going out into the ocean, the biggest fear for everyone tends to be sharks. And I have to say it’s probably the biggest misconception ever. I could show you dozens and dozens of videos I have of going out and diving where I’m right around sharks, especially ones like bull sharks that most people would be very scared of because there’s the big misconception they’re aggressive. But generally, they’re a lot more afraid of us than we are of them. So, it’s a big deal trying to get students comfortable being in that environment for the first time. A lot of students already tend to have some kind of open-minded conception about the ocean, and so it’s not like it’s a huge deal trying to teach them that. But unfortunately, because they watch shows like Shark Week and movies like Jaws, there’s always that thought in the back of their head where they go, “Oh! Are we going to see a great white?” And then it gets into the teaching side of it, where I’m like, “Actually, they won’t come within 40 or 50 miles of shore here.” And even with me spending 30 or 40 hours a week in the water out in the ocean, I have never once encountered something as large as a great white. So, that’s really the big thing, just that fear of the open water that a lot of people initially have. Learning the skills, most people tend to catch on a lot quicker than you’d think. It’s very structured how you learn. And that’s different compared to how it was back in the ’60s and ’70s, where the learning was much more on the instructor. Now, there are very well-established agencies that train divers, and they have a great curriculum already worked out. So, it’s not like this is a guess-and-check process of how you’re going to turn out. A good instructor kind of guides you through the training that has already been dictated and lined out, and we just make sure you’re staying on track with everything and help you understand it better.