Opportunity Comes Knocking Underwater at Sandals Resorts

Divers know the call of the blue—and that the path to a brighter day can often be found underwater. What you may not know when you visit a Sandals Resort in St. Lucia to dive is that you’re supporting locals who work in the dive industry as ambassadors of their island—and encouraging others to set out along a similar path.

In St. Lucia, thanks to the PADI Instructor Development Course offered by PADI and Sandals Resorts to a select group of residents from the island and its Caribbean neighbors, the path to a brighter future begins underwater.

Windell John, water sports operations manager for the resort, who helps train new instructors during the annual course, knows firsthand how a career in diving can lead to bigger and better opportunities.

A former catamaran captain, John was unaware of the vast underwater beauty surrounding St. Lucia before he learned to dive—and also unaware of how it could propel him to better career opportunities. Today, John and his team are the ones opening those doors to young St. Lucians and citizens of neighboring Caribbean islands who take part in the resort’s program.

There are three Sandals Resorts for visitors to enjoy on the island—Sandals Halcyon Beach, Sandals Regency La Toc and Sandals Grande St. Lucian. When you take advantage of the resorts’ all-inclusive diving for certified divers, accompanied by a local Caribbean dive guide or instructor at legendary sites like Trou Diable (the Devil’s Hole) and Keyhole Pinnacle (home to some of the healthiest coral in the Caribbean), you’ll be helping to encourage the next generation of dive instructors.

The process to becoming a dive instructor is a long one, and only the most dedicated candidates make it through, John says.

“We start by sponsoring people who work with us here at the resort. They might be working in the water sports department or as a lifeguard at the pools. We provide them with all the materials to get certified to dive—they don’t have to pay anything,” he explains.

From there, the newly certified PADI Divemasters are encouraged to get out and dive in St. Lucia’s beautiful waters to gain hands-on experience with the logistics of being a dive professional, he says.

Once a year, the most promising prospects—men and women with good character who are respected members of the community—are singled out for the resort’s Instructor Development Course to take their potential career in diving to the next level. The program focuses on residents who are less fortunate financially, John says, with all aspects of training

covered by the resort. Participants are responsible only for paying their certification fees.

Scheduled this year for Oct. 12-22, with four participants from the nearby island of Grenada and the rest from St. Lucia, the program is an intensive course where participants learn everything it takes to become the best dive instructor possible.

The experience has a profound effect on participants, John says. Before taking the course, most aren’t even aware of the job opportunities that becoming a PADI professional can bring.

After the completion of a recent course he taught, four of the newly certified instructors accepted job opportunities at Sandals properties in Curaçao and Turks and Caicos. “That’s job placement. We have so much opportunity for them, we put them in jobs right away,” John says.

Becoming employed in the dive industry not only offers better income opportunities, it helps participants develop as professionals in every aspect of their lives.

Over the years, countless personal stories have touched John’s heart. Most recently it was the success of a young man from St. Lucia who didn’t even know how to swim before his mother found out about the program and got him involved. He became a dive instructor and was recently promoted at the resort, where he continues to climb through the ranks, John says.

“We change people’s lives. It’s a big opportunity for them. And they really appreciate it.”

Learn More About Sandals Resorts in St. Lucia