We are delighted to welcome our new PADI Course Director as the leader of Pro Dive International’s Career Development Center, Instructor Development Center, GoPro & TecRec Academy, as well as the Quality Department.
His name is Walter, Walter G. Schmit.
Over 20 years of pro diving experience
The passion for diving has led Walter’s life since 2001, when he became a diver in his native land of Puerto Madryn, Patagonia, Argentina.
Walter started his pro career in Spain and the Canary Islands, where he got his first taste of technical diving and rebreather diving. Wanting to live the dream life that diving instructors can supposedly have, he explored the world as a PADI MSDT, gaining experience in the Caribbean, Dominican Republic and Honduras on the island of Roatan, moving after to Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, the Philippines, Greece and most recently India over the last 12 years, certifying divers in recreational and technical diving and achieving the PADI Gold Course Director rating for 4 consecutive years.
Walter staffed some of the most talented Course Directors to become himself one in 2019. He trained in technical diving with record-holding divers and attained his Tec Instructor Trainer rating, and continued learning with a mCCR rebreather and mCCR Trimix course this year. His passion for learning about diving equals his love of sharing his knowledge.
Mexico is one of the top diving destinations in the world for diving, and according to Walter one of the best training locations. He is thrilled to be joining the team at Pro Dive and bringing his knowledge of teaching and diving to the company’s award winning PADI CDC.
With close to 10,000 dives, over 2,000 students spread over all continents, Walter has worked in the Maldives, on liveaboards in Thailand, in Lombok’s Gili islands, with the Thresher Sharks of the Philippines’ Malapascua, and will be sure to share anecdotes of his experiences if you are curious and ask him.
His friendly smile and joyful personality will make you feel right at ease, to relax, enjoy, and learn about diving. Now is the time for him to teach about Pro Dive’s diving, and he will offer professional diving courses like DMC, assistant instructor, OWSI, staff instructor, and a wide range of specialties, technical diving and technical instructors options.
Walter’s Philosophy
“Make it real”, says Walter with a big, determined smile on his face. “I teach instructors to be ready for real life situations, using my comprehensive experience as an active dive instructor for over fifteen years to train my candidates and prepare them for their own students. Having worked on four different continents and in different oceans, exposed to the most diverse scenarios, means that my mind is full of examples that wait to be shared with my students. I believe that sharing those stories will help my candidates understand what can happen and prepare them for their own future students and how to use the standards.”
Walter offers packages and instructor development within Pro Dive’s GoPro IDC Mexico, and teaches in English and Spanish, and French and German assisted by his wife Dorianne. He’s looking forward to sharing his passion, experience and knowledge with you, and to turning you into a world-class Divemaster or Instructor.
