Meet Minni Vangsgaard -. became the Balinese Danish former Platinum Course Director who had 8,000 dives around Bali
I am here for seventeen years now. I came on holiday in the first case. I only had two weeks of normal holidays, did a lot of scuba diving, then went to the house and as always on the plane on the way home you speak of your next vacation and I wanted to come back.
In Denmark I had a flower shop and event and I thought it might be difficult to make a living by selling flowers here. When we came out, which was one of the only options that you were allowed to do as a stranger but now it is easier with work permits, but at that time you had to do something no one else could therefore teach English to the diving was a good opening.
When you moved to Bali, how long was it before opening your dive shop?
It took a year to get all the documents and licenses did and we built Crystal Divers from the bottom, which was difficult. Bureaucracy was slightly different then, but we took the time and I'm happy because everything was done from the start. Now, 17 years later, we saw many places collapse so it was well worth it for us to remain successful.
You changed Indonesian nationalities said -. We say about
I'm actually Indonesian. At that time when I changed, you had to be a shareholder for five years or be married to a local, and I adapt in both categories. I had to let go of my Danish citizenship to do - I always go home for the holidays, but I have to ask and pay for a visa
You meet people from all over the! world at your dive shop - where divers are usually these days
We do, and that's the good thing. It is not a specific market -. We have many Europeans, but many Asians are now coming up and we actually get a Chinese instructor next to the team
Is Crystal Divers largest shop diving in Bali?
Well, we are essentially in the top three diving schools here which basically means that we have a rating that nobody else has, we have a CDC (Centre career development) means that we educate instructors and all normal dive certifications courses. We are the one who has been here the longest, which is good! When we got here there was another foreigner running a dive center at the time.
And now there are so many - how do you differentiate between a good operator of diving and not so good
Oh yes, there are around? 300 in Bali. You must not be a PADI to be legal. There are SSI and NAUI centers, but PADI is the majority. There are also some that are not part of an organization that does not make it illegal, so to speak, it simply means that if something goes wrong or you do not feel that you get the right education, there no way you can complain. That's the kind of security you get with organizations.
Are there a lot of diving-related accidents in Bali?
There are many, but you do not hear about them. It is a little difficult because you want people to know about them to avoid getting into these situations, but you also do not want to have a bad reputation in Indonesia, which is easy to obtain. We are very strict on training here and in seventeen years, touch wood, we have not had accidents and have a 100% safety record, which is very important to us. With more and more various and more and more stores open that there is obviously more chance of a fatality, which, when Bali is about three to five per year.
So what would your security council is for a diver?
Stick to certified operators and do not do stupid things. When you become a certified diver, you sign a form that says you have to be responsible for yourself - it just needs to
Where are the best crystal diving spots Divers in Bali [?
Our first places are Nusa Penida and Tulamben. We also use a lot Candidasa, which is for more experienced divers due to conditions such as the current from Lombok Strait. It's not like he's dangerous, dangerous, but you need to know what you do for sure.
So what is your favorite spot in Bali diving?
Mine is Candidasa. There is a good chance to see the fish in the sun, but the reason I like it so much is because it is very unpredictable - there are many beautiful dive sites here in Candidasa but you never know what happens. I 8000 dives around Bali - wait, when you place your first hundred then it goes fast! We use Candidasa as a point of shark because you have a good chance to see sharks there, as turtles, beautiful corals and current. There are also a few places where you will meet hundreds of some fish and this is what I find amazing.
Wow, 8000 dives is awesome! Will you still every dive and fill your logbook?
Oh yes, always. Never stop doing that because I think that's the fun part of it too.
With so many people to discover diving, never worry divers can do damage to the environment?
The two main concerns are safety, particularly because in Bali the number of divers has increased. In high season, I am three weeks pre-booked at the front and I have ten instructors. Then all schools midrange is complete and opens the market to standing on the corner with two sets of equipment and say, "I'll teach you diving"
Coral-wise and. things, compared to many other places we are very fortunate to Bali because most people respect and understanding in general is really good. I would say this is not really the diving community that the danger in the ocean, it is the building, illegal fishing, etc. Less than 1% of the damage caused by divers from around the world.
last Friday, we had the World ocean Day and we had 200 children on the beach collection garbage and a big party in the evening where we raised money and amassed $ 10.127 for the Aware project and it's a world record! It is important to start with the children because they are the future.
Congratulations! So what is the youngest age to start diving?
At the age of eight, you can start diving, but you can not make water open for ten years. The theory may be more difficult for young children, but the dive itself is much easier because the children are not afraid, they just do it.
What is your title Platinum Course Director mean?
A Platinum Course Director is someone who teaches instructors to become instructors, which is the highest level you can get. Worldwide we put into the platinum group, gold and silver, platinum being the highest. There are 54 Platinum directors in the world and five are women - I am one in five
What means Platinum
This means that we train more than 100 instructors annually us. Sometimes I still teach discover diving, open water, advanced courses or rescue to keep in touch, but my major is education instructors. I have 11 Instructor course of a year, each taking 28 days so you can do the math and see that there are not enough days! In this course, they learn to make presentations, how to teach and how to give a psychologically correct student feedback. The instructor course is more about yourself developing as a teacher.
So, people are in good hands with you then!
Yes, they should be. I have not lost anyone! I was bitten by a trigger fish, once which was a pain, but it is the most frightening experience I know. But on a 8,000 dives are not bad odds!
Thank Minni! For more information about diving around Bali, contact minni@crystal-divers.com