Help to keep a memory alive.....

Sam GoPro sponsorship is made in loving memory of Sam Puffett with the aim of supporting individuals in less affluent countries in pursuit of a career in diving that despite their love for scuba diving don’t have the necessary financial standing.

Sam Puffett was always independently minded and when he was 18, decided not to pursue full time education but left the UK to follow his dream to become a Diving Instructor. Sam had been to Sharm El Sheik, Egypt on a number of occasions for a vacation with his family, and it was here that he enrolled on, firstly the Dive Master course and then the full IDC which he successfully completed in a relatively short space of time. Sam made his name at a number of diving schools, with his happy and “can do” attitude. When a Russian airline was bombed leaving Sharm El Sheik it caused a massive down turn in the diving industry and Sam was forced to return to the UK. Having rebuilt his funds doing several jobs in the UK, Sam moved to Cyprus where he worked in a water sports centre and became proficient in a number of other water related skills and was a key member of the team there.

Unfortunately Sam died soon after his 22nd Birthday in a non-diving related accident. He is sadly missed.

Sam GoPro is working with ScubaCaribe to identify divers who are native to the country they are working in and have a passion for being underwater just as Sam did. So far three Dive Masters have been supported to become instructors, one in Jamaica and one in Costa Rica and one in the Maldives and two rescue divers to become dive masters, one from the Maldives and one in Costa Rica. The support give has two knock on effects, one is to open up vacancies that can then be filled by other locals. The second is that it highlights to other locals that it is possible to become professional divers regardless of their background. Costa Rica water-sports management saw a 50% increase in locals seeking to take the first step on the diving profession ladder.

ScubaCaribe is one of the leading PADI Five Star Dive Centers and water sports operations that was established in 1991 and operates in 17 countries around the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Asia.

Regards

Chris