About Big Blue
Introduction
As a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center, BIG BLUE Diving is Shanghai's Premiere Dive Facility providing Diving training, Adventure tours, Retail dive Equipment and team-building services. Every Big Blue Instructor is fully accredited with either PADI and NAUI trained in Both Primary (CPR) and Secondary Care (First Aid) and members of China Underwater Association (CUA) we Promote Standard Safe Diving Practices, Environmental Awareness and Divers Alert Network (DAN).
Safety, Education and Fun is our goal with the foundation of our business built on Passion, Customer Service and Hard work. We are working hard to promote and publicize recreational Scuba Diving in China and help to cultivate this new and under-developed industry with our Experience and commitment to our goals. We offer private courses on request and also Courses in Homes/Offices and Schools for Groups. Big Blue promotes dive locations through travel and events to divers who want to experience dive sites around the world! We handle logistics and communication on request. There is nothing more fun than exploring the underwater world with everyone speaking the same language - SCUBA.
Big Blue has trained more than one thousand students in mainland China sharing our Passion, eye for Safety and Quality Education that will only improve. Big Blue has over 3000 members from all over the world, we offer up to date information via our newsletters and website. We have three language editions for BIG BLUE website, Chinese, Japanese and English. BIG BLUE distributes 2 email newsletters a month which covers updates, travel and courses with new members added daily.
Facilities
Show Room
Big Classroom
Small Classroom
Mini Library
Training Equipment
Service Station
Swimming Pool
Big Blue Instructors
Leigh Chen
Language: Chinese, English and some Japanese
Leigh Chen was in the Shanghai Swimming Team and won many swimming championships in China during the 1990's. He has been an avid diver since 1995, and obtained his CMAS 1 Star Instructor Rating in the same year. In 1996 he received his CMAS 2 Stars Instructor Rating and began teaching SCUBA diving. He is from the first generation of diving instructors in China.
During the last 18 years of diving and teaching he has worked hard and has honed his skills to become one of the most experienced and one of the best SCUBA Instructors in Asia. In 2007 he earned his qualifications as a NAUI Instructor. In recent years he joined the PADI Professional ranks and is now PADI Course Director – the highest qualification level possible in the PADI system. He now advises on content and structure of the various PADI training courses.
Leigh enjoys taking his students diving in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and China and he is very familiar with many exciting dive sites in these countries. He loves to take underwater photos and videos, and loves to share his extensive knowledge and experience with other divers.
- PADI Silver Course Director (CD-255357)
- PADI Speciality Instructor in 18 Areas
- EFR Instructor Trainer
- EFR Care For Children Instructor Trainer
- DSAT Gas Blender Instrutor Trainer
- Scubapro Authorised Technician
- TDI Sidemount Intructor
Candice Liu
Language: Chinese and English
On her first dive in the Maldives, she experienced the thrill of a close encounter with a shark, and with each successive dive, she found herself ever more drawn to this amazing world, which is only explored by a mere 3% of humans.
Since then, she has been diving in many wonderful places around the world: the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, and Palau to name just a few.
And this passion for diving has seen her advance now to the professional ranks. In 2011, she completed her PADI IDC and became an instructor. She isn't the first female instructor, but she would like to be the best one.
She strongly believes that a diving course is not just about getting a certification. Rather, she says each course is a wonderful experience that helps open the door to a new and sublime world.
She would love to be a guide for you and show you how beautiful this underwater world is. With her professional teaching skills, sweet smile and ample patience, you can rest assured that you are in great hands!
- PADI Master Instructor (MI-288389)
- PADI Speciality Instructor in 16 Areas
- EFR Primary and Secondary Care Instructor
Thomas Warren
Language: English
Tom learned to dive in the Mediterranean when he was 15 years old, since then he has been diving on holidays and days off from work across the globe. He adores wreck diving as he sees them as living museums and find the history of wrecks fascinating.
Tom then decided he wanted to make a career out of diving and have been teaching and running dive centers for the last few years. Teaching people and introducing them to the underwater world gives him such a thrill.
Tec diving is the other passion in his life enabling him to spend more time exploring the amazing shipwrecks we have on our planet. He has recently become a PADI Tec deep instructor.
Tom is a PADI Master instructor and a technical deep instructor. He can teach 16 specialities and is an EFR instructor. He also gas blends and is a BSAC diver coxn.
- PADI Master Instructor (MI-297674)
- PADI Speciality Instructor in 16 Areas
- EFR Instructor Trainer
- EFR Care For Children Instructor Trainer
- PADI TecRec Deep Instructor
Mark Stephens
Language: English
Mark grew up in Australia and always enjoyed snorkelling and swimming at the Gold Coast and on the Great Barrier Reef during sailing trips with friends.
He first experienced diving in the Red Sea Egypt, and quickly became “hooked” on exploring the underwater world. Since moving to China in 2010 he has taken part in many diving trips throughout Asia and has been fortunate enough to swim with whale sharks in the Philippines, and with Manta rays in Palau and the Maldives.
His enthusiasm for diving has involved Mark in helping out during various Big Blue trips to Anilao in the Philippines and at Qian Dao Lake, and he has naturally progressed through the PADI training levels to become an Open Water Instructor. He enjoys helping other divers and showing them exciting new dive sites and adventures underwater.
Mark's favourite scuba experiences are strong current Drift Dives, and Wreck Dives and he enjoys underwater photography and exploring new dive locations. He is looking forward to finding and photographing the elusive Mola Mola (Sun Fish) in the near future. He is also an active member of Project AWARE, and promotes Coastline Clean-Ups and the protection of Rays and Sharks.
Mark is a patient instructor and enjoys teaching skills and techniques to new divers.
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI-343041)
- PADI Speciality Instructor
- EFR Primary and Secondary Care Instructor
- EFR Care For Children Instructor
Adam Rose
Language: English
Adam first got certified at age 15 in Chicago, IL. He enjoyed being in and on the water so much that he decided he wanted to make a career out of it, so, in 2007 Adam became an Open Water Scuba Instructor. He immediately started working in Hawaii where he also became a United States Coast Guard certified boat captain. Adam worked in Hawaii until he moved to Shanghai in 2014. The thrill of what you might see on any given dive and the excitement of first time divers is what keeps him diving.
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI-233968)
- PADI Speciality Instructor
- EFR Primary and Secondary Care Instructor
- EFR Care For Children Instructor
- Boat Captian
Harry Masefield
Language: English and some Chinese
Harry started diving on a family holiday in the Red Sea over ten years ago and was instantly hooked. Since then he's dived in Costa Rica, Grand Turk, Indonesia, Honduras, the UK, Malta, the Maldives, and Malaysia.
With an academic background in Biology, he decided to turn his passion for the underwater world into a career and took his IDC at the start of 2010 in Utila. Since then he's worked as an instuctor and marine biologist all over the world. His favourite course to teach is the Open Water, seeing students transformed as they overcome the challenges of taking the plunge for the first time and the sense of achievement they experience reminds him why he became an instructor.
Harry loves being in the water, escaping from the noise of life on land, and he's always excited about the chance of seeing something new, from big pelagics on drift dives, to tiny cryptic creatures on slow, peaceful muck dives. It's impossible to pick one defining moment underwater: 50 bottlenose dolphins swimming alongside a whale shark, or manta rays in their dozens forming feeding chains and visiting cleaner stations in the Maldives; flamboyant cuttlefish versus peacock mantis shrimp in Mabul; seeing countless camoflaged critters for the first time on a night dive in Tioman - don't ask him about his top 5 dives or his nudibranch photos unless you have a few hours to spare.
- PADI IDC Staff Instructor (IDCS-649475)
- PADI Speciality Instructor
- EFR Primary and Secondary Care Instructor
- EFR Care For Children Instructor
Joel Klammer
American
Joel grew up in the Great Lakes region of the USA and has been diving since he was 18 years old. He obtained his NAUI Divemaster and Assistant Instructor certifications at age 23 while living in Chicago, taking students diving in the cold and murky rock quarries of Wisconsin.
From there he moved to Hong Kong for the next 12 years where he obtained his PADI Assistant Instructor and NAUI Instructor certification. He's enjoyed taking groups of students to the Philippines, Thailand, and now China, for the past 15 years.
He's worked as a commercial diver, collects antique diving helmets, and enjoys technical diving and studying the physiological effects of diving.
In 2007, he obtained his PADI Open Water SCUBA Instructor, EFR Instructor and Speciality Instructor.
- NAUI Instructor (#46749)
- PADI IDC Staff Instructor (IDCS-465407)
- PADI Speciality Instructor
- EFR Primary and Secondary Care Instructor
- EFR Care For Children Instructor
- DAN O2 Provider Instructor
Eric Davis
American
Eric has been a scuba diver for almost twenty years. He has logged thousands of dives at sites in N. America, S. America, Asia and Europe. Diving is one of his great pleasures in life. He is often quoted as saying, "All it takes to brighten any bad day is a dive."
In addition to recreational diving, Eric also enjoys technical diving. He has been a cave diver for years and has extensively explored the cave systems of Mayan Mexico and Florida.
Eric has been a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor for more than ten years. His focus as an instructor is on safety and comprehensively teaching his students all they need to know to flourish as divers. He welcomes all to come and experience the wonderful world of diving.
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI-156988)
- PADI Speciality Instructor
- EFR Primary and Secondary Care Instructor
- EFR Care For Children Instructor
Oki Alexander
Dutch
Oki Alexander never liked swimming, but this minor setback didn't stop him from loving water. Whenever friends where swimming up and down the pool he could be found on the bottom with a pair of goggles.
It wasn't until 98 that he learned how to dive in Thailand though (as water The Netherlands is really too cold with too little to see) but ever since, the ocean has been calling. As Oki was born lazy, diving was the perfect sport for him: the less you do, the better you are.
A PADI diving instructor only since 2012, but with a long history of teaching various physical and less physical activities (from sailing and kung fu to applied mechanical physics and MS Windows for elderly people) the transition to teaching status came natural. Oki loves sharing his knowledge and skills and doesn't pass up an opportunity to sharpen his own.
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI-303297)
- PADI Speciality Instructor
- EFR Primary and Secondary Care Instructor
- EFR Care For Children Instructor
Authorization ( Click for large image )
PADI 5 Star IDC
PADI Outstanding Service
China Underwater Association
SCUBAPRO Authorized Dealer
