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tales of a serial expat

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Dive Instructor

The Snorkeling Trip That Changed My Life

June 16, 2015 by Rika 6 Comments

Kind of a bold title, isn't it?It's 100% true.That blurry photo is me. It's me during the second time I ever snorkeled in my life. (The first being a very sketchy set up off a catamaran in Cuba in 2005. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised I made it out alive.) I know it's hard to see, but my face is full of joy. I am at home in the ocean!I even know what day this was - February 5, 2012. I was on my very first trip to Roatan with my friend Steph, and it was our second day on the ...

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Filed Under: Dive Instructor, Dive Photos, Figuring It Out, Friends, Happiness, Life, Roatan Tagged With: Dive Vacations, Diving, Just Do It, Lady Luck, Milestone, Musings, Sunny Days

Two Years as a Scuba Diving Instructor in Paradise

October 19, 2014 by Rika 21 Comments

You guys. I've been a dive instructor for two years today. TWO YEARS. What the hell!? Where has all this time gone? I feel like I was just writing about how I wasn't sure I'd even get my other courses done in time to do my instructor course. And now I've been teaching people how to dive for two effin years already!the first day of my instructor course in october 2012... so happy that i am still in touch with all my fellow candidates!I have written a few posts about being a ...

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Filed Under: Dive Instructor, Expat Living, Happiness, Honduras, Life, Living Abroad, Roatan Tagged With: Diving, Fun Times, Just Do It, Milestone, Musings, PADI

How to Become a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor

July 18, 2014 by Rika 19 Comments

People ask me all the time how I became a dive instructor! I can say that it is not an easy (or cheap) process, but if you have a passion for diving and have the right personality to teach, it's an amazing way to do what you love - and if you want, live in some pretty interesting and exotic places.Since I can only speak for my own experience, this post is focused on how to become a PADI dive instructor. There are many training agencies around the world for basic certification all the way up to ...

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Filed Under: Dive Instructor, Getting Ready, Island Living, Life, Living Abroad, Moving, Real Talk, Roatan Tagged With: Diving, Finances, Fun Times, Musings, Things to Know Before You Go

Lost and Found: Back in the Water

June 25, 2014 by Rika 26 Comments

It was one little detail that I somehow managed to forget about over the last year: I moved here to be a dive instructor. I didn't move here to run a dive shop, or to make websites, or to update Facebook pages. I worked myself almost to the bone in Canada with two full time jobs to save enough money to become a dive instructor - to live on Roatan (and other beautiful warm water locations), teach people how to dive, and take certified divers out diving.it was a lovely office, but ...

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Filed Under: Dive Instructor, Figuring It Out, Life, Real Talk, Roatan Tagged With: Diving

5 Myths About Life as a Dive Instructor in Paradise

March 3, 2014 by Rika 12 Comments

5 Myths about the Life of a Scuba Instructor in Paradisetough day at the office, on a surface intervalWe’ve all seen them on our dive holidays, resort websites and brochures, and movies – tanned and grinning dive instructors living in incredible vacation destinations and getting to dive for a living. What could be better?As a (sort of) tanned and (usually) grinning dive instructor who really does live in an incredible Caribbean vacation destination and gets to dive for a ...

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Filed Under: Awesome, Dive Instructor, Life, Roatan Tagged With: Diving, Funny, Sunny Days

Budget Breakdown: Goodbye Jungle!

January 17, 2014 by Rika 18 Comments

So I've posted a few things about finances here before. There is my most popular post of all time on Cubicle Throwdown, Tipping Guidelines for Diving on Roatan (or Anywhere) that had quite a bit of money info in it, as well as a detailed Dive Instructor Salary on Roatan post that generated lots of love but also some threats from jerks who wanted to hate on "gringos stealing all the jobs here" (again, to those people: first, read my small disclaimer post, then, get your ...

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Filed Under: Bay Islands, Dive Instructor, Figuring It Out, Life, Money, Roatan Tagged With: Cost of Living, Finances

Why I Tell You to Get the F#*&! Off the Coral

December 9, 2013 by Rika 24 Comments

Yep. I really do tell people to get the fuck off the coral. (Great news is I'm underwater, so they can't hear my foul language, but the hand signals I give them seem to suffice.)Even after numerous briefings about the Roatan Marine Park from the shop assistant and dive lead, people seem to not be getting the message. I'm not sure where this mindset of "it's okay to manhandle or feed creatures, take shells or anything else I find, or be shitty diver and smash the coral to ...

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Filed Under: Dive Instructor, Dive Photos, Life, Roatan Tagged With: Diving

Interviewed by PADI, Clearly Internet-Famous Now.

November 8, 2013 by Rika 19 Comments

It's been pretty hard keeping this one under wraps. I am bad at keeping secrets! So here it is:I'm super excited to share with you all my interview with PADI....  Cubicle Throwdown - Changing Office Life for Whale Sharks!!Check it out and let me know what you think.I have to thank Carmel for having friends in high places (aka PADI media specialists) who approached me to do this interview. For those that don't know, PADI is the scuba diving ...

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Filed Under: Dive Instructor, Expat Living, Life, Living Abroad Tagged With: Diving, Fun Times, Guest Interview, Just Do It, Milestone, News, PADI

Things your scuba diving instructor will never tell you….

October 24, 2013 by Rika 35 Comments

Things Scuba Instructor Wont Tell You

If you've ever been scuba diving, you know your instructor is a pretty important person. You know, the one who makes sure you don't die and teaches you how to dive? Yeah, that one.I've just celebrated my one year anniversary of becoming a dive instructor and have now certified over 50 students and received my Master Scuba Diver Instructor rating, which I'm incredibly proud of.There's a few things I've learned. Actually, that's not true. There's a TON I learned. About diving itself, about ...

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Filed Under: Dive Instructor, Life, Real Talk Tagged With: Diving, Funny

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i’m rika!

hiya! i'm a canadian paralegal-turned-scuba diving instructor-turned EFL teacher-turned digital nomad. i left my cubicle in 2012 and haven't looked back since. i'm a serial expat, but right now i'm back in canada on hiatus for a while. welcome to the place where i say things.

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