Meet the Team - Kris Knowles
Name
Kris Knowles
Age
52
Dive Qualification
SDI Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor
What year did you start diving?
1997
What made you take up diving?
A friend of mine moved to Australia and took up diving, he suggested I certify in the UK and go and visit him. In the end I certified but never got to visit. So I learnt in the UK, but didn’t have any buddies, so built up experience doing speciality courses. I progressed to Master Scuba diver with PADI, and started a PADI Dive Master course but then I moved to live in South America. The school local to where I lived there, was affiliated to SSI, and then to work with SDI and became the regional office for all of Latin America. I completed my SDI Dive Master with them, and then progressed onto SDI Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor before returning to the UK, meaning I am able to deliver classes in both Spanish and English.
What is your favourite bit of dive kit and why?
When I learnt Cave Diving, I started to use side mount cylinders and I really liked it. I think side mount diving is much safer because you have multiple areas of redundancy and therefore the risks are mitigated in many aspects.
What is your favourite place to dive in the UK?
I haven’t done very much recreational diving in the UK since returning from living overseas. I did my Intro to Cave Dive training in South Wales in a Silica Mine and I really enjoyed that.
What's the best place to dive outside the UK?
I have been very fortunate with diving in mainland Spain, Mallorca, Egypt, Jamaica, Iceland and the coast of the Yucutan Peninsula in Mexico, but my favourite place ever was diving in the Cenotes of Mexico. I definitely caught the Cave Diving bug and from that first experience certified in Cavern (PADI + PSAI), and then went onto level Intro to Cave Diving with PSAI.
What's your favourite critter?
I did a swim with Dolphins, and I fed a shark from a cage in an aquarium, I have seen octopus, lion fish, turtles. But I would really like to see a Whale Shark in the wild. I did see whales in Iceland but didn’t get to swim with them.
What's the best thing about working with Dream Divers?
The people are what make Dream Divers a pleasure to work with. Such a great group of friendly people, from a variety of backgrounds, experience and interests. We all share a love for diving and are excited to share the experience with students. We have such fun, and that fun is contagious!