About: Dive Shop Owner Bobbie Jo

My name is Bobbie Jo. I’m originally from Midland, Texas, but moved to Costa Rica from Colorado in 1998 with my family to begin our adventures of owning and operating a dive shop in a tropical paradise.  Although I have been certified since 1995, I was really scared of diving when I first arrived. With the patience of our divemasters, I quickly overcame my fear and discovered my passion for diving.  Today I am a PADI Instructor and have had the joy of working with and diving with some of the coolest people from all over the world.

During those early years as a shop owner, taking care of business was a challenge: There was the super slow Internet, long waits at the bank, not to mention the fact that I could not speak Spanish. Hardly anything was paid by check and you never received a paper bill for things like utilities. You just had to remember when something was due, drive to the bank and hope you had enough money to cover it because you never knew how much the bill would be until you got there. Things are much easier now with high speed Internet and paying bills online. I spend less time doing administrative things, leaving me more time to be in the water.

I love being an instructor. Teaching someone for the first time is the most rewarding experience I have ever had.  Some students are a little scared at the beginning.  Sometimes they hold your hand so tight that it hurts. But when they start seeing all the marine life, you can feel them relax, and suddenly, they are having the time of their life — discovering their own passion for diving.

It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. I love it! What suit should I wear today?