Dive operator takes on first ever local divemaster
Lej Batiste
(CNS): After thirty years of teaching over a hundred young locals to dive, Red Sail Sports has finally seen one young Caymanian go all the way through to become a divemaster. Lej Batiste (18) is the first Caymanian to complete his divemaster certification through the company’s dive programme since it started in Grand Cayman three decades ago. Red Sail Operations Manager Rod McDowall said he was “very proud of what young Lej has achieved in a short period of time” and hoping that Batiste may be able to tempt other young Caymanians into a career in dive tourism.
The need to attract local workers into the tourism sector has been a major talking point during the current election campaign and the idea that there are nowhere near enough local people on the front-line of our tourism product has been a growing concern over the last decade.
But McDowall told CNS that it was not for a want of trying to persuade young Caymanians that the industry holds many possibilities. Batiste has a “very bright future”, the Red Sail boss said, and he hopes he will be a good example for others. “We have already taken him to one of the high school career days to speak and let students know what he has and is doing. That was well received so we hope to use him to mentor more going forward.”
Lej Batiste
The fact that it has taken the company thirty years to get a young local through the programme raises a lot of questions but McDowall said Red Sail has persistently tried.
“We have literally certified over a hundred local youngsters over the years through school programs and such,” he said but he has been disappointed that so few have wanted to go any further and become divemasters and instructors, given that Cayman is “one of the best scuba locations on the planet”. He said that in the early days of the industry, many of the underwater staff and business owners were Caymanians but as the islands developed and the economy grew, diving slipped off the radar.
“There are many Caymanians that have made diving and the marine environment their careers, as can be seen at the DoE, but for some reason it did not flourish in the dive industry,” McDowall said, admitting that competing with well paid careers in the air-conditioning and working nine to five can be hard if people don’t have a passion for diving.
“Many of those we have certified see it more as a sport or hobby, and have pursued careers in other fields,” he said. “Diving is one of those careers that a love and passion for what you do is vital. It is hot and hard work when you are not underwater guiding or teaching guests. Entry level wages are nothing to write home about, but they certainly improve with tenure and growth of skills, be it in boatmanship or management.”
McDowall said the firm has attracted young Caymanians in other areas of the business, with locals working on the catamarans and the beach, and they will continue trying to attract young divers by working with the schools, CIFEC and the School of Hospitality Studies. The company will soon be releasing details of two in-house, full-time working scholarships in the dive and watersports field to see if that gets some attention.
But he said Cayman remains one of the few nations that has an oversupply of positions available in this sector. While many people are coming from other countries with all sorts of career experiences and other qualifications that just want to work in the dive field, McDowall said it has proved a “struggle to find the new generation of ‘career divers’ from our own shores”.
This is what makes Batiste a rare but important ambassador for the industry. He joined Red Sail Sports as an intern from CIFEC and after his first dive less than two years ago was hooked. He worked with Red Sail Sports two days a week, unpaid, around his school schedule and sometimes at weekends. When his work placement ended, he asked for a job.
Given a summer temp spot he earned a full-time offer and continued his dive training until he qualified. Planing to return to college in September to study marine conservation, Batiste will be continuing in the dive job and he is encouraging others to take a look at the sector .
He told Cayman Bottom Times that 71% of the world is underwater but 99% of people never get to see it. “I would like other Caymanians, my age and younger, to learn about their marine heritage and protect it for the future,” he said as he urged his peers to give diving a try.
Category: Education, Jobs, Local News
Which Dive company can you go and work with after High School and get my Dive Instructor certification? How much money will I receive after I receive my Dive Instructor license? I am Caymanian an am interested in the career.
Contact Red Sail Sports Human Resources on 623-5965. We can go from there.
Rod McDowall
And these comments are exactly why we are in such trouble. An 18 yes eighteen! Year old lad has decided to further himself yet so many people ere quick to judge. Please stop the drinking kool aid
Congrats Leg and kuddos to Rod and Red Sail Sports ! I worked with Rod and RSS 30 years ago and they were 1st class and FUN .???
I started out with Redsail sports when I was 16. Now 26 years later I am running my own tour company with a boat that I purchased from them. Obviously it won’t work out that way for everyone, but the opportunities are there.
Absolutely amazing the negative comments on this article, many of which clearly show that they have not read the article properly , as someone whom worked for Red Sail in the early 90’s there were many Caymanian’s in the industry whom have gone on to all walks of lives/jobs since then, many doing very well for themselves, its strange how people keep complain about the money this young man would make if he decided to go that route, an 18 year old without a degree earning 30k a year is not a bad starting wage,how much do you think bank tellers make? junior police officers?.
He will learn many skills in this field ,boat handling, first aid, people skills, discipline,awareness of the envoiroment all of which he can use going forward, whether he chooses to stay in the dive industry or another field.
Well Done Lej, if your reading these comments don’t let them get to you, there are many suscessful Caymanian divers in our history , in fact they started the dive industry.
I have a friend ( on another island) who started out in the diving field when young, loved it. As he got older, he got his captains license, went for training and now works for marine patrol ( I hope that is the correct name) & makes a very good salary! This could just be a stepping stone to a bright future for this young man. Plus, currently he is working, making $$, staying out of trouble and meeting people from all over the world. Congratulations to him!
I agree with this statement, and congratulations to the young man, but a story like this says there is something serious wrong in Caymans job market! No matter what side of the coin, we fall on there is something abnormally wrong and no looks good because of this evil that lives in the minds of so many. 30 years it took to find one person! We have a dark future,our minds and ears are closed. I am truly concerned for the future of this small place.
I don’t think anyone is knocking the young mans achievements. People are knocking how poorly dive masters in general are paid!
This is wonderful! #positivenews
Hey, just a suggestion. His salary/career at the end of the day is his business. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing or wants to do. Can’t people just congratulate him and move on? Well done Lej, coming from someone who went to school with you for many years.
Congrats to this young man! Hopefully he is paid the same wages as others in his field 🙂
For his sake I hope he is paid more!
Wow. The comments are insane. Everyone is blaming and judging. How about thinking about the hard work and dedication it took for Lej to complete his Divemaster.
Maybe it’s not the highest paying job however start comparing it to other jobs advertised in the paper and you will be surprised how difficult it is to find a job paying over $30k in Cayman. (Even with advanced education).
Being a divemaster can be very rewarding it allows you to travel around the world. You learn about the environment and the underwater world. Not to mention the work ethic you must have to do this job. No one knows if this will be Lej life long career or if he just has a passion for Diving. However he has leaned some valuable things that will only make his life experiences better. For those of us with a passion for that ocean, we understand. The rest well. I’m sorry you don’t get it.
I think we should just ignore the comments. Great on this guy for pushing through this at a young age and going on to study marine conservation. He might be the next Guy Harvey from Cayman, sounds like a dream job to me.
I am a certified rescue diver, when I found myself unemployed I tried to get into watersports and the likes, but it became apparent that the industry was controlled by expats,just go to one of the yearly diving seminars and get togethers and you might find one or two caymanian out of hundreds of people that attend these functions. The other reason they can afford the low wages is because they train other people on their days off and work for other dive companies(which is illegal )which makes them lots of extra cash by doing so. Not to mention they eat crackers and sandwiches all day everyday (not something caymanian are use to doing) Which is illegal and a immigration issue but hey that’s a hole other topic. Then you have so called dive masters that apply online for the jobs in cayman get hired and when they get here they can’t swim,only doggie paddle,it’s sad. Then they tell the caymanian,hey we will pay you $10.00 an hour because we save by hiring caymanian then when they hire you you only work 90hrs a month because “we work with the cruise ship schedules” $10x90hrs=$900amonth with maybe $400 tips I don’t think $1300 dollars is a liveable wage for a caymanian with mortgage,kids,and other expenses so if you divide $900 by 160 hrs you really see how much you get payed as a caymanians $900*by 160hrs a month equals to $5.62 an hour so go figure.
Given dive masters have to be qualified,, and the dive shop can check that qualification online.. your comment re people claiming to be dive masters and only capable of doggy paddle is complete b/s. I get that you don’t want to do hard work for $10 an hour, but what employer decides what to pay an employee based on whether they have a mortgage or kids?
i am just explaining why more cayman youths don’t get into the field,don’t get your panties in a bunch,if your a dive master you know good and well what i am talking about and yes you have dive masters in cayman that cheat the system and get certified cause i have seeing dive masters loose it in an emergency situation and start doggie paddling no joke intended. and on the pay side,of course you can’t compete with an expat who rides a bicycle to work and shares 2 bedroom apartments with four people and no kids. and about “I get that you don’t want to do hard work for $10 an hour” bull crap. I have been working since i was ten years old so trust me when i say hard work don’t frighten me whats scary is the $10 an hour and you only working 90hrs a month and expect you live! You guys are ok, like i said you have a mean hustle going on in the Cayman Islands but don’t worry nothing last forever!
IDCS Instructor, and I do know what you are talking about – you are talking BS. Most DMs here are actually qualified instructors, and whilst not every DM or instructor is perfect, to get to that standard you are WAY past doggie paddling to get to that standard (and way past rescue diver too, BTW) . You are basically just making stuff up. You don’t like the pay or the hours, fine, but don’t make wild accusations about the quality of the DM ing here just because you can’t/won’t work in the profession.
I actually don’t think he is making it up, especially as he put his name to it. Most of his argument is that many dive places schedule people for 90 hours per month, as their business seems predominantly made up of cruise ship passengers.
He is also saying that many in the dive industry have to make up for the low hours by finding other income on their days off, which as he pointed out is illegal.
He is also stating a very true fact, many dive masters are single w/o kids, and can afford the low pay, as they do room together, ride bikes etc. They choose to live it as part of the dive master “life style”. He is saying that unless you are a young Caymanian, single, willing to room with a bunch or guys/girls, it is a bit harder. Wife, kids, needing a car….all make it harder. That is the majority of what he was saying Jotnar. Sometimes you actually have to read to understand, not to retort.
I’m not sure why eating crackers and sandwiches is illegal. Please explain as I only yesterday ate a sandwich and now fear a visit from the RCIPS.
Rescue divers can’t teach so are not employable at professional level. A basic command of writing skills also helps secure a job be the applicant expat or Caymanian.
Very happy for this young man, and it’s great to read this as you rarely see Caymanians in this field.
Now as for the 1st Caymanian dive master working for redsail, hmm CNS your facts are completely wrong, Just ask Rod about a female instructor that worked for the in the early 90s, This was the 1st Caymanian female instructor and worked for redsail for over a year. Or just check what’s hot archives.
I don’t want to take away from this young man, as I think it’s great to see Caymanians working in the dive industry.
CNS: So easy to criticise! This is a direct quote from Cayman Bottom Times, which writes paid-for articles for a number of watersports operators, including Red Sail, essentially press releases from those companies: “He is the first Caymanian to complete his divemaster certification through the company’s dive training program since Red Sail Sports began offering dive services in Grand Cayman 30 years ago.” Trolling through archives of every single publication to fact check everything in a source’s own PR would take us all day and we would have no time to write any other stories. We also talked to Rod McDowell for this article and he no doubt has read it. We have had no request for a correction or clarification from Red Sail.
Didn’t Cayman Diving/Divers Down have the first female Caymanian instructor come through the ranks via Go Pro some time last year? That trumps a DM. Not knocking the lad at all by the way just trying to check facts..
One of my sons got a Dive master card from Red sails while going to UT can’t remember the year but he’s 42 now. So at that time he was the first Caymanian. I was an Instructor at the time. I wanted him trained elsewhere in case they claimed he was given a dive master certification without qualifying . I got my Dive Instructor certification by ITC on island . I don’t know if any of you remember retired USMC Commander Glen Galtere who had a dive shop in Royal Palms . Mr Vreeland was one of the instructors can’t remember the other name. But it takes three. I have 2 certification NAUI 6588 and PADI . I worked with Capt Kent Eldermire who originally was a leftenant in the Jamaican Coast guard who owned and operated Casa Bertmar along with Pete Ribbins Assoc prof. of Physiology from Texas AM, Capt. Wayne Hasson, Ex SEAL USN owner of Cayman Aggressor. Worked with Sunset House with Dick Saunders. Ron Kipps , Peter Milburn, Calypso Divers were I was a partner, Don Foster’s and Aqua Delights. I worked with and for great people in Cayman and there were a lot more Caymanians in the field. But most were not Divemaster certified. But they had experienced over a thousand dives and backed up and lead tourists through 100’s of dive sites.
Competition was fierce and slowly they changed the canvas so that one had to get a certification but no one had time or money and wages were good back then. When work permits became easier to get, it didn’t make any sense to try to get a career, the pay raises stopped but not the cost of living. Back then ganja was smoked by half of the people who worked in the field including the foreigners. Today they won’t hire you as a Caymanian because you have a record of ganja? So funny .
If they would spot check everyone on a permit wouldn’t we be surprised to find how many are really on drugs. But everyone already knows. So lets cut the C@#$ and hire people .
I would think this would be a great job for a young local- out on the water, meeting tourists day in & day out who most likely are in bikinis ?, a salary.
Wow one, sad but the problem has never been interest . Why don’t they ask the young man what he had to do to get to Divemaster? How much is he getting paid, what kind of work is he doing, filling tanks? Is he going on dive trips, how many per week? Are they teaching him to operate the boats? How much is he being paid?Lets hear his side of the story.
Well done Lej! It’s no good everyone on this site bleating about him being the only one in 30 years blah blah blah. You can’t force someone to do a job like diving if it’s not for them; that would be asking for trouble. It is, however, a job that expats who LOVE diving want to come here for a few years, to do – a fun job doing something you LOVE to do.
…….and for some strange reason you think that Caymanians would not LOVE to do this job or are in some way incapable of doing it professionally? You are dumber than a rock.
It is ridiculous that it took 30 years for Red Sails Sports to identify and train one Caymanian to fill the position of dive master, especially after teaching 100 to dive.
I can remember when ALL dive masters were Caymanian as Cayman pioneered the industry of scuba diving when Bob Soto set up the first dive shop in the world.
I would still like to extend a sincere thank you to Red Sails Sports for training and promoting this young Caymanian to the position of dive master as the other dive operations have not done even this much.
Really? You blame Red Sail? You are part of the problem…. must be someone else’s fault….
You get that they identified and trained 100 Caymanian’s, and only one stuck it out, right? So its Red Sails fault somehow. Truly, no good deed goes unpunished.
Obviously Caymanian’s do not love to do the job, do they? Or they’d be doing it. And the word “incapable” was not written in that comment, and nor was it implied. I am sure there are many Caymanians who could do the job – but they don’t want to – and I’m sure, some, for the very sensible reason that it isn’t for them. Diving isn’t for everyone.
I’m confused by the article. Is it saying that this is the first Caymanian divemaster hired by Red Sails or is it suggesting that this is the first ever Caymanian divemaster? If the former, that is quite sad but some posters have identified the likely cause – horribly low wages. If the article is suggesting the latter, may I suggest that the assertion is incorrect. Names like Don Foster, Ollen Miller, the late Darby Bodden and Clint Ebanks are just a few who come to mind.
Bob Soto, Kem Jackson, Darvin Ebanks, Clint Ebanks, Anthony Scott, Danny, Peter Pat, Darby, Ollin, and the list is much linger.
All Caymanians who were dive masters back in th eday and taught many of the expat dive masters who then took their jobs.
Exactly @ 5:51am
Thank you!
Reading comprehension is one of the reasons so many Caymanians are out of work.
The article is saying that this is the first divemaster to receive a divemaster qualification via Red Sail. Not the first Caymanian divemaster, and not the first hired by Red Sail, but the first who completed the qualification via Red Sail.
Unbelievable that in all these years no Caymanian has taken the step to become a divemaster.
Over all this is a pretty sad story and based on the comments, folks in this country don’t understand two things. Entry level positions, and the dive industry.
Lej is 18. He now has sosmething on his resume that he accomplished. Good for him, people that read resumes look for stuff like that.
Maybe he wants to stick with taking tourists out, wage and some tips and meet some nice people. Not a bad life. Better than selling numbers and crack.
Maybe he wants to see where this takes him. Underwater? Police and rescue comes to mind, probably 50K-60k, what about construction or welding 80K-100+.
So he is in water sports, gets a little reputation, saves some money buys a boat… Maybe 2 or 3. 100-120k.
Divmaster is the foot in the door at red sail, moves through the system and jumps to a hotel as manager of sports and retail, gets him a seat at the senior managers table, after a great and progressive career, lands the job of GM at the Ritz. $150k.
Opportunity is everywhere on this island. Hopefully he is the first of many who recognize the benefits of becoming a divemaster.
Yeah shame on caymanian right… SMH.. Cause I really want to be underwater with people who dont actually want to be there. Seriously. I wonder if many of you think before you speak. You ever thought about the amount of caymanians who started diving and had to stop due to medical reasons? What about the things companies were expecting and how disgusting they treated their staff before social media now exposes a lot of them? Cayman has always been a country where parent push their kids into desk jobs such as banking, law or IT. I know of many locals who joined these dives shops and left because they were ”ganged” up on by expats because they didnt ”fit”. Just because one made it doesnt mean its getting better for all who enter the market.
So just go have a seat and face the corner.
Proud of him and we hope he goes far. Good Luck Lej!
How many years did it take this company to find at least a token caymanian for this role?
Of all the positions in the world that we should be able to train up Caymanians to do diving is one of them.
Shame it took this long
That’s life. Ho hum
The reason is in the article . Poor entry level wages . You cant force a person to take a job if they don’t wish to and its a sad fact a lot of caymanian youth feel entitled to start on good wages purely by being caymanian.
I take my hat off to the young man and wish him a long and successful career
Entitled eh? You go breath in compress air and dive well over 100 feet at a time.
There is a thing where, the risk does outweigh the pay you know? That risk is multiplied when you do it more than others. But, Im pretty sure your desk job is more dangerous than that right? You’re basing all of this off experience I would presume.
lol. I swear, thinking is a lost art.
Well for a start my friend I both dive and currently do a job that ranks the 5th most dangerous job in the world based on industrial accidents and fatalities . My Job pays well , very well ..you know when it didn’t ? When I first started at 16 . I earned crap and took crap for 5 years training in the knowledge that one day it would pay off. There are no Caymanians that do what I do but several years ago we took one on in the hopes of training him up to eventually replace me . We offered him a decent salary commensurate with what a first year trainee with no experience would expect to earn and the opportunity to train to do something no one else does ..guaranteed job for life right ? First day he turned up on time ( good start ) but during an important safety briefing found the need to check his phone every two minutes . The second day he was late and refused to do the first thing I asked him to do as ‘ he was here to learn the job ..not carry tools ‘ . The third day he didn’t come in ( raining and as the job was outdoors that day he thought it would be called off ) fourth day he learned how much I earned so on the fith day he tried demanding a pay rise off my boss based on what they paid me. A fully trained guy with 5 years college and 27 years experience . My boss laughed at him . He didn’t bother showing up the next week. I believe he is now in civil service where I sure he fits in fine
And before anyone trots out the tired excuse I am married with kids and two mortgages , he lived at home ( a quite well off family ) and certainly had enough money to hit the clubs on the weekend .
You are right on one thing , thinking is a lost art..thinking you know anything about me ? Big mistake .
30 years and Red Sail gets one Caymanian to get his qualification as a dive professional. He’s not even a qualified instructor yet, and no indication he is going to take his full qualification exam. That’s just downright sad – no shortage of foreigners willing to do the job, and one guy in 30 years comes even close despite the offer of free training for the profession. “competing with well paid careers in the air-conditioning and working nine to five can be hard” – you said it brother. Yet we get the same old complaints that the tourist industry doesn’t offer job’s to Caymanian’s, and there is a need for a trade school – yet here we have one individual who is interested in putting in the sweat equity to participate in one industry at the centre of our tourist offering, and free training from the leading outfit in the field, but no shortage of expats willing to do what Caymanians apparently are not.
Sitting in a big box, in a chair, with artificial lighting day after day, getting fatter and worrying. ….. it’s not a career, it’s an adventure!
ha ha
Most of the former Caymanian owners of dive operations made their fortunes and sold out; that is normal for small business.
Staff wages are abysmal and heavily dependant upon tips. The whole employment system is predicated upon there being a ready supply of foreign divers willing to work for peanuts in a warm tropical environment; a paid vacation in their eyes.
If the dive operators were to pay a starting wage of, say, $10 per hour, there would be a flood of young caymanians applying.
Well done Lej. Doing something you enjoy is never work. Getting paid to do it is even better.
Shame some whining to our social services do not have your ambition.
Congrats Lej!!!
But yet everyone is crying because we have no TVET training for our young people. The programs are there. We need parents to push their children in this direction.
PPM all the way.
Deaf and Dumb. “PPM all the way”….keep drinking the kool-aid my friend.
Those of us who have ears to hear and eyes to see know exactly what is going on in this Country; wake-up before you go comatose!
Stop, think, and re-visit past political administrations from 2000-2016 and what each one did….what you WILL find is that out of all the various administrations at the helm; PPM spent the most and have nothing to show for it. PPM have ignored the rising level of crime in this Country and PPM have single-handedly screwed the entire Public Education system over!
When you tamper with education curriculum and standards you are DIRECTLY tampering with children’s futures and the economic state of your Country!
Do not vote the Pied Piping Menaces (PPM) back in; you will be sorry if you do!
Dive masters are paid like crap… 30k a year would explain why no one is interested.
So if the pay is so bad why are so many Brits, Canadians, Americans and other nationalities prepared to take these jobs? Some of these people have been here for many years.
Mortgages? Children?
Because they have room mates and don’t mind paying rent. Try paying a mortgage on that kind of money. Not possible.
Most 18 year olds I know don’t have mortgages at that age. It is an age when one should start saving for a down payment on a house in 10 years time or continuing one’s education. I often think Caymanians from a personal economic perspective, have no idea how the rest of the developed world works when one is becoming independent as a young person. Life is not economically easy when one is young and getting established, but I wish this young man well for his initiative. He is on the right track and should be praised.
So a local cannot have a mortgage with a room mate who pays rent and therefore assists with the mortgage?
30K a year tax-free is a very good salary. If everyone thinks like you there’s no wonder we have so many unemployed.
30k a year isn’t a bad wage at all tax free! RCIPS don’t earn much more. I only earn that at the top of my scale and I’m a Building Maintenance Supervisor for the Public Works Dept., in the UK. They take tax and other stoppages out of that before I get it so that brings it down to 24k. I had to go to college for 4yrs to gain my Onc/Hnc qualification in Construction Management. So, that’s a really good wage. Well done to the young boy. I hope he’ll go far in the path he has chosen. But like any other job, the interest has to be there to embark on any career. More Caymanians like this youngster is needed.
6:50 it is a damn good salary if you are 18 years old and have absolutely zero experience and nothing on your CV. In the rest of the world you start low in salary and move up by getting experience of all types. Experience counts and with increasing experience comes a higher salary. Get with the rest of the real world 6:50, and be aware that the rest of the real world pays income tax too.
They earned much more in the 70’s and 80’s and then the newer operators came in and depressed wages such that it was impossible for Caymanians to survive. Banks do not give loans based on tips and so once the decent hourly pay was gone, Caymanians could literally not afford to exist as dive masters, leaving the market open for expat hippies, college kids taking a couple of years in the sun, and others who did not need to sustain a mortgage and raise a family. That it took 30 years to have a Caymanian dive master is disgusting. I hope that they have turned a new leaf and continue on this new path. Congratulations to all concerned, except immigration. 30 years? WTF?
How much are you paid? In dollars? In fulfillment?
That’s right . Because a 16 year old leaving high school should automatically be on 50 k a year .
No, but if it could get to 35,000 by the time he is 35 it would be nice.
I guarantee you 8:51 that with this lad’s CAN DO attitude and initiative he will own or be a Director in a company by the time he is 35 and will make well over $35,000.
If you are a Caymanian, the country is your oyster, you just have to get off your ass and have some drive and ambition. There are so many opportunities in the Cayman Islands but it will not be handed to you on a platter.
Go for it Lej,and don’t let the naysayers get you down.
Garfield, I wish Lej well and congratulate him, but you are deluding yourself if you really believe what you are saying. What has happened to Caymanians in the tourism industry is a disgrace. Look who was running and operating the Holiday Inn, and what happened to them. Wrong accent?
why not? Just because that doesnt happen in the Uk..well unless your the german queens grand child , then why not here? Idiot quote. That like saying black people arent allowed to be rich..seriously.. Zuckerberg was 20 when he became a millionaire.. Oh wait.. he’s allowed right?
Off you trot with your race card pal , I could give a snappy answer but the amount of downvotes should tell you who is the idiot here.