Alan Laidler knew where he wanted to be from an early age – under the sea. The only problem was that he didn’t particularly wish to go exploring off the coast of Newcastle, his home town, which is not exactly known for its extensive coral life. Who knew that attending university in the UK would ultimately lead to a job in the Caribbean? I suppose when you are studying Marine Biology, the odds are good that you’d end up somewhere warm where the fishies are plentiful.
Alan completed his undergraduate degree in 2006, but not before getting a taste of Scuba diving and travel. He attained his first diving certification in the quarries of England where visibility was about four feet and temperatures were bracing. In fact on his first dive there was snow on the ground (and a song in his heart) as he and his classmates shuffled their way to the water in their drysuits.
The sites were hardly teeming with underwater life, although he could have started a decent collection of garden gnomes had he been so inclined. After 10 dives in Blighty and his BSAC certificate under his (dive) belt, Alan vowed to book his next level of training in infinitely more pleasant climes.
Luckily the requirements of his degree stipulated that he fly to the Bahamas and work in a research station on Andros Island for three months. He took his Advanced Diver at the same time, and there wasn’t a gnome in sight!
After the Bahamas he spent six months with a research company in Fiji (where he took his Rescue Diver) and a year in Tanzania, studying baseline data for the creation of a marine park. He became a Divemaster before departing Africa.
Alan went home for a while, but flew to the Cayman Islands in November 2008, took his Dive Instructor course with Ash at Cayman Diving College, and has worked at Wall-to-Wall Divers ever since.
He can now captain both of the Wall-to-Wall boats and is out enjoying the life he began working for all those years ago in school. What he likes best about his job is taking people out for their first time and watching the expressions on their faces as they discover it all.
Right now he is also assisting with conservation efforts, including participation in the Lionfish culling to protect the reefs. He knew that degree would come in useful some day!
Book a dive today with Alan at Wall-to-Wall divers, and know that you’re in good hands with the man who’s dived it all (and lived to tell the tale!) WH
Wall-to-Wall is located in the Lobster Pot Dive Centre on North Church Street