http://www.hurricanedivers.com/1aboutus(1).htm

Our Dive Center & Staff

The Dive Center

Our main dive center is a PADI 5-Star Dive Resort, located on Santa Cruz Beach. We also have a small shop in Tangolunda. Both are in Bahias de Huatulco, on the Pacific South Coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. For the exact locations, see below. Safety, Personal Customer Service, Environmental Care, Professionalism, Quality and Fun are the keywords here in Hurricane Divers.

We opened Hurricane Divers in September 1999 in Junior Plaza in Chahué. It soon became obvious that there was indeed a market for a professional dive center in Huatulco, with a wide range of services for divers and snorkelers as well as equipment sales and repair. In the first year we became a PADI Resort Center and the first DAN Partner in Dive Safety in Mexico! At the end of 2001 we moved to the beach of Santa Cruz and became the only PADI Gold Palm Resort in the state of Oaxaca. In August 2002 we became one of only a handfull of PADI Gold Palm Instructor Development Centers in Mexico. We have a PADI Course Director and an IDC-Staff Instructor permanently on staff and we teach in English, Spanish, German and Dutch.

If you would like to see what PADI Gold Palm IDC Center stands for and what standards and requisites we need to comply with, go to the chapter "Gold Palm".

Our divers seem to value our dedication to dive safety and the environment, our personalized service and our "made to measure" excursions and packages, because more and more people come back to dive with us again and/or continue their diver education with us. Don´t take my word for it, check our current Newsletter as well as the previous editions and have a look at the comments that our guests have left in our Guest Comment Book.

We are located on the beach of Santa Cruz, between the open air theater and the chapel. In the photo we´re in the circle and the chapel is next to it, on the right (you can click on the photo to enlarge it). As you can see, we´re only about 50 meters from the marina, where we have our dive boat.

NEW: In November 2007 we opened a branch in Tangolunda. The location is "Plaza Punta Tangolunda", next to the spa. We are only a few minutes walking from the big hotels like the Barcelo, Gala, Camino Real, Crown Pacific and the Quinta Real.

For maps of our locations, go to our page with maps.

Our Services

We offer a wide variety of services and products, review the list of examples below to get an idea. For information about the specific services or products go to the appropriate pages, using the buttons on the top of this page. If there is something you don´t find in this list please ask, we may be able to help!

• Introductions into Scuba Diving

• Introductions into Snorkeling

• Guided Dive and Snorkel Tours

• All Day Diving and Snorkeling Excursions

• Skin Diving Courses

• Scuba Diving Courses

• Advanced, Rescue and Specialty Courses

• Medic First Aid Courses

• Oxygen Provider Courses

• Environmental Programs

• Equipment Specialty Courses

• Professional Level Courses (Divemaster, Instructor)

• Dive and Snorkel Packages

• Packages with Accommodation

• Packages with Rafting and other Activities

• Compressed Air Sales (Tank Fills)

• Educational Material Sales

• New and Used Equipment Sales

• Equipment Repair and Maintenance

• Equipment Rental

• U/W Camera Rental

Where does the name "Hurricane Divers" come from? On the left you see a satellite photo of Hurricane "Pauline" approaching Huatulco on 07 October 1997, the day before it arrived here. Around that time we, my wife Pauline and I, were thinking of settling down in Huatulco and starting our own dive center and I was visiting Huatulco. This coincedence with the names is the main reason why we came up with our name "Hurricane Divers". 

One strange thing happened on the day we officially opened, 30 September 1999. We took out our very first group of divers and during the break between dives we felt something strange, like the boat was "vibrating". Nothing happened so we did our second dive, but returning to the dive center people told us that a pretty strong earthquake hit the Huatulco area exactly at the time we felt the vibrating in the boat! Some divers suggested that we change our name to "Earthquake Divers", but we decided to stick to "Hurricane Divers".

The Team

Our staff is an international team of highly trained and dedicated professionals, with a huge amount of combined experience working in the diving industry. We have a permanent  staff of six, complemented by Charlie as a free-lancer, and several seasonal staff members during the high season. Apart from diver safety  and the protection of the environment, your satisfaction is the most important issue on our mind. We enjoy giving a personalized service, catering for your personal needs and requirements. Below is a brief introduction of our team.

From Oaxaca, Mexico, is our (very experienced) boat driver. He used to work as a boat driver for Charlie, when he had his dive operation in the Hotel Barcelo. He loves to be out on the ocean, and he also takes care of the regular maintenance of our "Dignity". He is married and has two young boys.

Blaise

From France, is a PADI Divemaster. He has been living in Huatulco for a while now with his girlfriend (also from France) and his son. He had a kite-surfing business here, but that didn't quite work out for him. Last year he decided to make diving his profession and he is currently doing his Instructor Course with us. There is a second kid on the way (maybe that's why he looks so scared).

Ken

From Edmonton, Canada, is PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (he did his IDC with us in 2005) and MSDT. In the summer he is an electrician, in Canada, but in the winter he likes diving in Huatulco better. He is a very enthusiastic diver and Instructor and loves to make underwater videos.

Charlie

Or Carlos, from Mexico, is a PADI IDC-Staff Instructor, EFR Instructor and DAN Instructor. Many divers know him from his dive operation in the Hotel Barcelo which he gave up recently and works with us on a free-lance basis. He has been diving in Huatulco since 1989, is a very experienced Instructor and obviously knows the area very well. He helped us out a lot when we started our dive center here in Huatulco. He is an avid photographer, on land as well as underwater.

"We have traveled extensively and have been diving all over the world. We came to Huatulco to visit and decided to make this place our home due to the natural beauty, charm and tranquility. We would like to share this beauty with you, especially that of the fascinating Pacific underwater world, which is a unique experience. We hope to make your holiday in Huatulco an  unforgettable adventure!"

The Hurricane Divers Team