Throwin' it in!

[Phil TK]

No, not diving (of course!) but just about everything else -for diving!!!!!!.
Basically after many months of deep thinking about it, I'm going to sell up my house in the UK and travel round the world picking up DM work here and there -and when I feel like it, get my Instructor qualification and make a career of it. In the last 18 months I've spent 5 months in Thailand diving and already know that 'it's for me' -all I needed was the commitment and srangely it came to me whilst leaving Canary bloody Wharf in the sleet this evening.
I think the time is right because the housing market is just about peaking and I should make a bundle on my flat and maybe even enough to buy a flat in Spain and rent it out whilst I'm away. When I come back -I'll live in my Spanish flat and either drift back into my 'old job' (CAD Cor-ordinator) or if I'm lucky find a Spanish dive op to work for.
That's plan A, and the reason I'm posting it is to see if any of you have done similar and can give any snippets of advice (-like is the Spanish property investment a good idea)
I want to do this because I 'want to' and not because I dislike Britain and want to get away from from it par se. I will always love Britain.
Brave? not really, but I'm only going to live once.

Phil TK

PS. For Sale 2 bed flat in Leigh on Sea Essex (50 mins London) -own garage, situated in posh-ish area and near station and also stumbling distance of 6 wine bars and 8 pubs (3 with real ale) £140,000 (no chain)

 

[MechDiver]

From what little I know about this, you will not get anything as a DM, and will have to have your instructor card to get anywhere. All the "resort" DMs I have met were actually instructors.
Best of luck to you

Phil

 

[builderbloke]

ill come i froze my ass off today i love the uk too but only in the summer

 

[redacted]

I've been having that dream for quite a while.

Wait a minute. Are you awake? Now I'm really envious.

So what is 'real ale' versus that served in the other 5 pubs.

I may be just another ignorant colonial but at least we don't start ringing bells just when the fun starts.

Good Luck

 

[Welshman]

Phil TK

You should get DM work in Thailand. Mechdiver is wrong on that point at least as regards Thailand. Whether you get paid much for it is another matter but as you know living in Thailand is cheap. When we were at Kata beach on Phuket in Jan/Feb our DM was a young Brit who had done his DM qualification with the shop (Phuket Scuba Club - can highly recommend them - www.phuket-scuba-club.com ). He was going on to do his AI and then OWSI.

As for buying in Spain note that there has been a boom in Spanish property prices over the last 2 years so it may not be as cheap as uou think to buy there.

Like you much as I like this country when I move on from my current incarnation the wife and I fancy doing something similar to you.

Hope it works out.

Regards

 

[Ian Wigg]

All I can say is - Best of Luck!!

I really hope it works out (and I envy you like hell!!!)

Ian

 

[Hoppy]

You will possibly get DM work in the Caymans, the DM's I know there are DM's and not got their full tickets.

Ohh to have started 20 years earlier !!!!!!!

You are gonna do what I'd love to do, send us plenty postcards or updtes on here and really p*ss us off


Good luck !

Hoppy

 

[ABQdiver]

aw once bubbled...
So what is 'real ale' versus that served in the other 5 pubs.
Good Luck

"Real Ale" is basically a cask conditioned ale that is dispensed via gravity or with beer engine ( a hand pump mounted on the bar) not pushed with CO2 or nitrogen mix.

Cask conditioned is considered more natural that the beer being forced carbonated with CO2.

BTW, very good.... but must be drank fresh.

 

[redacted]

I have short and somewhat foggy memories of Guinness being delivered that way.

 

[Phil TK]

Wow, what a bunch of nice chaps you all are. Why didn't I join this board years ago? Why don't we all go away? Many thanks for the best wishes and encouragement guys.
Also thanks for the snippets of advice, I'm going to peruse a few agents about Spanish properties but as Welshman pointed out, perhaps their property market is as overheated as ours. Maybe buying when the market goes down is the sensible option, I reckon this could happen next year but I must obviously watch and see.
I reckon I could get work on Koh Tao as a DM, I know a few there and they get work but there is a lack of decent places to live on that island with a waiting list for the best places. Maybe a little tour around Thai might find me the right place to work.
I was also reminded today of the number of English run 'sport bars' in places like Sumui and Phuket. Perhaps I'll enquire about the cost of leasing one of those places. Beer, bike racing on a big screen, sunshine and diving. Hmmm!
But I keep a level head of course -must do the right thing.

Phil TK