MEET YOUR COURSE DIRECTOR
Developing the Next Generation of Dive Professionals
I’m Luis Miguel, PADI Course Director and Quality Manager at Pro Dive International.
For more than 28 years, diving has taken me from military and commercial operations to dive center leadership and professional instructor development. Today, I use that experience to help divers become confident, capable professionals who are prepared for the realities of the dive industry.
My goal is not simply to help you earn another certification. It is to help you develop the judgment, communication skills, confidence, and professional habits needed to build a successful diving career.
Years in the Dive Industry
28+
Logged Dives
16000+
Certifications Issued
1200+
Diving Qualifications
60+
MY JOURNEY
A Career Built Above and Below the Surface
My approach to professional training has been shaped by more than classrooms and certification standards. It comes from decades of experience in demanding underwater environments, dive center operations, team leadership, and professional development.
Where It Began
My professional diving journey began in Portugal, where I trained with the Portuguese Navy. That experience gave me an early foundation in discipline, teamwork, preparation, and respect for the underwater environment.
Commercial Diving
I began working as a commercial diver, completing underwater construction, inspection, refloating, maintenance, and filming projects across Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. This experience strengthened my technical precision, adaptability, and ability to perform responsibly in demanding underwater environments.
Fire Department Rescue Diver
I served as a Rescue Diver with a fire department in Portugal, supporting emergency missions and participating in training exercises. This role reinforced the importance of teamwork, preparation, risk management, and remaining calm when others depend on you.
Becoming a PADI Instructor
Recreational diving gave me the opportunity to combine my operational experience with something I had discovered I truly valued, helping others grow. Becoming a PADI Instructor marked the beginning of my career in professional dive education.
Building Let’s Dive
I founded Let’s Dive in Brazil and developed it from a small operation into an internationally recognized professional training center. In 2018, it became the first PADI Career Development Center in South America at that time.
Master Scuba Diver Trainer
I earned the PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating, expanding my ability to prepare divers across a broader range of specialties and professional goals.
IDC Staff Instructor
Becoming a PADI IDC Staff Instructor allowed me to take a greater role in instructor development and begin mentoring future PADI Instructors.
Advanced Instructor Development
I qualified as an Emergency First Response Instructor Trainer and PADI Tec Deep Instructor, strengthening my expertise in educator development, emergency training, and technical diving.
Tec Trimix Instructor
I became a PADI Tec Trimix Instructor, adding advanced mixed-gas training to my technical diving qualifications.
PADI Course Director
I achieved the PADI Course Director rating, the highest professional level within the PADI system. This marked the next stage of my mission to develop confident, capable, and career-ready dive instructors.
Caribbean Operations Leadership
After leaving Brazil, I continued developing my experience in the Caribbean. Leading an established dive center strengthened my expertise in operational quality, customer experience, team development, training systems, and sustainable business growth.
Pro Dive International
Today, I serve as PADI Course Director and Quality Manager at Pro Dive International. My role covers professional training and quality management across Pro Dive operations, helping strengthen standards, consistency, safety culture, and professional development.
MY TRAINING PHILOSOPHY
Certification Is the Beginning, Not the Destination
I believe exceptional dive professionals are developed through mentorship, supportive training, and real operational experience.
Standards provide the foundation, but professionals must also communicate clearly, anticipate problems, lead confidently, and support their team.
My training goes beyond exam preparation, helping candidates develop the judgment and professional habits needed to earn trust after certification.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Experience You Can Trust
My qualifications span recreational, professional, technical, commercial, and public safety diving. More importantly, each area has contributed to the way I prepare professionals for real responsibility.
This background combines advanced diving qualifications with operational leadership, safety management, and more than 28 years of professional experience.
- PADI Course Director
- PADI Tec Trimix Instructor
- Commercial Diver
- Adaptive Techniques Specialty Trainer
- Former Portuguese Navy Diver
- Former Fire Department Rescue Diver
- Dive Center Management and Operations
- Quality Management and Safety Culture
- Team Leadership and Instructor Development
- GoPro Program and Career Pathway Development
These ratings allow me to train qualified PADI Instructors to teach these specialties to their own students.
- Adaptive Techniques
- Blender Nitrox
- Deep Diver
- Emergency Oxygen Provider
- Enriched Air Diver
- Full Face Mask Diver
- Night Diver
- Digital Underwater Photography
- Search and Recovery Diver
- Self-Reliant Diver
- Sidemount Diver
- Underwater Videographer
- Wreck Diver
These specialty courses help divers develop focused skills, explore new diving environments, and prepare for more advanced responsibilities.
Skills and Equipment
- Adaptive Techniques
- Delayed Surface Marker Buoy
- Equipment Specialist
- Full Face Mask
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Sidemount
- Underwater Navigator
Environment and Exploration
- Deep Diver
- Drift Diver
- Dry Suit
- Enriched Air
- Night Diver
- Search and Recovery
- Self-Reliant
- Wreck
Conservation, Safety and Media
- AWARE Coral Reef Conservation
- AWARE Shark Conservation
- Dive Against Debris
- Digital Underwater Photography
- Emergency Oxygen Provider
- Fish Identification
- PADI AWARE
- Public Safety Diver
- Support Diver
- Underwater Videographer
Technical diving extends beyond recreational limits and requires advanced planning, equipment, gas management, teamwork, and disciplined decision-making.
Tec Courses
- PADI Tec Basics
- PADI Tec 40 [Air/Nitrox | Trimix]
- PADI Tec 45 [Air/Nitrox | Trimix]
- PADI Tec 50 [Air/Nitrox | Trimix]
- PADI Tec 65
- PADI Tec Trimix
Tec Specialties
- Tec Sidemount
- Blender Nitrox
- Blender Trimix
I created these PADI-approved distinctive specialties to develop practical leadership, business, and safety skills that are often missing from traditional professional training.
- Tec Safety Diver
- Sales for PADI Professionals
- Base Leader
- Marketing for PADI Professionals
Emergency First Response training develops the CPR, first aid, and emergency-care skills needed to respond confidently when someone requires help.
Emergency Care Courses
- Primary Care, CPR
- Secondary Care, First Aid
- Care for Children
- CPR and AED
Instructor Training
- Primary and Secondary Care Instructor
- Care for Children Instructor
- CPR and AED Instructor
These advanced diver-level qualifications expanded my experience with overhead environments, cave-diving procedures, closed-circuit rebreathers, dive planning, and disciplined team protocols. Although I do not teach these courses, the experience strengthens my perspective as an educator and technical diver.
- TDI Cavern Diver
Training for diving safely within the daylight zone of overhead environments. - TDI Intro to Cave Diver
Foundational cave-diving training focused on guideline use, gas management, communication, and emergency procedures. - IANTD CCR ART Tiburon Diver
Advanced
training with the Tiburon closed-circuit rebreather, including equipment management, dive planning, and emergency procedures.
HOW I LEAD
High Standards, Honest Feedback, Personal Support
I lead with empathy, collaboration, and accountability. Every candidate brings different experience, goals, strengths, and challenges, so professional development cannot follow a purely mechanical process.
I set high expectations, explain why they matter, and provide clear feedback to help each candidate progress. My objective is to create professionals who can think independently, contribute to a team, and continue developing long after their course ends.
- Train with purpose
- Lead with confidence
- Keep learning
STUDENT EXPERIENCES
From Students to Professionals
Angelita Cogo
PADI MSDT
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Rosario Celis
PADI Divemaster
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Flávio Mayrink
PADI IDC Staff
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