Little mermaid: Nur Sabrina, 25, became a diving instructor when she was 19, upon obtaining a divemaster level diving licence. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Being pint-sized and only 157cm tall is no hindrance to Nur Sabrina Mohmad Fuad in her effort to become a professional scuba diving instructor.
Things are already tough with the profession considered challenging besides being dominated by men and foreigners.
Sharing her success with Bernama, Nur Sabrina, who is from Perak, said she first became a diving instructor in 2017 when she was 19 after obtaining a divemaster-level diving licence.
“My journey was not planned, but while I was waiting for my SPM results, my parents offered me the chance to go to Pulau Perhentian to follow the divemaster-level diving course.
“After a year of gaining experience as a divemaster, I went on to take the Instructor Development Course (IDC) and Instructor Examination (IE) before qualifying as a scuba diving instructor recognised by the Professional Association of Diving (PADI),” said Nur Sabrina, who is a diving operator in Pulau Perhentian.
Asked about her choice of career rarely pursued by women, Nur Sabrina said she became interested in it because she noticed that many scuba diving instructors in Malaysia were foreigners.
“And they are professionals such as engineers and bank employees, but willing to quit just to stay on the island to work, and this made me think.
Floating tall: Nur Sabrina (with pink tudung) is proud to be among the few women scuba diving instructors in the country. — Bernama
“So, I felt this is my chance and that women are also capable of being involved in this career,” she added.
The eldest of three siblings also shared her experience teaching scuba diving to participants until they obtained a (diving) licence, and this brought her immense satisfaction and happiness.
“There were students with a phobia, who panicked when in the water.
“Some almost gave up but I coaxed them and they managed to overcome their fears until they completed the course,” she said.
Nur Sabrina’s mother, Noorazizah Yusof, said she and her husband and two other children had scuba diving licences and actively dived around Pulau Perhentian, Sipadan, Pulau Mabul, Phuket, Similan islands, Aceh, Lombok, Bali, Gili Asahan and the Maldives.
“In the past during the school holidays, we took our children to the islands. In 2013, we took a beginner’s licence for scuba diving in Pulau Perhentian as we were interested in this activity.
“What started for fun has now become a hobby for our family and we dive together each time we are on vacation,” she said.
The housewife said she was proud of Nur Sabrina’s career as a scuba diving instructor.
“We always support whatever Nur Sabrina does because this is her interest,” she added.
