Marine Life & Conservation
Dive Ninjas opens conservation-focused PADI IDC Program in Los Cabos

Dive Ninja Expeditions has announced the opening of their new PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center in Los Cabos, Mexico with conservation-oriented dive professional programs. As leaders in the industry, Dive Ninjas is committed to their mission in promoting sustainable marine tourism by expanding their training programs to instructor level courses.
“Our Divemaster, Instructor, and MSDT programs are unlike any other in the industry. They focus on creating highly trained, knowledgeable dive professionals that can drive change in the industry and work to help protect our oceans no matter where in the world their career in diving may take them,” says conservationist and Dive Ninjas Founder Jay Clue.
Each Ninja Go Pro Program starts with a standard PADI course at its core. From there they have curated specialized workshops built-in to the program at no extra cost to help students develop a more specialized skill set not only for their career but to equip them with tools to help create a bigger impact in the world.
Ninja Go Pro Programs & Details:
- PADI Divemaster Course – This mentorship program includes 14 additional workshops such as designing eco tours, working in remote areas, etc.
- PADI Instructor Development Course – This 2 week program has a built-in IDC preparation course, Dive Ninja’s exclusive PADI Whale Defender Specialty Instructor course, and over 6 specialized workshops on how to work responsibly with sharks & rays, sustainable dive operations, and more.
- PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) Course – This 4-day program teaches 5 different specialty instructor courses specially curated by Dive Ninjas – including their new Apex Predator Diver course coming out this spring. It can be packaged with IDC or as a standalone course for those instructors looking to further their career in diving.
Dive Ninjas will also be offering the PADI IDC Staff Instructor (IDSCI) course as well as PADI Technical Diving Instructor and Freediving courses.
Former PADI Regional Manager and Instructor Examiner Anders Heegaard will be leading the program. Anders is a PADI Platinum Course Director with over 12 years experience teaching IDCs and creating some of the top IDC Programs in North America. “As the next voices of the ocean, we want each student to succeed in our programs but more importantly, inspire them to get involved in conservation. Our team will be there to support every step of the way, providing relevant knowledge and experience that will benefit them later on.”
The Ninja Go Pro programs have been curated out of decades of combined experience working in diving and ecotourism, but also from a passion for teaching and ocean conservation. “We want to drive change in the industry by helping to create a new generation of PADI dive professionals. Divemasters and Instructors that will not only be some of the most sought after in the industry but who will go on to inspire divers and non-divers alike to fall in love with our planet’s beautiful waterways and take action to help protect them and all of the incredible creatures that call them home. This is the soul and ethos of the Dive Ninja professional training program,” shared Clue.
This announcement comes on the heels of the opening of Dive Ninja’s second location at Casa Dorada, a renowned 5-star hotel in the heart of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in December 2020.
More information about the PADI Divemaster, IDC, and go pro programs offered by Dive Ninjas as well as their program schedule and pricing can be found at www.idcloscabos.com.
Photos by: Jay Clue
Marine Life & Conservation
Jeff chats to… Marine Biologist and Underwater Videographer Jake Davies (Watch Video)

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Jake Davies, Marine Biologist, HSE Professional scuba diver, underwater videographer (using videos and 360 clips for VR) and CAA licensed drone pilot.
Jake grew up on Pen Llŷn, North Wales and coming from a maritime family meant that from a young age the underwater world and marine life have played a major role in his life. His interest in marine life and the sea led to him studying Marine Biology at Bangor University where he was successful in obtaining a year in industry with the Intertidal & Coastal team at Natural Resources Wales.
In 2017 Jake was successfully awarded a Sea-Changers Grant to run ‘Dive Into Monitoring: Seagrass’ surveys with SeaSearch North Wales. The surveys aimed to gather updated information on the Seagrass bed in Porthdinllaen with volunteer divers and local dive clubs.
As a media diver, Jake has worked as part of the dive team (Marine Ecosol) filming for BBC Wales Hidden Wales with Will Millard (Lazerbeam Productions & Folk Films).
Footage which Jake has filmed off the Welsh Coast, as well as the Canary Islands, has been featured for a variety of BBC programmes including an episode of Countryfile where he was interviewed about the Seagrass in Porthdinllaen, Wales along with the rest of the Project Seagrass team. He is also a blogger and contributor to Scubaverse @JDScuba, and a co-director of Under Water Wales @dandwrcymru.
As well as being a HSE Scuba Diver Jake is also employed as the Project Coordinator for Angel Shark Project: Wales. He is also a Project Leader on a Save Our Seas Foundation Project.
Through sharing underwater videos and photos of amazing and unique wildlife/habitats that are found beneath the waves along the Welsh Coast as well as abroad Jake hopes to inspire people to go beneath the waves and making the underwater world more accessible for all.
Find out more about Jake and his work at: https://jakeddavies1996.wixsite.com/jdscuba
Rather listen to a podcast? Listen to the audio HERE on the new Scubaverse podcast channel at Anchor FM.
Marine Life & Conservation
Once in a lifetime magical sighting of an Albino Risso’s Dolphin… (Watch Video)

Is there anything more rewarding during your surface interval after a great dive than seeing unusual animals in your surroundings?
It was November and we had been for a great dive with big fishes and a lot of macro animals in one of our favorite dive sites here in Anda, Bohol. After the dive, we immediately got our coffee and started chatting and debriefing our dive, exchanging thoughts, when our boat captain spotted something not so far from the resort. We rushed to the scene and it there we had the magical experience to see a pod of dolphins in front of us with a surprise sighting of an albino dolphin! Witnessing an albino animal in the wild is such a rare phenomenon – could anything be more exciting?!?!
Albinism results from the animal’s cells failing to produce the melanin pigment responsible for some body part colorations. Hence, this animal lacks the skin cell pigment resulting in it being a pinkish-white dolphin.
As we rushed to look at the dolphins after our dive, we noticed something white. It was so obvious that we could clearly see the white animal mixed with the grey individuals at a certain distance before we arrived. The first question that raised in my head was: “What species of dolphins are these?”
As I looked and observed, I noticed the recognizable lines or scratches all over their bodies (all of them that is except for the white one). Then, looking at their faces when we were closer, it was then I realized that they were Risso’s Dolphins. The white animal that we saw was a rare juvenile Albino Risso’s swimming with them. Ohlalah…. JACKPOT!!!! This was the highlight of a lifetime!!!
I started screaming with joy calling the beautiful animal “PUTI” which literally means white. With them swimming, we went close by to appreciate PUTI and the rest of the pod every time they surfaced for breathing. Together we shared about 20mins of full excitement. And we ended our surface interval incredibly happy and ready for the next exciting dive, waiting to be surprised underwater.
I will never forget this magical moment of the albino dolphin. Hopefully, PUTI and I will meet again sometime and I will be seeing this white beauty again, healthy and adorable.
Written by: Marlon Managa – dive center manager and Marine Biologist at Magic Oceans Dive Resort.
Visit Magic Oceans Anda, Bohol and Magic Island Moalboal, Cebu… find out more at www.magicresorts.online.
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