This week’s special guest on the popular Facebook Livestream DIVETALKS, orchestrated by Divesoft, is the South-African dive instructor, PJ Prinsloo. Originally a commercial diver, PJ quickly advanced through the sport to eventually become the Technical Diving Director for Southern Africa. You might also know PJ as the man who wrote the RAID Performance Diver Course. Be sure to tune in this Thursday, July 23rd at 1 p.m. EDT, and see what you can pick up from this extraordinary diver.
Growing up in South Africa, PJ hasn’t lacked outstanding diving opportunities. Starting out as a commercial diver, PJ quickly felt the need for something more. In 1996, he made the jump to recreational diving by becoming a PADI instructor. He felt right at home shedding all his underwater work gear to focus more on exploration and teaching new divers. It was just as PJ was beginning to enjoy his new lifestyle, however, that tragedy struck.
In 1998, Prinsloo was involved in a car accident that left him hospitalized for multiple days. His doctors told him he would never dive again, and so he began to shift his life away from diving. The pull of the ocean, however, was too strong. Two years later, against the doctor’s predictions, PJ was back in the water, enjoying the amazing views and wildlife that only South African dives can provide. It was on one particularly monumental dive, that PJ spotted four shark species, a rays sailfish, school of barracuda and a wall of hammerhead sharks.
To no surprise, PJ was hooked once again. This time around, however, he sought out more of a challenge than recreational diving could provide. And this was his entry point to technical diving. PJ trained all over the world and dove hundreds of technical dives from the cenotes in Mexico to wrecks in Egypt’s Red Sea. He worked his way up to becoming a trimix, cave and rebreather instructor and eventually progressed to an SDI and TDI Instructor Trainer and Examiner. Later, PJ joined RAID and now holds the position of Technical Diving Director for Southern Africa and accomplished the writing of several RAID courses (of which, many of us are likely familiar with) including for the Liberty CCR, Liberty Sidemount CCR and Performance Diver.
PJ Prinsloo is truly an inspiration of the diving world. From facing the devastating news that he would never dive again to becoming one of South Africa’s top divers is a rare story we can all learn from. Apart from his life story and many adventures, PJ is also an expert technical dive instructor who is happy to share his experiences and knowledge. Be sure to tune into this week’s DIVETALKS Livestream and post any questions for PJ (such as his technical qualifications, his dives around the world, or simply what he’s been up to this year) in the comments section. Don’t miss out on one of our most interesting episodes yet this Thursday, July 23rd at 1 p.m. EDT. Follow the link HERE to access the Livestream.
