Captain of Cruise Ship Takes PADI Master Scuba Diver Challenge

Left, Captain Hagen Damaschke of M/S Europa, now a PADI Master Scuba Diver - with PADI Instructor, Robert Tillner.

He did it! At the end of 2007 captain Hagen Damaschke of the Hapag-Lloyd luxury cruise liner “M/S Europa” (voted to be the only 5-star-plus cruise ship worldwide according to the Berlitz Cruise Guide) decided to take the PADI Master Scuba Diver challenge. Previously at the end of 2006, he and Kurt Hummel, the Food and Beverage manager on the same ship, had already completed the PADI Rescue Diver course.

Their PADI Instructor, Robert Tillner, who is the Sommelier and Bar manager on board the M/S Europa, worked out the course plans and had them choose 5 different specialties.

Hapag-Lloyd is a German cruise line that markets some of its cruises to English-speaking passengers. In addition to numerous destinations in Europe, M/S Europa cruises through many exotic locations of the world such as the Amazon, Caribbean, Central and South America, Hawaii, Micronesia, Asia and South Africa.

It was clear from the beginning that on board the ship, it would take much longer to accomplish their goal than on land, since the mandatory dives had to be brought in line with the ship’s destinations and the instructor’s “duty schedules”. The days at sea were used for knowledge development. The PADI Enriched Air, Deep, Wreck, Underwater Navigation und Multilevel Diver Specialties were completed one after the other.

Now, after 2 ½ months, both students have met all of the requirements to fill in the Master Scuba Diver application form and to send it to PADI. Once again, congratulations to the new PADI Master Scuba Divers!