A Life Beneath the Waves: David Roberts’ Diving Journey

For David Roberts, diving isn’t just a career, it’s a lifelong passion that began in childhood and evolved into a vocation that’s taken him across the world. Now an instructor at Porthkerris in Cornwall, David has spent more than four decades exploring the underwater world and sharing it with others.

“My father first got me into diving,” David recalls. “He’d learned some basics in the army, and we used to spend time together diving to the bottom of the pool, putting on weight belts, and surfacing again. It was old-school and a bit crazy, but it sparked something in me.”

After years of only occasional dives on holidays, David’s true love for the ocean reignited when he moved to Cornwall and completed his PADI Open Water course. “I was amazed by how much life there was, even in shallow water: wrasse, pollock, bass, crabs, starfish. That’s when I fell in love with it.”

His early training with local instructor Rob introduced him to the legendary wrecks off the Cornish coast including the Mohegan and the Volnay and inspired him to become a Dive Master and eventually a professional instructor. He later trained in Florida at the renowned Pro Dive centre, an experience he describes as “fantastic. Huge classes, warm clear water, bull sharks, and incredible sea life.”

Over the years, David’s work has taken him to destinations such as Sri Lanka, where “diving feels like being in a scene from Finding Nemo,” but he insists his most memorable dives are still in the UK. One stands out in particular, a pod of 30 bottlenose dolphins surrounding his team during a safety stop near the wreck of the Mohegan. “It was magical,” he says.

David has also witnessed remarkable marine discoveries, including an unseen cannon on the 16th-century wreck San Antonio and the spectacular octopus bloom this year, that drew national attention in Cornwall. “It’s been incredible, we even saw octopus laying eggs on the reef. Interacting with them has been one of the highlights of my career.”

For David, Porthkerris remains a special place. “It’s got something for everyone,” he says. “Beginners can enjoy the calm, shallow areas full of life, and experienced divers can explore deeper reefs and wrecks. The diversity here is phenomenal, from kelp forests to sandy bottoms and rocky reefs.”

But what matters most to him is inspiring others. “I’ve trained people from their first dive all the way to becoming professionals,” he says proudly. “Some are now working in Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines. Seeing them pass on their passion, that’s what it’s all about.”

After decades beneath the surface, David Roberts still finds wonder in every dive. His story is one of discovery, dedication, and sharing the beauty of the sea from the Cornish coast to the far corners of the world.