Meet our team of award winning International Instructors
Meet the team
Alex Arnold – Master Instructor
Alex is a PADI Master Instructor #466079.
He has been diving for 14 years, 10 of which he has been an Instructor. He received the Master instructor Rating in 2005 and currently holds 14 different specialty instructor ratings. He has lived and worked in Nuweiba, Sharm el Sheikh, Similans islands, Germany, Malaysia and has now returned to Koh Phangan, Thailand and opened his own dive shop. Alex is a Level 2 TDI close circuit re-breather diver and avid videographer. He is one of the most experienced Instructors on the island.
Dave Arnold – Course Director
Dave is currently the only full time Course Director working full time on Koh phangan , he is also a Tec Rec Instructor. Dave started diving 15 years ago and has followed a professional career for the last 8 years. Dave has dived all over the world and is one of the most experienced instructors at Sail Rock. Dave has a passion for deep technical diving. David is the training manager for sail rock divers and he heads up the IDC team.
Rachel Arnold – Staff instructor
Rachel is a Staff Instructor since 2003 & EFRI Instructor.
She has also completed her TDI Technical deep diver and extended range diver courses. She has spent the last 10 years of her teaching career in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. She came over to Koh Phangan when she got married in 2007 and set up the dive school with her husband Alex in June 2007. She is the backbone for the daily operations for Sail Rock Divers.
NUI – Open Water Scuba Instructor.
Nui is Sail Rock Divers Thai partner and One of the first Thai Instructors on the island. He has lived and worked on Koh Phangan all of his life. Nui has a lifetime of local knowledge. Nui has been a professional diver for nearly 9 years and still enjoys guiding and teaching.
Russia – IDC Staff Instructor
Evgeniy or Russia to his friends is fluent in Russian, Bulgarian and English and is the latest addition to the Sail Rock IDC team after recently passing his IDC staff instructor course. Russia has been diving for many years & he has dived in many places around the world and has vast experience in different climates. Russias passions are for photography and videographyand teaching instructors
Neil Richards – Master Instructor
Neil is the operations manager for Sail Rock divers which involves the logistical running of the dive center, he is also an active instructor working with new open water students up to Instructor level training.
Neil has worked in Sydney, Taba, sharm el sheikh, koh Tao and phangan with experience diving in Fiji, the barrier feef, Cenote caves and the Uk. neil has been an instructor since 2003 and a Master instructor since 2008.
Neil holds a sports science diploma and is also an accomplished pianist.
Monique Richards – Staff Instructor
Monique is a Staff Instructor. She is Sail Rocks Marketing and customer relations manager. Monique became an instructor 7 years ago and has experience diving in Taba, sharm el sheikh, Australia, similan islands, mexico and Thailand.
Steve Goodwin – open water scuba instructor
Steve came to Koh Phangan for a holiday and hasn’t left yet. He started his diving career in June 2009 and is now a PADI Instructor and also one of sail rocks videographers.
Eike – Open water scuba Instructor and marine biologist
Eike started diving 1994 on Koh Tao, Thailand. Hooked ever since, he dived in South-East Asia, Central America and Europe, including research dive training on Elba, Italy. He studied marine biology at the Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology in Germany and has now established the first ever coral research facility on koh phangan, Eike is working towards his staff instructor rating
Lee Pointen open water scuba instructor
lee is another addition to our sail rock family, he has come through the ranks from our Divemaster program and is already on his way to become a MSDT, lee has dived all over the world including his home of Australia, Egypt and all over Thailand.
