Q & A: Scuba Instructor, Mike Faust

Mike Faust, Scuba instructor and owner of Dive and Photo in Costa Mesa declares Scuba Diving...

"One of the best things you can do in the world."

Me: What do you enjoy most about teaching? 

Mike Faust: I love creating good, strong divers. I call it paying it forward. I was taught really well and I am doing the same thing.

Me: What’s a downfall of teaching?

Faust: People always say, “Mike why are you doing what you’re doing, it doesn’t pay well.” I just say I don’t know, but you get such a gratifying feeling from it, I can't explain it. You’re changing people’s lives. 

Me: How has the industry changed since you started diving? 

Faust: Gear has changed a lot, technology has improved it. Course wise, they’ve opened it up so more people can dive. Back in the day, they had such a rigid standard (navy seal type), but now you can get kids in the water as young as eight years old. 

Me: Why PADI to teach your students? 

Faust: PADI is the most well-known in the industry. I like their standards, and it’s consistent; wherever you go in the world it’s going to be taught the same way. 

Me: Where is your favorite place in O.C. to dive? 

Faust: Laguna Beach has a lot of reef structure and lot’s of life. There are lots of octopus, lots of moray eels, and horn sharks. I saw a green sea turtle there last year, and a giant black sea bass, which can grow up to three to five hundred pounds. 

Me: What draws people to Dive and Photo? 

Faust: We care about our people. Our goal is to create good, strong divers. We aren’t in it to rush anybody through anything, we are in it for the long hall and create that relationship.