‘From a young age, I was flirting with the sea and its power.’ says Ben Thompson.

This is the colourful and moving story of a boy who realised at an early age that the sea was his calling and followed his dream. By the age of twenty-five, Ben Thompson was being paid to dive the world’s most exquisite coral reefs. Few people have worked as dive instructors in such varied locations around the world as he has. From exploring the far reaches of South East Asia by local yacht to off-roading through sub-Saharan Africa looking for new dives, Ben sees the world through a diver’s mask. Along the way, he dives one of the world’s only vertical wrecks (at a top-secret location) just as it ruptures its gas tanks and causes an international incident, is held up at gunpoint by a militia group in the Philippines, rescued by pirates in Indonesia, and visits the Caicos with America’s largest naked diving group.

His story will fascinate divers, travellers, seafarers, and adventurers of all stripes. It’s an exhilarating tale of escaping the humdrum, and also a cheering love story as his ever-patient partner and dive buddy, Vic, accompanies Ben on his escapades around the world.

Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson grew up in Yorkshire, England, and has worked in the dive and yachting industry for over 28 years. He teaches both scuba diving and sailing to the highest levels and has issued hundreds of internationally recognised certifications. He has worked in 14 different countries and dived and sailed through countless more, working within both the leisure and commercial sectors and dealing with clients that range from disadvantaged children to some of the wealthiest people on the planet.

He has set up and operated several dive centres across the world and also built and ran his own dive centre in Mozambique, which he chronicled in a series of articles for Dive, a UK-based magazine. A keen environmentalist, he has a BA Hons degree in Marine Environmental Management and has been involved with many campaigners and projects to help save our seas.

As a qualified yacht captain Ben has sailed most of the world’s great oceans as a private captain. He currently owns and operates with his lifelong partner a yacht training centre in the Caribbean and when not underwater he is an avid kite surfer.