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| Karim Helal - Managing Director | |
| An investment banking veteran for over twenty years in the Middle East and London. Took up, or rather, was taken over by diving twelve years ago. Karim got an early start in Nitrox and Technical Diving when he became an ANDI Trimix Instructor and has since pioneered Technical Diving in the Red Sea since 1993. A regular buddy of the late Rob Palmer in the Red Sea, Karim was one of the first dozen Atlantis 1 Instructor Trainers, at a Course conducted in the Bahamas by Bret Gilliam and Rob Palmer in 1995. Karim set up TDI Middle East in 1995, and in January 1998 teamed up with Dr. Ahmed Kamal and Jayne Mayer (Twiggs) to develop TDI Middle East into a formidable Training Organization. A TDI Technical Instructor Trainer, Karim continues to be an active Technical Diver and Trainer and is now working on several Technical Diving related projects.If that is not enough, Karim still finds time to apply his knowledge as Chairman of the Red Sea Association for diving and watersports and has recently been appointed a member of the Minister of Tourism Advisory committee for diving. |
| Jayne L Mayer - Training Director | |
| Graduated with First Class Honours Degree in Sports Psychology and business in 1995. Turned down a scholarship to complete a Masters Degree in Canada to concentrate on what she loved most - the Blue. Twiggs began diving in 1991 whilst living in Kefalonia, one of the Greek Ionian Islands. Since then she has been diving in England, Greece, Mozambique and the Red Sea. She became the first female Trimix Diver in the Middle East in 1996, and became the deepest female diver in the Middle East following an 135 metre dive in Hurghada in June 1997. Twiggs is now a TDI Trimix Instructor Trainer. In 1997 Twiggs organized the first ever Technical Diving International Conference with Technical Gurus such as Bret Gilliam, the late Rob Palmer, Mitch Skaggs, Joe Odom et al... Twiggs left Divers' Lodge, where she worked as a Technical Instructor Trainer to form TDI Middle East in January 1998. During free diving champion Yasemin Dalkelic's world record plunge to 105msw this July, Twiggs was made bottom Judge for F.R.E.E. and verified that Yasemin made the depth...On August 30th 2001, Twiggs broke the unassisted female record whilst exploring a deep canyon in Hurghada to 150.7 msw. Since then she has revisited the canyon three times, twice to 150msw and once to 160msw. |
| Dr. Ahmed Kamal (Dr. Tek) - Technical Director | |
| Graduated in 1987 as a Dentist. Dr. Tek took up diving in 1983, Technical Diving became his passion in 1994, where he later went on to become a TDI Technical Instructor Trainer. In 1996, Dr.Tek left for the U.K. where he established Planet Blu, a U.K. TDI Facility. In January 1998, Dr. Tek joined the TDI Middle East Tek Team. In addition to diving and teaching, Dr. Tek has a special interest in Tekkie Tools. In April of 1999, the A.K. 1 Partial Pressure gas blending system, was launched, followed by the A.K. 2. Both systems are available and in use in more than 25 centres in the Middle East! On the 21st of August 1999, during an open water preparation dive to 190 msw, Ahmed became the world's deepest diver on an unassisted o/w drift dive, his goal is to continue his exploration of a deep cave, which he discovered in 1999, until now he has reached 160 msw, and hopes to explore further. |
| Elena Fursevich - Membership Service | |
| In July 2012 we welcomed a new member of our team - Elena. She will give support to our clients from 10 a.m. till 3 pm. Lena enjoys sea&sun. Speaks fluent English and Russian. |
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