Jeremy Stein is an English PADI Course Director. He has lived in Vietnam for over 10 years and introduced PADI to the country in the late 90's. Jeremy is considered to be one of the pioneers of diving in Vietnam and he also runs PADI Instructor courses at their 5 star IDC & CDC centres in Nha Trang.

Rainbow Divers are the only National Geographic Divecentres in Vietnam and can also be found on Whale Island, in Hoi An, on Phu Quoc & Con Dao.

Jeremy Stein started Rainbow Divers in the mid 90’s and is responsible for opening the 1st PADI divecentre in Vietnam. Now, Rainbow Divers seems to be omnipresent throughout Vietnam and certainly synonymous with professional training and diving standards. Jeremy and his International diveteam continue to pioneer diving in Vietnam!

Read now Jeremy Stein Interview with Choosing IDC.

Question - Choosing IDC Team : Rainbow Divers and Jeremy Stein, are now names that everyone associates with Top Diving in Vietnam…. How did you start in the industry?

Answer - Jeremy Stein: I took my Open Water Course in the  Maldives on my honeymoon in the late ‘80s. Unfortunately, in the real world in England where I lived, I had a ‘real’ job which didn’t allow me to dive too often. However I left the UKin the early ‘90s and moved to Saudi Arabiawhere I met an amazing Course Director called Eric Knight who rekindled my love for diving; within 6 months I became an Instructor! The flexibility of my work in Saudi allowed me to take 2-3 week dive trips quite frequently into SE Asia. I experienced some amazing diving but also some poorly run dive businesses where professionalism & safety were secondary to making money! I decided from those trips that if & when I got into the dive business I would change that emphasis; professionalism, safety & fun 1^st and income secondary. One of my dive trips, purely out of curiosity, took me into Vietnam for 2 weeks. As the plane circled over Nha Trang, the clear waters, green rocky islands and dramatic surrounding mountains (reminded me of Cairns) stirred emotions within me which ultimately meant that I actually didn’t leave Vietnam. I dived with a local divecentre and then, on impulse, bought 50% of the business. Unfortunately my partner had delusions of retiring and running a small divecentre whilst looking for a local girl to marry. I had great plans of setting up the best divecentre in Asia, so it quickly became clear that our ideas were so different that we should part company. I started a new divecentre based at a Bar on the beach called the Rainbow Bar; thus the name Rainbow Divers. The rest, as they say, is history. We now have the only 3 National Geographic Divecentres, 5 star IDCs and PADI CDC in  Vietnam at 5 different locations.

-         South East Asia has so many destinations… what is the magic behind  Vietnam?

For me, Vietnam is not just about the diving; it’s a whole cultural experience. I try to make it clear to divers that this is not The Red Sea or The Barrier Reef; it’s like Thailand was 20 years ago before it became over-commercialised. With 5 centres throughout the country we can offer quality diving 12 months of the year. Divers coming to Vietnam expecting Mantas, Whale Sharks & big Pelagics will be disappointed. However, those who want to see pristine corals (over 350 different species of hard corals in Nha Trang alone!), rare Nudibranchs (new species being discovered almost daily!), Frogfish, Leaf fish, Devil Scorpionfish, Ghost pipefish and all the other small, unique critters will love Vietnam.

-         We all know you work as manager, instructor and Course Director. Which of these tasks is the most rewarding and why?
Each of my roles have distinctive differences and by inference, different requirements, problems & rewards.As a manager I have to look after 5 divecentres throughout the southern part on Vietnam. I have 1 Course Director, 5 Master Instructors, 7 IDC Staff, 5 MSDTs, several OWSIs and many foreign & local AIs, DMs & Diveguides in the team which in itself can be a nightmare to manage! Probably the most time consuming is ensuring that our standards & service at each centre are exceptional; possibly the best in Asia! The reward for this is when I receive an email from a diver or tour leader who have dived with us praising our service and levels of staff professionalism.

As an Instructor I teach all levels of PADI courses from DSDs, 23 Specialties and DMs. Each course has its own reward; from the 1^st time DSD where we turn fear into passion, to the Open Water diver who changes from an uncoordinated mess into a confident & competent diver, to the DMT who becomes an experienced and professional Divemaster.

As a Course Director I was responsible for introducing the first IDC & IE in Vietnam in June 2001. Since then we now have an active Instructor Development program offering 6 IDCs & IEs each year. The reward comes from converting a Divemaster into a professional dive educator, and one which I would want to employ! I work closely with 2 other divecentres in Vietnam and act as their CD. This helps create a cohesive friendly bond between our centres; something quite unique in the dive industry! The frustrating part about being the senior CD in Vietnam is that all centres expect me to be their go-between with PADI when they have a problem or want clarification on matters. I tend to get the flack when their opinion differs from PADI’s. But at least it keeps the top divecentres and their staff communicating with each other on a professional basis; again, unique in diving!

-         What is the philosophy behind Rainbow Divers?
Simple: To offer a professional, safe & fun dive experience, whether during PADI courses or just recreational diving. We set the diving & training standards in Vietnam!

-   What is the most important thing your staff must have to work in your company?

Lots of things:commitment, loyalty & ‘global awareness’. Good personality & a team player. Ability to multi task and work under pressure. Excellent communication skills incorporating perfect timing & delivery. Correct attitude. Not much to ask for really! My business is only as good as my weakest staff member!

-         Tell us about the future. What are the objectives of Rainbow Divers and how do you see the diving industry evolving in Vietnam? I want Rainbow Divers to continue to be synonymous with professional, safe & fun diving inVietnam. I have already said that I believe that we set the standards here for diving & PADI training. We must continue to do this by continually monitoring our own & others’ activities, listening to suggestions & constructive criticism and reacting accordingly, reinforcing the need & incentives for our Instructors to develop their own con-ed and, of course, having fun doing what we do! The smaller divecentres who simply focus on making money by offering a cheaper and inferior service will always be recognised for doing exactly that: when they can’t compete with standards or professionalism, just cut the price. Unfortunately this is usually done by cutting service & standards.      The diving business in Vietnam has come a long way in the last 10 years. It still has a long way to go before it becomes in the top 10 of worldwide dive destinations. However with the innovation & expansion of Rainbow Divers and the support of PADI to enforce standards, we will get there!

-         Any advice to people planning their next trip to Vietnam or thinking of becoming an Instructor by doing their PADI IDC with you?

Simple answer: stop thinking about it and just do it! You won’t be disappointed!

-         What is the best part of being Jeremy Stein?

The genuine Friends & Business acquaintances I have made by being in the Dive Industry and in Vietnam. People who don’t know me think that I am lucky. Well, I believe in making your own luck. Giving yourself enough exposure to see opportunities and recognising which ones to take and those to pass over.

I love the fact that I can be innovative in this country. It is a shame that no-one else bothers; they just try to copy, usually failing miserably. They do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well I do get tired of the continual flattery!      Life is good. Not easy, but good!

-         What do you do when you are not diving?

Wish that I was!

-         If you could relocate Rainbow Divers to another country….
Which one would you choose and why?

I wouldn’t relocate from Vietnam. There is still so much to do and explore here. However, the concept of expanding outside Vietnam is a strong possibility. Either through 100% ownership or a simple ‘franchise’ concept. I would want somewhere new and virtually unheard of, rather than set up in an established dive destination. The same sort of pioneering that people like Ron Holland has done with Sipidan & Sangalaki, Michael Cortenbach in Baliand Ernest & Kath in Komodo.

-         What are your diving obsessions? What sort of diving do you like?
Diving is an obsession. On every dive, whether it be a deep wall, coral, drift, with mantas and the big stuff or with the gorgeous Nudibranchs and other macro critters, I see something different. Either different species, different colorations, different actions, different behaviour; each offering it’s own unique reward.

I also love exploring new sites. Regardless of what you find, or quite often don’t, there is the suspense & trepidation of every minute of the dive which is a total adrenalin rush!