ROBYN SMYLY

 

DOB: 13th June 1990                                                                                                       

Nationality: South African

Location: Caribbean

Visas: B1 visa valid till June 2031 & UK visitors visa valid till 

South African Discharge Book

Driving Licence: Full & clean, held for over 10+ years

Health: Excellent, Non-smoker, ENG 1 valid till January 2023                                                                                            

No visible tattoos                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

CONTACT INFO

 

        robynellor@gmail.com        +1 7867882250          robynellor

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PERSONAL PROFILE

 

 

• I was lucky enough to start scuba diving at 10 years old and to be exposed to the diving and tourism industry through family and friends from 14 years old.  I got my instructors in 2008 and by the age of 23, I became the youngest Rebreather instructor in the world. This was a great achievement as technical diving is dominated by older males.

• Exposure to the tourism industry from a young age has instilled a great understanding of the needs of an individual client, which in turn has given me the relevant skills and knowledge on how to create a memorable end-to-end customer experience. I handled the reservations and itineraries for multi-cultured guests from all over the world.

• Scuba diving has taught me the importance of safety. I have learned how to manage possible safety issues from environmental conditions to human error as well as equipment faults.

 

 

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

 

PWC                                                                                                     PADI & SSI Dive Instructor (taught up to Divemaster level)

STCW, valid till Feb 2025                                                                   Nitrox Diver                         

PDSD, valid till March 2025                                                              Scubapro Service Technician (BCD & Regulators)

Food Safety & Hygiene Level 2                                                        SSI CCR Instructor (Poseidon Se7en; 100+ hours)

IAMI GUEST Stewardess Interior Introduction                               SSI & EFR First Aid, AED & CPR Instructor (Child & Adult)

IAMI GUEST Basic Food Service, Wine, Bartending & Mixology                                                                                                                                                                 

Felixton College                                                                                                                       2003 - 2007

English, Afrikaans, Mathematics, Physics, Accounting & Geography

 

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

Aug 2021 – Sep 2021                              Sol Liv                                                                  Watch Keeper & Cook

I assisted with delivering a new build Voyage catamaran, 59ft, SV Sol Liv, from Cape Town, South Africa to Tortola, BVI. My duties included cooking, prepping, and planning all the meals for the crew of 5, and I amassed a total of 152 night watch hours, 43 days out at sea, and 5823 NM. Other duties included interior and exterior general upkeep and cleaning for the voyage.

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Aug 2020 - Present                                   Freelance                                                                     ESL Teacher

 

I was teaching English as a foreign language to adults and children from all over the world. This has exposed me to many diverse cultures and interesting people.

 

Feb 2020 – Jul 2020                                 South Africa                                                                     Lockdown

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Throughout February I completed my STCW course at Professional Yachtmaster Training in Durban. Immediately following this I completed the IAMI GUEST courses as well as the food hygiene and safety level 2 course. In March I traveled down to Cape Town and completed the PWC and PDSD courses, then flew up to Pretoria to attain my discharge book to travel to the Mediterranean, unfortunately, lockdown struck. However, I managed to keep myself busy tackling many projects around the house and created a website (see QR code). I managed to complete numerous online courses, the most significant of which was the TEFL certification.

 

Dec 2014 – Jan 2020                                Pisces Diving                            Diving Operations & Sales Manager

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Pisces Diving is a scuba diving charter in Sodwana Bay South Africa.  My duties included marketing IG @Sodwanabay_Piscesdiving, operational logistics – dive, snorkel and scuba training planning, staff allocation, customer relations, and mentoring position as head instructor.  Pisces is a 1 boat dive operation that we built up to operate 2 - 3  boats in the busy season.  I was responsible for training our interns from Rescue divers to Divemaster.

 

June & July 2012 - 2017                          ScubaAddicts                                                                  Sardine Run Divemaster   

 

ScubaAddicts is a dive tour operator in South Africa and Mozambique. For the Sardine Run, we would operate 6-8 boats for 8 weeks. My duties included crowd control and safety at sea as a Sardine Run divemaster for international guests with a maximum of 8 guests per boat.  We would be at sea for around 8 hours a day on an 8m RIB.  I was responsible for the clients’ snacks (boat packs) and crew lunches every morning and the sale of the ScuaAddicts merchandise in the evenings.  I would also assist Shona with the settling of the accounts before guest departure.

 

Jan 2013 – Aug 2014                                Reefteach                                      Lodge Manager & Dive Instructor

 

Reefteach is a 4* bed and breakfast lodge sleeping 30 guests and a scuba diving tour operator in Sodwana Bay, South Africa. My duties included Lodge management – reservations, stock control, and housekeeping – I was responsible for the final room checks and would fill in with the cleaning should we be fully booked or a staff member was on leave. Dive operations logistics – low season 2 boats, busy season 4/5 boats 150+ divers, instruction and guiding.

 

Mar 2014 – Nov 2016                                R’nR Gas                                                                                Owner

 

I started my own business supplying LP Gas to lodges, hotels, restaurants, and private households in Sodwana Bay.  I sold my business to focus on hospitality.

 

Dec 2007 – Dec 2013                                Adventure Mania                             Administration & Dive Instructor

 

Adventure Mania is a scuba diving tour operator in Sodwana Bay, South Africa. I completed my Open Water dive course with them when I was 10 years old and went to work for them every school holiday from 14 years old.  I started as a beach hand, making sure the clients were looked after and on the correct dives. I worked my way up and handled the reservations.  Adventure Mania did not have accommodation, I was responsible for finding the perfect accommodation option to suit our client’s needs and expectations from 5* to off-the-grid camping. I worked 4 weeks on / 1 week off.  In busy season operating 4 boats with 120 divers, we would start work at 4 am and only knock off at around 8 pm.  The days were long but so rewarding.

 

Jan 2007 – Nov 2007                                 AKR Financial Services                                                 Bookkeeper

 

While in my final year of high school, I worked as a bookkeeper using Pastel Accounting Program. 

 

HOBBIES & INTERESTS

• I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen with different styles of cooking. My favorite cuisine is South-East Asian

• Enjoy surfing, I used to work as a Roxy Learn to Surf instructor while in school

• I enjoy being out on the ocean freediving and spearfishing

• Enjoy reading, especially historical novels and biographies, you will not see me traveling without my Kindle

• I enjoy staying fit by swimming, I have competed in the Midmar Mile swimming race and I run three times a week

 

 

REFEREES

Gary Dainton                                      Dainton Yacht Deliveries                                   Owner/Captain
Ph: +27 82 833 4573                         gazzad@yahoo.com                                          Time Zone: GMT +2

 

Lauren Norton                                    Trilogy Luxury Training                                     Owner

Ph: +27 74 130 6295                          lauren@trilogyluxurytraining.co.za                 Time Zone: GMT +2

 

Shona Smith                                       ScubaAddicts                                                     Owner

Ph: +258 84 634 2862                        info@scubaaddicts.com                                   Time Zone: GMT +2