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John Melendres Goes Down Deeper and Stays Down Longer

Written by Yan Redoble

Wednesday, 25 April 2007

Sauntering around Scuba World Punta Engaño in his black sleeveless hooded vest, bellowing out greetings to guests in his deep husky voice, taking in the scenery with his perpetually mocking eyes, PADI instructor John Melendres strikes an imposing figure indeed.

In fact, he almost looks like a rogue commando off to battle. If not for his warm smile, one would almost be afraid – nay, terrified – of his shadow. But if you do take the chance to get to know him, you’d discover a very friendly and charming fellow, one whose passion for scuba diving will turn the worst skeptic into the most fanatic of divers.

“Divers go down deeper, stay down longer, and come up wetter and always satisfied,” he loves to tell everyone, quoting a not-so-original quip but effectively breaking the ice in the process.

John with Governor Gwen in Pescador.

Of course, one wonders how that line worked with such VIPs as Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia or President Gloria Magacapagal-Arroyo, two of the many celebrities that John has been known to escort underwater.

But then again, John remains taciturn about his famed adventures with such VIPs, revealing only that the presidential guards were “too much of a hassle”, and stating simply that he treats all of his students as VIPs.

“I want to make it clear that no matter who or what you are, I will always give the same treatment, training, and service to each and everyone who knocks on my door. I teach people from all walks of life and when the time comes that we all get on the boat and go down, only two things matter: the love of diving and sharing that experience after,” he emphasizes.

Today, John is one of the most celebrated PADI instructors in the industry. Ironically, however, he’d never dreamed of a career in scuba diving. It just – as most other great things in life – happened.

A Dive Instructor’s Journey

Looking Good!

“I learned to dive in 1990 and got certified in 1996,” he recounts. “There was a free discover scuba course in YMCA. A cousin of mine told me about it, and I decided to go.”

Since then, John has been an avid diver, spending his weekends in Mactan and Moalboal, two of the hottest dive spots in Cebu. “All I wanted to do was dive and check out new gear,” he admits.

Turning scuba diving into a full-time profession was, according to John, “not (his) choice.” To put it simply, the decision was made for him.

In 1997, John worked as a DJ in a local radio station. When the station underwent an unexpected change in management, John felt so bad that he poured his heart out to his diving instructor, who also happened to be his good friend.

“After hearing me out, he looked at me and said, ‘Would you like to take over my job and sell dive equipment?’ It was pure coincidence that my instructor was leaving for the States and was then looking for a replacement for the dive store. That’s how I started. After six months, I got an offer from Scuba World to be their Marketing Manager, plus the chance to become an instructor. Again, that was something I never expected; but teaching and helping people choose the right equipment for them is pure fun and very rewarding,” John relates nostalgically.

“I never regretted taking that opportunity. In fact, I am very grateful to the company till this day,” he says with evident pride.

For the Love of Diving

After more than a decade of diving, John still cannot get over the sublime beauty of the underwater world. In particular, John is addicted to “the peace and quiet” each time he goes down.

John’s favorite diving spot is undisputedly the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea. He enthusiastically shares, “It’s a great spot because you will see things we normally don’t see in Mactan, like mantas, whale sharks, plus different kinds of sharks from white tip, black tip, grey reef, to hammerheads, etc. And tons and tons of turtles…everything there is just bigger!”

“But don’t discount Balicasag, Cabilao, Hilutungan, Nalusuan and Talima,” he quickly adds. “They also have their own wonders. If you take one common denominator in all these dive sites, they are all protected areas, and because of that, these sites are given a breather from all the forms of illegal fishing that is still rampant in our areas.”

In spite of the many wonders he’s seen, John’s heart would always secretly pine for the Galapagos Islands, an archipelago in northwestern South America famed for its endemic species studied by Charles Darwin.

“Don’t get me wrong,” John says almost wistfully, “some of you might say this is too ambitious as it would cost me more than $5,000! But this will always be a dream, okay?”

And for those who have yet to experience the wonders of diving, John Melendres has this to say: