MR ALEXANDER Bryant has logged more than 1,000 dives to date, having started when he was just 12. And that figure is increasing by about 200 each year, since he travels to places in Malaysia like Pulau Aur or Tioman every weekend.

That is a frantic rate, yet the Briton keeps at it.

'You can do all sorts of dives. There are cave dives, wreck dives, reef dives and drift dives (where one moves with the current), so no two dives are exactly the same.

'Also, when you're diving, you're one with nature. Some people compare it to meditation,' he says.

'It's just you and the elements. It's so tranquil, so peaceful. It's beautiful.'

Mr Bryant has been an instructor since 2003. It has been two years since he went into teaching full-time after being approached by his current business partner.

The thrill of running their business, Scuba Corner, was something the 25-year-old, who has a master's degree in a business discipline, found hard to pass up.

Mr Bryant's days are spent keeping the business going, while nights are when he puts his instructor qualifications to good use. He conducts theory and practical lessons for students ranging from beginners to instructor-aspirants.

Come weekends, it's a five-hour-plus trip to a dive site in Malaysia for lessons at sea.

Mr Bryant recalls his first class as an instructor as being uneventful.

'I guess I'm quite lucky. I've yet to see a diving accident in my 13 years.

'Then again, it's safer to scuba-dive than to get in a car, if you look at statistics around the world. Diving accidents are very rare.'

And when they do happen, it is mainly because people have not listened to instructions.

'After all, you can't have your eyes on people all the time,' says Mr Bryant, who is clear about what is most important during a dive.

'Safety is always the No. 1 concern. Fun is a close second. We will never compromise safety for fun.

'It's not quite fun if you're not going to live to remember it,' he points out.

Mr Bryant has seen his fair share of people who stop diving after their first dive trip. 'Some people are just not built for diving. They like their creature comforts, and only want to dive in five-star conditions, but not everyone can afford such luxury,' he said.

'Or maybe they're put off by the time taken to get to remote places. But places that aren't remote are usually ruined. The harder a place is to get to, the less touched it is. So usually, it's more beautiful.'

And Pulau Aur, where Scuba Corner runs a training station and resort, is such a place. If you can get a group of 10 to go there on a weekday, you'll be the only 10 people there.

It's where he led his first group of students and also where he has had memorable experiences of seeing whale sharks and manta rays. Mr Bryant reckons he is one of the few to have seen both there.

Other memorable dives include wreck dives, where you can research the history and find out why a ship sank at a certain place.

'There are lots of wrecks around this part of the world because of wars and the history of Singapore and Malaysia as trading nations,' he says.

'There, you can probably see all the types of boats that have been built since the dawn of man!'

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