Meet Carlos Donoso | Scuba Dive Instructor & Travel Agent & Underwater Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carlos Donoso and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlos, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Spending time with interesting people, showing them the underwater world and spreading awareness about our oceans is my biggest reward and makes me unbelievable happy. The underwater world has always fascinated me, that’s why I became a scuba dive instructor and underwater photographer. Taking photos of playful dolphins, colorful fish and lots of other cool stuff down there lightens up my day. To spread happiness I founded Carlu Dive And Travel.

What should our readers know about your business?
At Carlu Dive And Travel we´re passionate about diving and love to share our knowledge and experiences about dive destinations with you. We offer a selected range of liveaboard trips worldwide. Unlike other travel agencies, we do not offer other activities then diving. Quality counts not quantity. Our mission statement is to touch the lives of our guests and the local people we meet during our travel. Conservation, environmental awareness and a commitment to safety are our constant focus.

Business-wise I got to where I am because of my friends. The company has its roots on a boat in Australia. I organized a diving trip for some friends to the famous Yongala shipwreck. After getting a lot of positive feedback and people asking for further trips, my girlfriend and I created the idea about the dive and travel agency Carlu.

While I was still working for different companies around the world I learned about good and bad practice. I figured for myself that once the owner of a business has no contact to his employees and customers, quality will suffer. That’s why I want to make a difference with my own business. Besides of individual bookings there are Carlu trips where Luka and I are on board. We are guiding and taking photos/videos for our guests. I think that’s the secret ingredient why so many people are returning costumers.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Salty skin, beautiful sunsets and dolphins can’t be found in the city. So I would defiantly take my best friend on a Liveaboard cruise around the world. Probably to the Red Sea in Egypt. A Liveaboard is designed like a floating hotel. So we can dive, eat and sleep on board. Like this we are more flexible with choosing dive sites, which are not being reached by daily boats. My best friend and I would do a week full of amazing dives with dolphins, sharks and stunning coral reefs. One of my personal highlight during this week will be the sunken ships of the Red Sea. We would look for treasures in the old shipwrecks which can be found from 10-30m depths. It’s like being in an underwater museum with lots of history and most likely you will be followed by a friendly sea turtle or colorful fish.

After a lot of exciting dives we will visit the underwater cleaning station, where two cleaner wrasses will come by to do a manicure or even dental care for us.

After our little spa session we will enjoy the most beautiful sunset on board while having a fresh fruit juice. At twilight I would prepare everything for a nightdive, so my best friend can witness the beauty of bioluminescence. At the end of the week the Liveaboard will head back to port. Back on land we will visit one of the best camel steak restaurants which also offers delicious vegetarian meals. We would finish the trip with some drinks, talking about our diving adventures and the best feeling of salty skin. As a passionated underwater photographer I will keep a little surprise for the end. A memory they will keep for ever.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are a lot of people who deserve recognition in my story! First of all I want to shoutout to my best friend and partner in crime. My german girlfriend. We met seven years ago on a sunny island during our scuba dive instructor course. Here name is Luka and we share the same passion for diving and traveling. We have crazy stories to tell and beautiful memories to look back on like diving with Whales in Tonga, playing with dolphins of the Red Sea or interacting with sharks in Australia.

But the past years we were facing a lot of ups and downs. And I’m not talking about the rough seas during winter time…One of the biggest downs was surely 2019 when we survived a helicopter crash with several broken bones and spine injury. We are so grateful to be alive and happy to have the best friends and family all around the world who supported us during these difficult times. Thank you for all your love and encouragement.

Website: carludiveandtravel.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlosdonoso/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donosolillo