“The BRIGHT YELLOW Dive Store!”
Wellington’s only in-store diver training pool
“The BRIGHT YELLOW Dive Store”
Wellingtons only in-store diver training pool
Open 8am to 5pm 7 Days
Closed Public Holidays
Tony Howell has always been passionate about passing on his skills through teaching. He had a 28-year career in the army before becoming a full time PADI scuba diving Instructor.
Tony Howell established NZSA in 1990 and it was Wellington’s first: PADI 5 Star Career Development Centre, EMP approved MFA Training Centre and TDI Instructor Development Facility.
NZSA is known for caring for: the environment, attention to safety, professional standards and drive to increase the number of women in diving (Tony has three diving daughters). With a dive pool on site, running courses is easy, flexible and fun. Time is not a problem; customers are the priority. As a result, customers quickly become friends; many also end up working in the dive industry as well.
Most people don’t know about Tony’s army career so here are some of the highlights. Tony joined the Regular New Zealand Army at the age of 16. One of the early courses that he passed with distinction was the Army’s 18 week All Arms Instructor course. This was the Army’s top instructor training course. By the time he was 18 he was a well-qualified soldier and instructing much older soldiers on soldier skills. The principles he learnt there served him well for his Army service and to this day as New Zealand’s senior PADI Course Director.
He was commissioned as an officer at the age of 20 and made use of his excellent instructional skills to train the various groups of soldiers that were placed under his command. Tony served on active service in South East Asia helping and protecting those peoples. He saw over seven years’ overseas service in Australia, Europe, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore, South Vietnam, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom and United States of America. Tony even visited Antarctica. He commanded soldiers for most of that time and in several of those countries.
As well as command and staff appointments, Tony was posted as a senior instructor at the Army’s School of Infantry for nearly three years in recognition of his qualifications and ability. His last Army job was as the Army’s Director of Training. Tony has the ability to draw the very best from people and that is a rare skill. He firmly believes that sound training is the basis for all things.
Tony resigned from the Army after 28 years of service to his country, having attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Click the images for more details.
Ever since he was a kid, Tony wanted to scuba dive. He finally became a scuba diver while serving in the New Zealand Army in Singapore and quickly became very passionate about the sport! When he returned to New Zealand his Army instructor experience was quickly recognised and he was invited to teach dive Instructor candidates how to teach. This resulted in the award of his initial NZUA/CMAS Dive Instructor qualification in 1975. This was soon upgraded to a full 3 Star CMAS rating, the highest achievable in New Zealand at that time. NZUA changed over to PADI in 1986 and so did Tony.
In 1989 Tony Howell received a personal invitation (now you apply) to attend a PADI Course Director Training Course in Sydney. He is still training dive instructors and is New Zealand’s senior teaching PADI Course Director.
In 2003, Tony decided to learn about and teach Technical diving. This journey took him to the Philippines and Australia to gain his qualifications. Now he is Wellington’s only TDI Instructor Trainer and one of the most qualified in New Zealand.
Diving is like flying – without the bump at the bottom. Both air and water are three-dimensional and both are challenging environments. Diving is a life-changing activity; it can become addictive for those with a sense of fun, excitement and adventure.
The greatest thrill for an instructor is seeing the beaming smile and excitement in someone who has totally connected with scuba and the sea. Their life is changed forever!
Wellington is the best diving city in New Zealand and the only one with a Marine Reserve on its coast line. Diving off the shore here is easy, cheap (you don’t need a boat) and of high quality. Since 1975, Tony Howell has enjoyed teaching divers, technical divers and Instructors. When not doing that he is either writing books, planning dive adventures for divers or he is quietly cruising underwater on his rebreather, silently (no bubbles) interacting with his underwater neighbours.
Tony has so many dive qualifications it is easier just to list them. (* indicates a qualification is not in current teaching status).
PADI Course Director, Jul 89
MFA Facilitator, Jul 87
EFR Instructor Trainer, Oct 02
TDI Course Director, Jun 03
DSAT Tec Trimix Instructor Trainer, Dec 10
TDI Advanced Trimix Instructor Trainer, Dec 14
TDI KISS CCR Air Diluent Instructor Trainer, Oct 2015
TDI KISS CCR Mixed Gas Diluent Instructor, Nov 2016.
PADI Night Diver Instructor Trainer, Feb 87
PADI Wreck Diver Instructor Trainer, Feb 87
PADI Deep Diver Instructor Trainer, Feb 87
PADI Under Water Hunter Instructor Trainer, Feb 87 *
PADI Under Water Archaeology Instructor Trainer, Feb 87
PADI AWARE Instructor Trainer, Feb 87
PAD Peak Performance Buoyancy Instructor Trainer, Feb 87
PADI Coral Reef Conservation Instructor Trainer, Feb 87
PADI Equipment Specialty Instructor Trainer, Jan 88
PADI Research Instructor Trainer, Jan 88
PADI Search and Recovery Instructor Trainer, Jan 88
PADI Under Water Navigator Instructor Trainer, Jan 88
PADI Under Water Photography Instructor Trainer, Jan 88
PADI Small Boat and Seamanship Instructor Trainer, Jun 90
PADI Drift Diving Instructor Trainer, Oct 91
PADI Under Water Naturalist Instructor Trainer, Apr 92
PADI Altitude Diver Instructor Trainer, May 93
PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Instructor Trainer, Jul 96
PADI Dry Suit Instructor Trainer, Nov 96
PADI Cavern Instructor Trainer, Jan 97
PADI Multi-Level Instructor Trainer, Sep 97
PADI Oxygen First Aid Instructor Trainer, Jul 99
PADI Videography Instructor Trainer, Feb 00
PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle Instructor Trainer, Dec 00
PADI Gas Blender – EANx & Trimix Instructor Trainer, May 02
PADI Aware Fish ID Instructor Trainer, May 06
PADI Digital Photography Instructor Trainer, Aug 06
PADI SMB Instructor Trainer, Apr 08
PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor Trainer, May 08
PADI Rec Side-mount Instructor Trainer, May 12
PADI Self-Reliant Instructor Trainer, Oct 2014
PADI Dive Against Debris Specialty Instructor, 2022
Ship Station Radio Licence, Dec 84
Local Launch master, Aug 90
NZUA Master of Small Commercial Dive Boats Trainer, Mar 01
Coastguard Boat Master Tutor, Mar 03 *
Coastguard Boat Handler Tutor/Examiner *
Coastguard VHF Tutor/Examiner, Mar 03 *
NHF Level 2 CPR Instructor, May 99
DAN Oxygen Instructor Trainer, June 00 *
SDI Open Water Scuba Instructor Trainer, Dec 03
SDI Specialty Instructor Trainer – numerous, Dec 03
TDI Advanced Gas Blending Instructor Trainer, Dec 03
TDI O2 Service Technician Instructor Trainer, Dec 03
TDI Deco Procedures Instructor Trainer, Jun 03
TDI Extended Range Instructor, Dec 04
TDI Advanced Trimix Instructor, Dec 05
TDI Extended Range Instructor Trainer, Sep 08
IANTD KISS CCR Instructor, Nov 09
TDI KISS Air Deco CCR Instructor, Jul 10
DSAT Tec Rec Deep Instructor, Sep 10
DSAT Tec Rec Deep Instructor Trainer, Sep 10
DSAT Tec Trimix Instructor, Dec 10
DSAT Tec Trimix Instructor Trainer, Dec 10
TDI Trimix Instructor Trainer, Jan 11
CMAS Advanced Mixed Gas CCR, May 11
IANTD GEM PSCR Instructor, Sep 11
DSAT Technical Side-mount Instructor Trainer, Jun 12
TDI Intro to Tech Instructor Trainer, May 13
TDI Side-mount Instructor Trainer, May 13
Medic First Aid Instructor: ECI Level 2, Dec 13
TDI Advanced Trimix Instructor Trainer, Dec 14
TDI KISS Air Diluent Instructor Trainer, Oct 15
TDI KISS Mixed Gas Diluent Instructor, Nov 16.
Dacor, Jun 88
Mares, Aug 98
USD Aqualung, Aug 92
Dacor Modular, Sep 95
Gas Blender & Service Technician, Nov 98
Sherwood, Oct 00
Apollo, Aug 01
Sherwood, Aug 01
Scubapro, Mar 02
O2 Service Technician, Dec 03
Scubapro X650 update, Apr 04
Scubapro, Jun 09
Scubapro, Aug 09
BSAC Second Class Diver, 73
NZUA Scuba Instructor, Sep 75 *
3 Star CMAS Instructor, Nov 84 *
PADI Open Water Instructor, Sep 86
PADI Medic First Aid Instructor, Sep 87 *
MFA Instructor Trainer, Jul 89 *
MFA (Paediatric) Instructor Trainer, May 90 *
Construction Diver Class III, Dec 92 *
Construction Safety Supervisor, Aug 93 *
TDI Optima Air Diluent Diver, Sep 07
IART KISS CCR Level 1, Mar 09
IANTD KISS Rebreather Instructor, Nov 09 *
Congratulations on making it all the way down the list – you will probably see something new next time you look at this list as Tony is committed to training not only his students but also himself.
Closed Public Holidays
Address:
9 Marina View
Mana
Porirua 5026
Phone: 042338238
eMail: nzsa@scubadiving.co.nz
