Certified: I was first certified in Bali, Indonesia - on a little island called Mojo Island, in 2011. I was just 14 years old when I began diving! 

Training includes: 3 years at the BEST camp in the world, Action Quest. Here I received my advanced open water through divemaster certifications while also gaining hands-on experience living on boats as well as sailing them! Along with plenty of community service work and lots of adventuring!

I did my IDC (instructor training) and MSDT (master scuba diver training) through Underwater Vision in Utila, Honduras. I learned under one of the best in the game, Grace Williams.

Here, I spent 3 weeks doing the IDC training and on the 21st of September, 2022, I passed my instructor examination with flying colors! I actually received the highest score for the standards section in my group!

I then continued on and did my master scuba diver trainer internship where I shadowed other instructors at the shop to learn from them and see what it’s like training students in the real world! By the end of my internship, I was teaching open water through rescue students completely on my own and even got to train two students in a deep diver specialty course!

During this internship, I received multiple instructor level specialty certifications. I can now teach these specialties: snorkel, coral identification, deep diving, dive guide, enriched air nitrox, marine ecology, night and limited visibility, perfect buoyancy, recreational sidemount, science of diving, diver stress and rescue, wreck diving, advanced wreck diving, and react right - first aid and CPR for adults, children, and infants.

I am qualified to train students through both SSI and PADI.

Why I teach: I teach scuba diving because it is my absolute favorite thing in the world to do. I have such an extreme passion for diving and an endless love for learning more when it comes to the underwater world - and I want to share my knowledge with everyone I encounter. I also have always had a love for teaching and training others. 

Before this, I have taught people how to ride horses, how to swim, how to dance, etc. It is in my blood to share my knowledge with the world and I see myself teaching diving until the end of my days! I also plan to continue to educate myself and to move my way up the Scuba ladder in hopes that someday I will either become a course director, a research diver, or to own my own Scuba diving business! 

Why I joined Coral Key Scuba: Not only is Coral Key a beautiful shop filled with amazing staff, students, divers, and humans; but when I first walked into the shop, I got a feeling of comfortability that’s hard to come by. I instantly felt accepted by the entire Coral Key family and felt that I could make this shop my home. I was greeted with smiles and enthusiasm and that’s all I ask for when searching for the right dive shop to dive and work with. I also love that they offer trips and excursions to their staff and students and love that they have their own lake to do open water dives at! I am blessed to be part of the Coral Key family and am forever grateful to be apart of this amazing team. 

Favorite Dive location: Labrynth or the Maze in Utila, Honduras, Islas de la Bahia or the Kodiak Queen, British Virgin Islands or anywhere in Bali, Indonesia

Bucket list Location: The Great Barrier Reef, or anywhere in Thailand, Fiji, or the Red Sea. 

Bio: My name is Sophia Gali but I prefer to go by Sophie! I fell in love with diving when I was quite young and knew that I wanted to make it my career someday. 

Growing up, I was blessed to be able to travel the world and experience a whole lot for such a young girl and it inspired me to continue traveling for the rest of my life. Diving has given me countless opportunities for travel, adventure, and growth. 

Some things I love other than diving : food, wiener dogs, hiking, camping, horseback riding, dancing, karaoke, music, school, and spending time with friends and family. 

My goals in life are to continue to educate myself always, to advance my diving skills and certifications, to open my own businesses; no matter what they may be, to own and man my own sailboat that I will live on someday, to see as much of the world that I can, and to continue to grow evermore.