ÉDOUARD, RETAIL ASSISTANT AT DECATHLON IN MÉRIGNAC

He's keen on scuba diving. Learn more about him…

I’m 37 years old. I've been keen on diving since I was 12 or 13. I was lucky enough to live in Polynesia for quite a few years while I was getting my certifications. So I've travelled to many islands (Polynesia, New Caledonia, Madagascar, etc.) I have nearly 1,500 dives under my belt. Once back in France, I decided to get certified as an instructor in Antibes.

WHAT DO YOU DO AT DECATHLON ?

What's your background?

I've been a retail assistant at Decathlon Mérignac for almost 7 years, specialising in scuba diving. I was an instructor for the Tribord brand in order to train people on how to share their knowledge, which is a major asset for diving. Today, I work as an ambassador for the Subea brand, to make it better known and to promote it within the various clubs. I firmly believe in this brand and feel that it has tremendous potential.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT SCUBA DIVING?

In general the pleasure of diving is the flora and fauna but besides that, there's this feeling of falling without falling, of slipping slowly towards the bottom. The deep attract me with this feeling in such a way that I don't feel like going back up. There's also a feeling of well-being that I get when diving, even though it's really the depth that I'm seeking.

WHAT'S YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL MEMORY OF AN UNDERWATER EXPERIENCE?

I couldn't say which were my best dives, but I still have two main memories: one while freediving next to humpback whales in Polynesia and the other, in the Mantsomboro Islands, north of Mayotte, where I had never seen such crystal-clear water.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE IDEA OF BECOMING A SUB-EDITOR?

Honestly, I initially felt a bit stressed outby the idea of becoming a contributor/editor, especially about writing about certain topics. That said, I think that it's really great to be able to give advice and share my knowledge with other enthusiasts. I really care about this assignment and hope to be able to share as many things as possible with other divers.